In 1864, Frederick R. Frill purchased from William Leinbach a farm of 116 acres. In 1873, he laid this land off into lots, and most of the lots in the blocks south of Penn Avenue and east of present-day Fifth Avenue were numbered [...]
The Penn View Motel, located on the block between 2nd and 3rd Streets on Penn Avenue in West Reading, was part of a chain of nine motels called Host Ways Motel. This highly recognizable landmark was clearly visible from the West-Shore By-Pass and [...]
The original public building in Reading stood in the center of Penn Square, directly at the intersection of Penn and Fifth Streets, then called Market and Callowhill Streets. It was the most central situation, and therefore the most convenient, and it was architecturally [...]
William Henry Luden, developer of the menthol cough drop and founder of the Luden's company in Reading, PA, amassed considerable wealth through his confectionery business. In 1882, William H. Luden began modestly making candy for Christmas, with thirty pounds of sugar, at No. [...]
Located at the Southwest corner of 4th and Cherry Streets in Reading are three distinct restaurants. Judy's on Cherry offers Mediterranean-inspired fine dining in a beautifully renovated farmer's market. The Speckled Hen Cottage Pub & Alehouse, is located in an authentically restored 18th [...]
Until 1964 the most familiar structure in West Reading was the West Reading Hotel on the north side of the Penn Ave. between 5th and 6th. Below: West Reading Hotel, northeast corner of Sixth and Penn Ave. The three-story structure had [...]
The buildings at the southeast corner of 3rd and Penn Streets, presented the above appearance, when, in 1825, Daniel Graeff moved his family and dry goods and grocery store into the corner building (No.1). His previous location was on the south side of [...]
John Nolen (1869–1937) was the first American to identify himself exclusively as a town and city planner. Nolen was orphaned as a child and placed in Girard College. After he graduated first in his class in 1884, he worked as a grocery clerk [...]
Bern Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Bern Township was settled in 1733, mostly by German farmers. It was established in 1738 and was named for the city of Berne, Switzerland. Originally, it was bounded on the east by the Schuylkill [...]
The Reading Red Sox are a defunct minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox baseball franchise. The ball club was based in Reading, Pennsylvania, and played in the Class A New York–Pennsylvania League (1933–34) and its successor league, the Double-A Eastern [...]
