On May 25, 1996, a three alarm arson fire, out of control for more than four hours, destroyed the former Great Factory Store in the 1100 block of Moss Street. The building was vacant since July 1985. The 2nd largest fire in the [...]
In 1909, the city leaders celebrated with much fanfare the opening of the Spring Street Subway, a rail bridge that eliminated a dangerous Reading Railroad crossing – first for pedestrians and later for cars. The Reading Railroad was well established in the area [...]
The Farmers-Kissinger Market was located on the South side of the 800 block of Penn Street, Reading. It was opened around Memorial Day of 1871. Below: Farmers-Kissinger Market in the late 1960s. The market relocated to new commercial space in the same block [...]
Years back, before suburban malls lured shoppers away from in town, Penn Street was teeming with pedestrians from morning to night. Around the holidays, sidewalks were thronged to the extent the only way to pass people was a side-run out in the street. Hundreds [...]
In July of 1870, workers began to erect a building at 135 North Sixth Street which was to contain a market house and Masonic Temple. However, the panic of 1873 - 74 prevented completion so the property was sold by the sheriff to [...]
Faller’s bakery was established by E. J. Faller (1888-1958) and his cousin George B. O’Neill in 1911. The business itself was started at 1606 Cotton Street. Edward J. and Ella M. Faller began operating their pretzel bakery at 528 & 530 Moss Street [...]
Although a few houses were built along Kutztown Road before 1838, it wasn’t until that date when a blacksmith by the name of Jacob Lutz secured a parcel of land and thereupon erected two stone buildings at the comer of what would become [...]
The Soldier’s General: Hunter Liggett of the A.E.F. Big stature, big deeds and straight talk personified the man, Major General Hunter Liggett, born March 21, 1857, somewhere near to the corner of Sixth and Chestnut Streets, Reading, Pennsylvania. (On his return from Europe where [...]
In the golden days of Reading we got used to the idea that we were living in a good old town. Whenever a native went sojourning to some near distant place like Philly or New York or north to Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, whenever [...]
Reading used to be a playground town way back when we were kids. We would race out of bed on smothering mornings of heat and haze, grab rumpled remnants of play from yesterday, gulp milk and toast and head to the innocent haven [...]
