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 [...]
George Washington slept here in 1794
President George Washington was once the city’s guest, on October 1, 1794, when he came here from Philadelphia and [...]
Model Cities Program
The Model Cities Program was an element of U.S. President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society and War on Poverty. The concept [...]
Hamburg, Pennsylvania
The Borough of Hamburg, located in the northeastern section of Berks County, is sixteen miles north of Reading. The [...]
Birdsboro, Pennsylvania
Birdsboro owes its origin to pioneer William Bird who here established the first iron works in this section and [...]
Boy Scouts of America – The Reading and Reading-Berks County Councils
The Reading Council, which would in time become the Daniel Boone Council, was established in March 1916, when Woodrow [...]
Old Ironsides
This famous locomotive was the first built by Matthias W. Baldwin, founder of the Baldwin Locomotive Works. It was [...]
Temple, PA – Muhlenberg Township
Crossroads attract settlers, and five miles northeast of Reading five roads intersected: roads to Reading, to Kutztown, to Friedensberg, [...]
Cherokee Ranch, Temple, PA
After World War II, GI’s came home to a dire housing shortage; little had been built during the years [...]
St. Lawrence Dairy and Luncheonette
St. Lawrence Luncheonette was a large and popular eatery that once hosted customers at 535 Penn Street. It was [...]
Laureldale, Pennsylvania
The roots of Laureldale go back to the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1902 Edward Lauter purchased part [...]
Trexler Mansion – Elks Lodge – 46 South Fifth Street
The Horatio Trexler Mansion was built in 1869 in the French Second Empire style. The French Second Empire manner strove [...]
Eleventh and Pike Playground
Eleventh and Pike Playground was purchased from George D. Horst in 1928 for $100,000. Prior to the purchase, the [...]
Centre Park Historic District
This Centre Park Historic District is located to the south of Charles Evans Cemetery, between Centre Avenue and North [...]
Ricktown Historic District
Generally situated to the south of the Lebanon Valley Railroad between Schuylkill Avenue and North Second Street, the Ricktown [...]
The Road to Nowhere: A Highway’s Journey to Somewhere
For decades, locals and visitors alike marveled—or rather chuckled—at the so-called “Road to Nowhere,” a rare breed of Pennsylvania [...]
The Prince Historic District
The Prince Historic District was established on May 5, 1982. The backbone of this neighborhood is South Sixth Street [...]
The Staufer Building
The handsome Staufer Building, located at the Northwest corner of Sixth and Franklin Streets, was erected by William M. [...]
Building of Skyline Drive Wall a WPA Project
The roads that wind around Mount Penn to the Pagoda are lined with a stone wall that was built [...]
