Solomon Boscov: From Peddler to Pioneer
In the annals of Reading, Pennsylvania’s commercial history, few stories capture the spirit of grit, humor, and community connection [...]
Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Shops, 7th & Chestnut Streets
The Reading Foundry, at 7th & Chestnut Streets, once housed the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad heavy duty shops prior [...]
Burn’s Department Store, Laureldale, PA
On Decembers, 1928, Catherine Burns opened The Rosedale Variety Shop at 1505 Elizabeth Avenue. The business was quite successful, [...]
Early Development of Southwest Reading, PA
After Reading was sketched out by Thomas Penn in 1748, most of the development centered around Market Square (present [...]
Layout of the Town of Reading
When Thomas Penn laid out the town in 1748, he chose the site of an old Indian ford on [...]
Roadside America closing and auctioning off pieces and buildings of its miniature village
Roadside America, known as the “world’s greatest indoor miniature village,” announced November 21, 2020 that it is permanently closing [...]
New Life for the Madison Building
The Madison Building at 400 Washington Street was recently sold for $2,500,000. Developer David Hasenfeld, owner of Madison 2020 [...]
Skyline Drive on Mount Penn constructed by laborers of the Works Progress Administration
Skyline Drive on Mount Penn was constructed by laborers of the Works Progress Administration, a federal program established in [...]
Hawthorne Mansion – House of Seven Gables
The Hawthorn Mansion at the corner of Clymer St. and Mineral Spring Rd. was built by George Frederick Baer [...]
Santa Banned from Annual Christmas Parade at Reading
In 1950, Santa Claus was banned from the Reading Christmas parade. Not that the city didn't believe in Santa. [...]
Mistletoe – Christmas Customs and Traditions
The mistletoe Americans are familiar with -- phoradendron serotinum -- grows primarily in the Southeast and as far west [...]
Koziar’s Christmas Village
William M. Koziar, the creator of Christmas Village, began decorating his home and property in 1948 for the pleasure [...]
Paper Mill Dam Removal on Cacoosing Creek in Berks County
American Rivers was awarded $275,441 for the Removal of the Paper Mill Dam on Cacoosing Creek. Cacoosing Creek is [...]
VF Outlet Store Closing
After decades of providing outlet prices on brand-name clothing, the VF Outlet store in West Reading is closing. Clerks [...]
Reading Fairgrounds Speedway, the Home of Champions
From September 20, 1924 to June 29,1979, dirt-track racing fans crowded the 80 acre site of the Reading Fairgrounds [...]
Developer planning new townhomes on Washington Street, success or poor planning
The Reading Redevelopment Authority recently accepted bids from a New York developer for the purchase of 301, 311, and [...]
Reading Area Community College
Amid a great deal of controversy and opposition from a number of sources, including the Chamber of Commerce, the [...]
More People Are Decorating for Christmas Early This Year
Perhaps because people are spending more time at home, they'll take any excuse to brighten things up in this [...]
Weiser Student to Attend Purdue Space Day
On average, American 8-to-12-year-olds spend 4 hours and 44 minutes on screen media each day. That’s according to a [...]
Columbus Day, 1892 – The Great Catholic Parade
The celebration of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America by the Catholic of this city took place [...]
Kitty Solomon helped spawn the Outlet Industry
At one time Reading was dominated by textile manufacturers. By the 1960s and early 1970s most of the textile [...]