The first Catholic congregation to be established in Pennsylvania was in 1734 when Father Greaton, S. J., a missionary from Maryland, built the Church of St. Joseph in Willing’s Alley in Philadelphia. In 1741 Father Theodore Schneider was sent by the German Province [...]
The Buttonwood Street Reservoir consists of two tanks. The south tank was completed in 1895 and covered in 1910. It holds 926,000 gallons, with a length of 130 feet and 105 feet in width, with a depth of 24.5 feet. The south tank [...]
In November 1891, a contract was issued to local builder Levi H. Focht to erect the Neversink Mountain Hotel, which was to sit atop the mountain almost directly above 23rd and Perkiomen Avenue. An army of workmen was hired for the task that [...]
The date of the beginning of the settlement of Sinking Spring was in 1793, although there were settlers in this heavily timbered area, ruled over by Indians as early as 1728. The Indians who first inhabited this area were the Lenni Lenape Indians [...]
A & W Root Beer, 3801 Perkiomen Ave. opened in 1964. According to a 1965 directory, Leroy A. and A. Jean Burkholder opened the place, which immediately created a sensation. Young ladies clad in Scotch-plaid super-short mini-skirts delivered your order on a specially [...]
Dreamland Park was a small amusement park located on Pricetown Road in Ruscombmanor Township, Pennsylvania. The park, which was a short drive from Reading, was operated by Ralph Kreitz, a man who ran many illegal gaming establishments in the 1930s and 40s. The [...]
In 1966, the Reading Automobile Club proposed the construction of a scenic drive on top of Neversink Mountain. Although Reading does have one scenic road - Skyline Drive atop Mt. Penn - in a letter to county commissioners, John S. Giles, Reading Automobile [...]
The first air show at Reading, PA was held during dedication ceremonies for the newly built municipal airport in 1939. As early as 1934 the site for the Reading Municipal Airport was selected. The land in Bern Township was acquired by purchases made [...]
The application for charter for a new troop that was to become troop 161 was completed on May 1, 1936. The Holy Name Society of Holy Guardian Angels' Church was the sponsoring organization. Fr. Frederic Lanshe was the pastor who signed the charter. [...]
The Crystal Palace Hot Wiener Shop was a downtown Reading dining landmark for 82 years. Frank Pestlikes, a native of Rhodes, Greece, started the business at 744 Penn Street in a part of what had once been the Crystal Palace Hotel and Market [...]
