Category: 1940s
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Farview School Fire
Read more: Farview School FireOn February 23rd 1949 Farview Elementary school in Kenhorst was heavily damaged by fire. It was built in the 1930s. The school had a student population of 485 and was part of the greater Cumru Township School system. Aid was offered by neighboring Shillington and Reading school districts. Classes were held in Oakbrook and Millmont…
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Pensupreme Soda Machine Mystery
Read more: Pensupreme Soda Machine MysteryA reader wrote to me regarding a piece in their possession which was once used by Penn Dairy for trade shows. It is an automated soda fountain with characters which move when plugged in. It still functions and as you can see from the photos below appears to be in impeccable condition. Roughly three feet…
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Woomert’s Store | West Reading
Read more: Woomert’s Store | West ReadingAccording to a 1931 Reading Times article Woomert’s Store was located at Third Avenue and Sunset Road in West Reading and owned by a William H. Woomert. The building is still standing but has been renovated since the above image. From street view you can tell that some of the brickwork has been altered to…
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Sinking Spring Speedway
Read more: Sinking Spring SpeedwaySinking Spring Speedway was located along Fritztown Road, between Old Fritztown and Montello Roads. It opened in August of 1948 and was a quarter-mile semi-banked dirt racetrack about a half-mile southwest of Sinking Spring. It was ran by Harry D. Weil. They hosted afternoon and night races under lighting over the summer months. The twice-deffered…
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Dixie Tavern West Lawn
Read more: Dixie Tavern West LawnThe Dixie Tavern was located at the corner of Dwight Street and Penn Avenue in West Lawn, where the Pizza Hut currently stands. Its grand opening was on July 16th, 1949. It remained a popular restaurant and bar in the area until it was replaced by a Pizza Hut in the mid-1970s. Information about this…
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Christman’s Ice Cream
Read more: Christman’s Ice CreamChristman’s Ice Cream was located along the west side of 4th Street (what now is Rt. 61 before the split) in South Hamburg. It was incorporated on May 25th, 1933 by Charles T. Christman. There were two other shareholders listed as well on 1933 business charter; Robert B. De Godt of Reading and Irene Steffy…
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Wilson High School
Read more: Wilson High SchoolThe original Wilson High School building was erected in 1929 on Grandview Boulevard above West Lawn. The first school year started in Fall 1929 and housed 7th-12th grades. The name of the school was chosen in the hope that the life of the man in whose honor it was named, Woodrow Wilson, might serve as…
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6th & Penn Street Reading
Read more: 6th & Penn Street ReadingPictured above is 6th & Penn Streets in 1949. On the immediate right is Pomeroy’s Department Store. A block north in the background is the Berks County Court House. All of the buildings between the photographer and the Court house were razed in the 1970s as a part of downtown Reading’s revitalization efforts. Can you…
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Central Catholic High School
Read more: Central Catholic High SchoolLuden’s mansion at 1400 Hill Road was purchased by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Philadelphia in October of 1939 for $45,000. Renovations were made to make the home into a school, and on January 2, 1940 Central Catholic High School of Reading opened its doors. It was the second catholic high school in the city…
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Monterey Inn
Read more: Monterey InnThe Monterey Inn was built in the 1920s on the foundation of a building destroyed by a fire. It was located along Route 222, right before Church Road bears right in Maxatawny Township. It was originally built sometime after the 1830s by Isaac L. Bieber. Before and after burning in the 20s, it served as…
