Author: Alexa Freyman
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Shillington Shopping Center
Read more: Shillington Shopping CenterThe Shillington Shopping Center has been around for many decades. It is located along Lancaster Avenue in Shillington. Pictured below is the Food Fair and W. T. Grant Co. stores from the 1950s. Did you ever shop here? The only thing that appears the remain the same in the past 60 years are the entrance…
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West Reading Then & Now
Read more: West Reading Then & NowBelow is an aerial photo of Penn Avenue and the surrounding streets in West Reading from 1932. A few notable structures are the then-brand new Buttonwood Street Bridge, West Reading Hotel, West Reading High School in it’s prime and many others.
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The Pagoda’s Outbuilding
Read more: The Pagoda’s OutbuildingCompleted in 1908 at a cost of $50,000, this pagoda was intended to be the hotel/restaurant centerpiece of a luxury resort. When plans for the rest of the resort were abandoned, the 7-story wooden building on 10 acres of land was donated to Reading in 1911. It is now part of the Mount Penn Reserve,…
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Inside Pomeroy’s in the 60s
Read more: Inside Pomeroy’s in the 60sThese photos were sent in by Ron Shurr, he worked in the Camera department at Pomeroy’s in the early 60s and had a passion for photography. Thanks for sharing these, Ron. A few memories from Ron: I worked in the camera department, my first job out of high school. Photography was a hobby and was…
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Blue Marsh Ski Area
Read more: Blue Marsh Ski AreaBlue Marsh Ski Area was a small ski area located in Bernville, just 10 miles north of Reading, PA. The ski complex opened in 1968 as the North Heidelberg Ski Slope by a man named John H. Guenther Jr.. In 1986 Joseph M. Aichholz Jr. and four partners leased the ski area, and in 1987…
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It’s Berks Nostalgia’s 1st birthday… Share YOUR Nostalgia!
Read more: It’s Berks Nostalgia’s 1st birthday… Share YOUR Nostalgia!Wow, hard to believe I started this blog one year ago today. Thanks for subscribing, and improving the content of this site by adding your stories and memories! For our 1 year anniversary, I’m leaving the nostalgia up to YOU. Send in your favorite nostalgic photos or videos. They can be of anything; places, people,…
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Volkswagen Dealership – 1211 Lancaster Ave – 1970
Read more: Volkswagen Dealership – 1211 Lancaster Ave – 1970Pictures were taken by my Grandfather of the 1970 Grand Opening of the Volkswagen Dealership as “Dick Horrigan Volkswagen” located at 1211 Lancaster Ave in the late 1960s. Before this is was under the name Nick Ciliberti. It was diagonally across the street from the Red Barn Restaurant. Today, it is occupied by Glass &…
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4th & Penn, Before & After CNA
Read more: 4th & Penn, Before & After CNABefore 4th and Penn was torn down in 1980 to give way for the construction of CNA, there were multiple businesses on the block. On the corner all the way on the left was Saylor Food, a fresh produce and goods store. To the right of that was a State Liquor store, which was once…
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What ever happened to Carrols?
Read more: What ever happened to Carrols?There were quite a few Carrols Restaurants in Berks County. They were located in Sinking Spring on Penn Avenue. Also on North 5th Street in Reading, 5th Street Highway in Muhlenberg, and on Lancaster Avenue. Carrols was a typical fast food chain that served hamburgers, fries, shakes. Remnants of this chain may be able to…
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Nichols Discount City
Read more: Nichols Discount CityNichols Discount City had three locations in Berks, one being located at 3001 St. Lawrence Ave, one on 5th Street in Muhlenberg and another in Shillington on Lancaster Ave. They are credited with being one of the first major “Drug Stores” in the mid-Atlantic, with having over 40 stores at one point in the region. If…
