Category: Culture
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On this Day – January 8th, 1977
Read more: On this Day – January 8th, 1977While Christmas is behind us for another year, the snow-covered scene of Penn Square Friday afternoon brought to mind memories of the old Bing Crosby standard. Although shoppers were scarce due to driving conditions, the view they missed was worth a lot.
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Reading Street Railway Company Strike
Read more: Reading Street Railway Company StrikeOn this day in 1950; the Reading Street Railway Company went on a sudden Bus Strike after negotiations on contracts came up short. This stopped all bus and street-car service in the city of Reading, which as you can imagine caused problems for those who relied on the service. Some of the conferees in a…
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Looking to 2021
Read more: Looking to 2021We have made it to the end of 2020, though not without great turmoil. People, businesses, places and experiences have all been casualties of the year whose days and weeks stretched seemingly into decades. New Year is generally a time for reflection and introspection. 2021 looks promising, and for myself personally the beginning of a…
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On this Day- Nov 22, 1976 – Reading Brewing Company building demolished
Read more: On this Day- Nov 22, 1976 – Reading Brewing Company building demolishedThe Reading Brewing Company history can be found in this article. Millions of gallons of golden “suds” rested in the holding tanks, in the above photo, over the years the Reading Brewing Co. was in operation. In all, 23 tanks holding 650 barrels with 32 gallons of beer per barrel were located in the building…
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Marvel Ranch – Then & Now
Read more: Marvel Ranch – Then & NowMarvel Ranch is a restaurant located on the northwest corner of 4th & Penn Street in Reading. It opened in 1959 as a breakfast and lunch joint where many Berks natives have enjoyed a hot meal for the past 60 years. The establishment has changed hands over the course of its existence, but the mantra…
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Meckley’s Hat Shop
Read more: Meckley’s Hat ShopIf you ever visited Sinking Spring to purchase a hat from Meckley’s Hat Shop, you may have been acquainted with my great-grandfather, Ernest Meckley. He grew up in Fritztown and his career began in 1938 at Bollman Hat Factory in Adamstown. Ernie’s career with hats didn’t begin in retail but the manufacturing of the product.…
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Wilbur “Lefty” Reeser –
Sports Star to Sporting GoodsRead more: Wilbur “Lefty” Reeser –Wilbur “Lefty” Reeser was born on June 28th 1918 in West Lawn to Herbert and Mary Reeser. Judging from Lefty’s senior yearbook excerpt below, he was an all-around athlete during his adolescence. During his senior year at Wilson he led Berks County in boys basketball scoring and also took the Prexies baseball team to the…
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The Grand View Sanatorium; a Century of Tragedy
Read more: The Grand View Sanatorium; a Century of TragedyThere is a dense, dark atmosphere on the windy roads that once led to old sanatoriums that graced the wooded South Mountain below Wernersville. If you have ever driven around up there after nightfall you probably know what I mean. The mountain is rich with history, but the oldest and some of the most frightening…
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Haunted Fairgrounds Square Mall
Read more: Haunted Fairgrounds Square MallThe Fairgrounds Square Mall has itself become a ghost. It was just demolished over what will inevitably go down as the infamous Summer of 2020. The mall was on its last leg for years, and it only seemed fitting that it would meet its end in such a year as this one has been. However,…
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Distelfink Freeze – Rigg’s Drive-In
Read more: Distelfink Freeze – Rigg’s Drive-InDistelfink Freeze aka Rigg’s Drive In was another 1950s and 60s refreshment establishment and was located near Fleetwood. It was located on route 222 roughly 2 miles southwest of Kutztown. It was located along route 222 near the old Lincoln Tavern in part of the area torn down to make room for the Kutztown exit…
