Category: Industry
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Colonial Trust Company Building
Read more: Colonial Trust Company BuildingThe Colonial Trust Company was established in May 1900. It was formed by a handful of local capitalists including the likes of William McIlvain, John Barbey, Frank Lauer, E. W. Alexander, B. F. Owen, S.B. Keppel, Walter Rigg, and Howard Saylor. They opened for business officially in August 1900 and Louis F. Kraemer was the…
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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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Centre Park Historic District
Read more: Centre Park Historic DistrictSpring has sprung, everything is coming back to life and in my opinion it is the most wonderful time of year. I went to visit Centre Park Historic District to capture some of what I find to be the most beautiful residential architecture within the city limits. Some of the most prominent mansions on Centre…
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Metropolitan Edison Co. Signed Removed – On this day in 1953
Read more: Metropolitan Edison Co. Signed Removed – On this day in 1953This dismantling operation which eliminated a skymark in Reading attracted the attention of hundreds of pedestrians this morning. Workmen took down the 50 letters which spelled out Metropolitan Edison Co. in northerly and southerly directions for many years. This is the second time the letters were taken down. But this time it’s permanent. The letters…
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Bertrand H. Farr and his Dream Garden
Read more: Bertrand H. Farr and his Dream GardenForeward Roughly a year ago I was contacted by a man named George Edmonds. He wanted to talk to me about books he wrote revolving around his home town of Wyomissing. George was kind enough to share photos with me as well as send me a copy of one of those books, “Dream Gardener –…
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Linette Candy Tin – Mystery Monday
Read more: Linette Candy Tin – Mystery MondayHappy Labor Day! A viewer found my blog and wrote me asking if I wanted this Linette Candy tin and was nice enough to mail it to me. I am unsure of its purpose or exact time of origin. A google search yields that there are plenty of these out circulating, but with quite a…
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The Deadly Berkshire Knitting Mills Strike – Part 5 – The Conclusion
Read more: The Deadly Berkshire Knitting Mills Strike – Part 5 – The ConclusionWhat a better time to wrap this up than Labor Day weekend? If you haven’t, read the first four parts for context. As the weeks following the general hosiery strike played out, Berks County’s other 21 knitting mills folded one after another into signing agreements with the American Federation of Hosiery Workers. Rosedale plant was…
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The Deadly Berkshire Knitting Mills Strike of 1936 – Part 4
Read more: The Deadly Berkshire Knitting Mills Strike of 1936 – Part 4This is the 4th part in the series. Read parts 1, 2 & 3 for context. Secretary of Labor Report on the Berkshire Conditions Shortly after the deadly first day of picketing, Governor Earle tasked Pennsylvania Labor Secretary Ralph M. Bashore with investigating the strike that was taking place at the Berkshire Knitting Mills. By…
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The Deadly Berkshire Knitting Mill Strike of 1936 – Part 3
Read more: The Deadly Berkshire Knitting Mill Strike of 1936 – Part 3This is the third part in a series that will be concluded at a later date. Consider subscribing to receive an email alert when it is published. If you haven’t, read parts one & two for context. In the wake of the violence on Thursday October 1st, 1936, the weekend kicked off surprisingly calm. Calls for peace and…
