Sinking Spring Speedway

Posted on

Sinking Spring Speedway was located along Fritztown Road, between Old Fritztown and Montello Roads. It opened in August of 1948 and was a quarter-mile semi-banked dirt racetrack about a half-mile southwest of Sinking Spring. It was ran by Harry D. Weil. They hosted afternoon and night races under lighting over the summer months.

Sinking Spring Speedway
May 8th, 1949 Reading Eagle article, the inaugural stock car race of 1949 drew a crowd of 1000

The twice-deffered 1949 Sinking Spring racing inaugural has attracted a field of more than 25 drivers, mostly from Reading and Berks County, and many of the youthful pilots will be making their debut in competitive racing.… Read Full Article

Dixie Tavern West Lawn

Posted on
Dixie Tavern West Lawn

The Dixie Tavern was located at the corner of Dwight Street and Penn Avenue in West Lawn, where the Pizza Hut currently stands. Its grand opening was on July 16th, 1949. It remained a popular restaurant and bar in the area until it was replaced by a Pizza Hut in the mid-1970s.

Information about this establishment is hard to come by so if you have any relevant info to share about Dixie Tavern please drop it in the comments.… Read Full Article

Wilson High School

Posted on
Wilson High pictured in 1930 shortly after completion

The original Wilson High School building was erected in 1929 on Grandview Boulevard above West Lawn. The first school year started in Fall 1929 and housed 7th-12th grades. The name of the school was chosen in the hope that the life of the man in whose honor it was named, Woodrow Wilson, might serve as an ideal for the young people attending it.… Read Full Article

6th & Penn Street Reading

Posted on
6th & Penn Street Reading
6th & Penn Street Reading

Pictured above is 6th & Penn Streets in 1949. On the immediate right is Pomeroy’s Department Store. A block north in the background is the Berks County Court House. All of the buildings between the photographer and the Court house were razed in the 1970s as a part of downtown Reading’s revitalization efforts. Can you identify any of the businesses along the east side of North 6th Street?… Read Full Article