Crossroads attract settlers, and five miles northeast of Reading five roads intersected: roads to Reading, to Kutztown, to Friedensberg, to Leesport, and one to Tuckerton and beyond. To many folks it was known as “Five Points,” a natural place to build a hotel. [...]
After World War II, GI’s came home to a dire housing shortage; little had been built during the years of the Great Depression and war. The federal government had foreseen the problem and a program was already in place that would guarantee financing [...]
St. Lawrence Luncheonette was a large and popular eatery that once hosted customers at 535 Penn Street. It was owned and operated by the St. Lawrence Dairy. Its ice cream and soda was understandably the most popular part of this operation. Below: Interior, [...]
The roots of Laureldale go back to the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1902 Edward Lauter purchased part of the Henry Gass farm north of Hyde Park and east of the East Penn Railroad, called it Rosedale and parceled it off into [...]
The Horatio Trexler Mansion was built in 1869 in the French Second Empire style. The French Second Empire manner strove to imitate the French baroque elegance of the new architecture in Napoleon Ill's Paris. The small decorative porch to shelter callers - not for [...]
Eleventh and Pike Playground was purchased from George D. Horst in 1928 for $100,000. Prior to the purchase, the George Horst Playground was used for ball games. The fence and grandstand were torn down and the site used for ordinary play purposes in [...]
This Centre Park Historic District is located to the south of Charles Evans Cemetery, between Centre Avenue and North Fifth Street, and includes all the east-west streets between Greenwich and Robeson Streets. It is one of the largest historical districts in the City [...]
Generally situated to the south of the Lebanon Valley Railroad between Schuylkill Avenue and North Second Street, the Ricktown Historic District extends south to the vicinity of Washington Street. The neighborhood is basically residential in character, although much of the residential development occurred [...]
For decades, locals and visitors alike marveled—or rather chuckled—at the so-called “Road to Nowhere,” a rare breed of Pennsylvania roadway that, for years, led travelers absolutely nowhere of significance. Built in 1964, this four-lane wonder began as a strip of asphalt in the [...]
The Prince Historic District was established on May 5, 1982. The backbone of this neighborhood is South Sixth Street (originally called Prince Street). The District extends along South Sixth Street from Cherry Street south to Canal Street and branches out for about a [...]
