Category: Americana
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The Deadly Berkshire Knitting Mills Strike of 1936 – Part 2
Read more: The Deadly Berkshire Knitting Mills Strike of 1936 – Part 2By the time dawn broke on the morning of October 1st, 1936 temperaments of the picketers were developing from bad to worse. A Reading Eagle reporter who arrived to the scene at 5:30 a.m. described what he saw as a “bitter bloody battle at the gates of the Berkshire Knitting Mills“. Thousands of picketers turned…
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The Deadly Berkshire Knitting Mill Strike of 1936 – Part 1
Read more: The Deadly Berkshire Knitting Mill Strike of 1936 – Part 1A Storm is Brewing It is dawn on October 1st, 1936. It’s a crisp fall morning and a damp rain adds to the heaviness of the air. The sun begins rising at 5:52 a.m. and thousands of workers are gathering in the morning light around the Berkshire Knitting Mills plant in Wyomissing to protest what…
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Rabbit, Run Filming at Barbey’s Playground – On this day 1969
Read more: Rabbit, Run Filming at Barbey’s Playground – On this day 1969These photos capture some of the action this morning at Barbey’s playground, Schuykill avenue and W. Elm Street, where “Rabbit, Run” is being filmed. In the photo at top right a cameraman with the company adjusts a minor hitch in the camera that held up filming for about a half hour. The lower photo shows…
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Reading Fairgrounds & Speedway Plaque Dedication
Read more: Reading Fairgrounds & Speedway Plaque DedicationOn Saturday May 21st, 2022, a plaque commemorating the Reading Fairgrounds & Speedway was ceremonially dedicated to the drivers who lost their lives there. The brainchild of Jeff Hartman, Saturday’s event has been over a decade in the making, with a few bumps along the way. He originally pursued the idea back in 2010, when…
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The Ranch House
Read more: The Ranch HouseA staple on Penn Avenue in West Lawn for nearly a half century, the owners of the Circle S Ranch House announced on March 30th that they would be closing permanently on April 8th, 2022. The building was built in 1969 as a Schell’s. It replaced the location that was further east down Penn Avenue…
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The Haag Hag – Mt. Penn’s Mysterious Maiden
Read more: The Haag Hag – Mt. Penn’s Mysterious MaidenIt was once a beautiful mountain resort nestled atop Mount Penn, right off of Hill Road. In the late 1800’s when the popularity of the Gravity Railroad was in full swing, Sphuler’s Hotel was a very popular winery and also served as lodging for those who needed a place to stay. It was just one…
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Reading Railroad sold to Conrail – On this Day 1976
Read more: Reading Railroad sold to Conrail – On this Day 1976On this day in 1976, the ownership of the monopoly-board famous Reading Railroad was changed to ConRail. They purchased Reading Co. and other seven other rail lines which were in bankruptcy. At the time of sale, Reading Co. operated on 66% of Pennsylvania’s tracks. A brief History on the Reading Railroad The Reading Co. was…
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Five Years
Read more: Five YearsHard to believe I launched this site half a decade ago today. As with any milestone it is time to reflect on the past five years of how my content has transformed and grown. There are currently over 7000 of you following along between email subscriptions and social media platforms. This is roughly the digital…
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Stokesay Castle
Read more: Stokesay CastleStokesay Castle has been a staple of formal dining and event space in Berks for a long time. But how does an old English castle end up nestled in the woods of Mount Penn, of all places? You have probably heard in passing that the place is haunted, and being a Castle on a road…
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C.K. Whitner’s Department Store
Read more: C.K. Whitner’s Department StoreOn December 2nd 1980 management announced that the 103 year old C.K. Whitner’s Department store located on the 400 block of Penn Street would be shuttering permanently in January of 1981. Declining foot traffic downtown was cited as the reason why the business was no longer having success in that location. At this time Whitner’s…
