Category: 1900s
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The Textile Inn, Birthplace of Wyomissing Borough
Read more: The Textile Inn, Birthplace of Wyomissing BoroughThere is more drama coming out of Wyomissing Borough this week, but this time it is not about the mall. On Tuesday May 12th, Wyomissing Borough Council voted 4-2 to approve a conditional use request for a development project at 915 Penn Avenue. Currently the property is a parking lot, but the owner wants to…
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5th and Penn Redevelopment
Read more: 5th and Penn RedevelopmentI have spent the better part of a year advocating for the long-awaited sale and redevelopment of the buildings on the northwest corner of 5th and Penn, that the City of Reading has sat on and let deteriorate for well over a decade. Finally, last month the city decided to sell the Farmers National Bank…
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Reading’s First Natatorium – 134 N. 5th Street
Read more: Reading’s First Natatorium – 134 N. 5th StreetOn April 6th, 1904 it was announced in the Reading Times that William Luden had purchased a property at 134-136 North 5th street with the intention to construct a Natatorium. It would be Reading’s first indoor swimming pool, managed by the Fifth Street Swimming Club, which was formed for the endeavor with Luden as President.…
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James Carpenter’s Swanona Mansion
Read more: James Carpenter’s Swanona MansionJames Henry Carpenter James Henry Carpenter was born in 1846 in Brooklyn, New York. When he was a boy of 15 years the American Civil War broke out, and he promptly joined the Union Navy as a cabin boy. He took part in a night operation which involved capturing the Confederate schooner named “C.P. Knapp“.…
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30 North 6th Street
Read more: 30 North 6th StreetThis past summer I explored another of Reading’s long abandoned industrial spaces; 30 North 6th Street – directly across from the Courthouse. The bones of this building’s front section likely date to the 1840s. In its very beginnings it was utilized as a residential dwelling. Deeds from 1860 and 1880 describe it as a two-story…
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Who the heck is Mrs. Hattie Commins of Morgantown?
Read more: Who the heck is Mrs. Hattie Commins of Morgantown?Starting off the new year with a mystery – Often times I monitor Ebay for photos and postcards of the area that I can use for “Then and Now” social media posts. Postcards in particular are fun because they capture local scenes, often including people, in the wonderful context of their time. Around the turn…
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The Hawthorne & George F. Baer
Read more: The Hawthorne & George F. BaerIn the shadow of the Pagoda, at 1501 Mineral Spring Road, sits the Hawthorne; mansion of the late George F. Baer. A statement to his influence, the Baer moniker still echos throughout Reading to present day. You may recognize it as the namesake of a park at the far northwest reaches of the city and…
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Old Rajah Temple | 525 Franklin Street
Read more: Old Rajah Temple | 525 Franklin StreetThe beginning of the local Rajah chapter dates to 1892 when the Berks County members of the Lulu Temple were tired of making the journey to Philadelphia to attend meetings. They decided to pursue a local charter with the national Rajah organization. In August of 1892 they were granted their charter and purchased the former…
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The Stouchsburg Murder and Berks County’s most Sensational Trial
Read more: The Stouchsburg Murder and Berks County’s most Sensational TrialOccasionally I come across a story so heinous that I can’t believe it has become largely unknown. Much falls away from public awareness over the passage of a century. The Stouchsburg murder on the evening of July 3rd, 1901 and subsequent trial and conviction played out over thirteen years, and became one of Berks County’s…
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The Morbid Reality that Census Records teach us about Childhood Mortality
Read more: The Morbid Reality that Census Records teach us about Childhood MortalityCensus records are one of many genealogical resources that I utilize to bring you full accounts of Berks County’s architectural history. They help me confirm who lived in any given residence, and also provide context into their age, familial makeup and employment. While browsing some of Reading’s 1900 census records recently I noticed two boxes…
