Category: Decades
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West Reading Diner
Read more: West Reading DinerThe West Reading Diner is a piece of Berks County Americana. It was established in the 1930s on the 400 block of Penn Avenue in West Reading. All the articles I can find online say it was established in 1950. Perhaps it changed hands in ownership in 1950. The sign in the below picture indications…
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Ontelaunee High School
Read more: Ontelaunee High SchoolOntelaunee High was located in Leesport PA, right along Centre Ave or Route 61. The original High School building was built in 1914. An addition was added in 1939. Ontelaunee High’s mascot was the Indian and the colors were red and yellow. Dear Ontelaunee, We are all thy people.Thy name to us means pride and…
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Amity High School
Read more: Amity High SchoolAmity High School was located in Amityville, right off of old Swede Road. I can find no information on when it was built. Sports at Amity High included a Boy’s Basketball team, a Girl’s Basketball team, Baseball team, as well as Girl’s and Boy’s track teams. Other activities included Glee Club and Girl Reserve Club.…
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Berks County Almshouse
Read more: Berks County AlmshouseThe Berks County Almshouse was located just outside of Shillington along route 724 or Philadelphia Avenue. The land on which the Almshouse was built in 1824 was owned by Governor Thomas Mifflin. His actual residence, the location of which has been long debated amongst local historians, was rumored to be one of the buildings on…
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Birdsboro High School
Read more: Birdsboro High SchoolThe first sources of education in Birdsboro was founded in 1820 when a “Pay School” was established. However, not until 1872 was the first public high school organized. Its curriculum was similar to Grade 8 in the year 1945. The original high school building was called the Washington Building and was located on W. 2nd…
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Wertz’s Red Covered Bridge
Read more: Wertz’s Red Covered BridgeWertz’s Red Covered Bridge is one of only 5 original covered bridge structures left standing in Berks County. At one time there were quite a few over the Tulpehocken Creek in various locations along its span, including one slightly upstream near the old Paper Mill. Wertz’s Covered Bridge was built in 1867 and spans an…
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Exeter High School
Read more: Exeter High SchoolEducation in Exeter Township began with the erection of a Friends’ Meeting House in 1726. A few years later influential Friends, including the ancestors of President Lincoln and Daniel Boone established a more formal school which all children might attend on payment of a fee. This strictly English school was maintained until 1860. About this…
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Antietam Valley Shopping Center
Read more: Antietam Valley Shopping CenterThe Antietam Valley Shopping Center was built in 1961 along St. Lawrence Avenue and Perkiomen Avenue on the edge of St. Lawrence and Mt. Penn. At the time of the picture above in 1969 various smaller stores included a state store, beer distributor, pastry shop, Merchants, insurance and more. Larger anchors included Woolworth’s and Pantry…
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Promise Unfulfilled: The Brief Life and Bizarre Death of Actor Robert Morris
Read more: Promise Unfulfilled: The Brief Life and Bizarre Death of Actor Robert MorrisA couple weeks ago an email popped up in my inbox from a Vernon Gravely. He had cited BerksNostalgia.com as a source in a book he had recently published that was a biography of a Reading-born man named Robert “Bobby” Morawczynski, later known under stage name “Robert Morris”. Robert lived a short but interesting life…
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Robesonia High School
Read more: Robesonia High SchoolThe high School was built in 1916 and located at 129 W. Penn Avenue in Robesonia. Its history is one of the more elusive as there is almost no information about it online. If you have anything to contribute to the article, feel free to leave a comment below. In 1955, the boroughs of Wernersville,…
