Author: Alexa Freyman
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The Abandoned Daniel Lorah Homestead
Read more: The Abandoned Daniel Lorah HomesteadDaniel Lorah was born on December 9th, 1810 in Amityville. He purchased parcels of land in Lower Heidelberg Township beginning in 1848 to create his estate. The home was constructed shortly after, as the Lorah family consisting of Daniel, wife Anna, children Calvin, Mahlon and Alice, and servant Susan are listed as living there in…
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How Stoneman Willie broke into the global spotlight and took me with him
Read more: How Stoneman Willie broke into the global spotlight and took me with himAs I sit here reflecting on the week and everything that has transpired I can think of only one word: whirlwind. It was only seven days ago that I was flying my drone on Penn Square, capturing Reading’s 275th anniversary parade when I ran into a reporter and cameraman from Reuters who were covering the…
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Reading Airport’s Original 1939 Hangar
Read more: Reading Airport’s Original 1939 HangarBerks County’s desire for an airport began in the wake of World War I. By the late 1920s pioneering pilots like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart thrust aviation into the spotlight. Capitalizing on this popularity, small airfields like Whander Field in Ontelaunee Township popped up in 1927 and Madeira Field in Muhlenberg Township in 1929.…
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How the Fairgrounds almost ended up in West Wyomissing
Read more: How the Fairgrounds almost ended up in West WyomissingThe earliest years of the Reading Fair were held at City Park and then a plot on North 11th street. During the early 1910s the Berks County Agricultural Society was tired of leasing the land at North 11th Street and wanted a more permanent location they could call their own. On April 3rd, 1914 it…
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A Century of Progress with the Junior League of Reading
Read more: A Century of Progress with the Junior League of ReadingIn 1901 the Junior League was founded in New York City as the Junior League for the Promotion of Settlement Movement. It was founded within a time of great social unrest and an emerging feminist movement. On August 6th, 1923 ten wives and daughters of Reading’s elite industrialists met in the living room of Mrs.…
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The Berks County Trust Company
Read more: The Berks County Trust CompanyThe Berks County Trust Company was organized in October of 1900. The founding members accumulated a capitol stock of $125k. The company initially rented J.K. Grant’s new building at southeast corner of Sixth and Washington Streets to operate out of. The Berks County Trust Company was chartered on November 16th, 1900 and commenced operations in…
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Miller’s Ice Cream, Candy & 5 – 10 – 1.00 Stores
Read more: Miller’s Ice Cream, Candy & 5 – 10 – 1.00 StoresMiller’s is an establishment that has eluded me for the entirety of my six-year “career” chronicling beloved places of the past in Berks County. I came to know of the name through my Mother telling me of her own memories at the Miller’s Drive-In which was located in Sinking Spring at 4700 Penn Avenue. Today…
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Centennial 4th of July in the Reading Eagle
Read more: Centennial 4th of July in the Reading EagleThe July 4th, 1876 Reading Eagle ran a few interesting articles on its front page about Independence Day observations and celebrations. The first article was titled, “A Peep at Reading 100 Years Ago” which described the town at the time of our country’s founding. Reading was already nearly three decades old at the onset of…
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Showbiz Pizza Place & Major Magic
Read more: Showbiz Pizza Place & Major MagicShowbiz Pizza Place incorporated in 1980 and entered the Berks County market in 1982. Its location was in Muhlenberg Plaza on the northern Belleview Avenue side. Showbiz Pizza featured an entertaining cast of animatronic characters including Billy Bob Brockali, Looney Bird, Fatz Geronimo and Mitzi Mozzarella. This main stage animatronic show was called “The Rock-afire…
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Happy Father’s Day
Read more: Happy Father’s DayHappy Fathers Day, Dads! Special shout out to my own, who wrote the article below about raising two girls back in a March 2000 edition of the Reading Eagle. I was the eight year old mentioned. You may recognize his name; my Dad worked at the Reading Eagle for the majority of my lifetime, starting…