The 400 Block of Penn Street
Everything could be bought in that 400 block, from food to a diamond, from tires to a clock. Below: [...]
Reading, PA, The Good Times and the Bad
I was fortunate enough to grow up in the city of Reading before it lost its small town feel [...]
Wincanton and its citizens fare badly in report
In 1967, "The Wincanton Report,” a federally funded study, was published about corruption and organized crime in a small [...]
Christmas was Different here 100 years ago
City fathers 100 years ago were screaming about the double parkers on Penn Street, and citing a city parking [...]
Neversink Reservoir
The Neversink Reservoir sits adjacent to the 10th & South playground. The Neversink Reservoir was built in 1936 on [...]
Changing Demographics and Revitalization
By 2045, the U.S. will be a majority minority nation. During that year, whites will comprise 49.7 percent of [...]
The Heritage of Reading: 1910-1940: New Annexations; the Automobile; the Suburbs; the Great Depression
By 1910 it was clear to Reading’s leaders that the biggest progress was quickly moving beyond the City limits. [...]
The Heritage of Reading: 1874-1910: The Height of Progress, Trollies, and the First Suburbs
Between the year in which Reading became a Third Class City and the year in which Reading’s prosperity is [...]
The Heritage of Reading: 1847—1874: Annexations: Industrial Expansion; the Building Industry
Development from the City Charter till 1874, when Reading received a new charter and became a City of the [...]
The Heritage of Reading: 1813-1847: Canals, Heavy Industry, and the Railroad
The town of Reading was chartered as a borough by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1783, and granted a [...]
The Heritage of Reading: 1745 -1813: Original topography and the Town Plan
When Thomas Penn and his engineers were discussing the location and plan for the county seat of the proposed [...]
Bernhart’s Dam, Lake, and Park
Bernhart's dam and lake has existed on an extensive Spring Valley acreage since 1796. The dam was originally constructed [...]
John F. Boyer’s Old Reliable Stables
The oldest and largest establishment of its kind in this part of the State, Jno. F. Boyer’s old reliable [...]
Reading Beer Just Memory
In 1976, due to the rise of larger macro breweries, Reading Brewing Company ceased operations. The following article appeared [...]
Reading Brewing Company
The Reading Brewing Company was founded in 1886 by Philip Bessinger with a brewery at Ninth and Laurel streets [...]
Unusual job completed by textile craftsmen
November, 1931: Fashioned with wood, the work of Textile craftsmen is a beautiful miniature reproduction of the Reading Hospital [...]
Ancona’s School – Alsace Township
At the junction of Friedensburg Road and Old Spies Church Road, about a half-mile past the former Stony Creek [...]
Fire Companies and Penn Street, Reading, PA
The tradition of the fire truck parade on Penn Street dates back to the turn of the 20th century. [...]
Those Who Were Here Before Us
Three hundred years ago few Europeans lived in what we now call Berks County. At that time it was [...]
Read’s Department Store
Read’s Department Store was located on the northeast corner of 7th and Penn Streets. This imposing 3-story building was [...]
The Crucial Role of Berks County’s Germans in the American Revolution
When chronicling the American Revolution, the narrative often centers on the English-speaking patriots of Boston and Philadelphia. However, a [...]