The area around the mouth of the Cacoosing Creek into the Tulpehocken Creek was settled and industrialized by the Van Reed Family. They were dutch immigrants who came to America around 1750 and settled around this creek in the early 1800s. Over the course of the 19th century the family owned at least three paper mills, a wool mill a saw mill and a union canal warehouse all along the Tulpehocken & Cacoosing Creeks.… Read Full Article
This photograph of Reading, Pennsylvania was taken around the turn of the 20th century from Leinbach’s Hill in West Reading. Pictured in the foreground is the third Penn Street Bridge crossing the Schuylkill River. Across the bridge and to the left is the Pennsylvania Railroad station. A large big portion of Leinbach’s Hill, including the area the photographer was standing while taking this photo was removed when the cloverleaf on/off ramps were constructed for the West Shore Bypass in 1962.… Read Full Article
Wertz’s Red Covered Bridge is one of only 5 original covered bridge structures left standing in Berks County. At one time there were quite a few over the Tulpehocken Creek in various locations along its span, including one slightly upstream near the old Paper Mill. Wertz’s Covered Bridge was built in 1867 and spans an impressive 204 feet across the Tulpehocken Creek which makes it the longest single-span covered bridge in the state of Pennsylvania.… Read Full Article
The following images were taken in 1957 and I believe them to be depicting around the then-countryside of Wyomissing Borough. The first image has been identified, but the remaining two are up in the air.
EDIT: The second image is now believed to be a covered bridge that sat in the area of the old Paper Mill on what is now Paper Mill Road and crossing the Tulpehocken Creek.… Read Full Article
In 1909, the city leaders celebrated with much fanfare the opening of the Spring Street Subway, a rail bridge that eliminated a dangerous Reading Railroad crossing – first for pedestrians and later for cars.
… Read Full ArticleThe Reading Railroad was well established in the area before city engineers considered building the subway.
So to construct it, crews had to dig under the railroad tracks and install steel and concrete to support the tracks and not disrupt the dozens of trains that moved through Reading daily.