Category: Decades
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On this Day – June 19th 1972
Read more: On this Day – June 19th 1972See what was happening in the June 19th 1972 Reading Eagle- Hurricane Agnes hits the Florida coast, 14 people were killed. The hurricane would hit Berks County hard just three days later, wreaking havoc on the area. This morning’s rain delayed until this afternoon the opening of Reading’s playgrounds, but it didn’t dampen things at…
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Train Derailment Wyomissing
Read more: Train Derailment WyomissingPhotos Courtesy of Jere Stamm On Sunday morning, December 4th, 1977, 26 cars of a Conrail freight train derailment occured in Wyomissing right near the intersection of Clayton and Penn Avenue. The train was bound for Bethlehem from Harrisburg, and was carrying coal. Workmen this morning were still clearing away the tangled metal and spilled…
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Woolworth’s – Penn Street / Berkshire Mall
Read more: Woolworth’s – Penn Street / Berkshire MallWoolworth’s 6th and Penn Reading store was opened on September 20th, 1884, under the name, “Woolworth & Knox”. It was just three doors down Penn Street across from 6th street from the successful Pomeroy’s department store and later moved to the Berkshire Mall. Woolworth’s moved to the Berkshire Mall when it opened in 1970, as…
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Shillington High School
Read more: Shillington High SchoolIn 1925, the new Shillington High School was constructed on East Lancaster Avenue on land that was part of the Berks County Almshouse complex. An addition of twelve rooms was completed in 1930 and four more rooms were completed in 1936. Their sports teams were known as the Shillington Speeders. Boys teams adopted the name…
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The Road to Nowhere
Read more: The Road to NowhereThe Road to Nowhere. If you are a native of Berks County you have likely heard the phrase. It was used to refer to a stretch of highway that quite literally dead ended. Slowly over the course of a few decades the road was extended to create a complete Route 222, which also interchanged with…
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WEEU Broadcasting Towers
Read more: WEEU Broadcasting TowersBefore the shopping center called Broadcasting Square occupied the space between Broadcasting Road and Van Reed Road on Paper Mill Road, there was sprawling farm land a tall radio towers. The towers and land belonged to WEEU and were used to broadcast the AM radio station far and wide. WEEU Broadcasting Towers had their first…
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Earl Building – 525 Penn St
Read more: Earl Building – 525 Penn StThe M. J. Earl Building pictured around the turn of the 20th century at 523/525 Penn Street in Reading. The Earl Building was built around 1880 on the site of famous Revolutionary War Doctor Bodo Otto’s home and practice. It appears there were a few offices inside. One was home to an office of Prudential…
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Easter Sunday – 1957
Read more: Easter Sunday – 1957The last time Easter Sunday fell on April 21st was 1957. Here is a look at that day’s Reading Eagle. Among the egg hunts held for children throughout the city and county to mark the Easter season was the event held by the Berks Athletic Club at it’s home in Rockland Township. The ringing of…
