Trolley car was a popular means of travel starting in the late 1800s when they were introduced. Fairs were reasonably priced for the working families, and for the first time they could easily and quickly get to other parts of the city. This form of transportation became particularly popular when places like Carsonia Park were built. Families from all over town could now afford to spend a day enjoying amusements.… Read Full Article
Trolley Tuesday
On this Day… July 12th, 1973
Above the fold in the July 12th, 1973 Reading Eagle
The Warren Street bypass begins to change as the Berkshire Mall begins to garner more traffic. The 4-lane State Hill Road bridge was replaced with a new structure that would carry 6 lanes, which we still use today. (click image to expand)
Berks County Amateur Astronomy Club displays it’s homemade telescopes.… Read Full Article
Old Iron Bridge Connecting Wyomissing & West Lawn
This iron bridge was on 422/Penn Ave connecting Wyomissing and West Lawn. It was built in 1926 and replaced an older, smaller iron pony-truss bridge. Only two “overhead bowstring bridges” like it are known to have survived in the state of Pennsylvania.* One ended up being placed on the Horseshoe Trail at Scarlets Mill in Robeson Township. These smaller pony-truss bridges needed to be replaced in the early 1920s because railroad regulations changed to allow double-stacking of rail-car containers.… Read Full Article
West Wyomissing Foot Bridge
In West Wyomissing, there used to be a pedestrian foot bridge that connected Morwood Avenue to Penn Avenue. It was built by the Reading Railroad in the early 1920s to help commuters who lived in West Wyo to get to the trolly lines on Penn Ave easily. A nearby establishment was Queen of the Valley Diner and Schell’s Ice Cream.
On the West Wyomissing side, it sat behind the Franklin D.… Read Full Article
Then & Now, Buttonwood Street Bridge
The Buttonwood St. Bridge was built in 1931 to connect the Northwest part of Reading with West Reading, near where Wyomissing Industries were located. $225,000 was donated to the bridge project by Ferdinand Thun and Henry Janssen, whom were owners of the huge textile mills in Wyomissing. They believed this bridge would help their workers who lived in the NW area of Reading get to work more easily and help them be on time.… Read Full Article