Lancaster Avenue Covered Bridge and Bingaman Street Bridge
The county commissioners were authorized by an Act passed April 23, 1829, to erect a bridge over the Schuylkill [...]
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public relief program for unemployed men ages 18 to 24 to provide [...]
Worrying blood-lead levels in children in Reading and Berks County
Berks County has the 3rd highest lead levels in the State, which is related to the amount of housing [...]
Pretzel City USA
At one time, Reading was home to about 26 different pretzel bakeries, earning it the nickname Pretzel City. Julius [...]
St. Peter Reading Catholic High School
By the beginning of the 20th century in Reading there was an urgent need for a Catholic secondary school. [...]
Ciotti Markets
Ciotti Markets was started by the Ciotti family in their Summit Avenue home in Millmont in 1937. Their first [...]
Don’t Give Up on Reading
By MaryBeth. Thank you for creating GoReadingBerks, one of my go-to websites when I need a dose of hometown [...]
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 [...]




















