Category: Culture
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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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V&S Sandwich Shop Holdup – On this day 1969
Read more: V&S Sandwich Shop Holdup – On this day 1969This is the V & S Sandwich Shop in the Antietam Valley Shopping Center, where a woman bandit got away with $545 in a daring late Saturday afternoon holdup. – Eagle Photo
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Wernersville Train Station
Read more: Wernersville Train StationWernersville’s passenger rail history began in June of 1857 when the Lebanon Valley Railroad initiated service from Reading to Lebanon. Service was extended all the way to Harrisburg the following year when the Lebanon Valley Railroad was bought out by the Philadelphia and Reading Company (later became Reading Railroad). The first Wernersville train station was…
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George Field
Read more: George FieldReading High’s First Home Field George Field is located at 1801 North 5t Street. The land for this field was purchased by Reading High School’s Athletic Association on May 28th, 1909. The field was dedicated officially three days later on May 31st, 1909. At this time the Boys and Girls High Schools were separate entities,…
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John Updike’s Childhood Home
Read more: John Updike’s Childhood HomeOn Saturday September 10th I had the pleasure of visiting John Updike’s childhood home at 117 Philadelphia Avenue in Shillington. John lived here from his birth in 1932 until he was 13 years old. It is widely known that Shillington and the city of Reading were the inspirational foundation behind many of his stories and…
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Sinking Spring Area Historical Society Open House
Read more: Sinking Spring Area Historical Society Open HouseThe Sinking Spring Area Historical Society will hold an Open House in Heritage Park in Sinking Spring to celebrate the Society’s 45th anniversary on Sunday, September 25 from 1PM to 4PM. The Society was formed in 1977 from the local Bicentennial Committee. The museum and buildings in Heritage Park, home of the Society, will be…
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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…
