Category: Drama
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Stokesay Castle
Read more: Stokesay CastleStokesay Castle has been a staple of formal dining and event space in Berks for a long time. But how does an old English castle end up nestled in the woods of Mount Penn, of all places? You have probably heard in passing that the place is haunted, and being a Castle on a road…
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The Luden Family & the Ghost of Bon Air
Read more: The Luden Family & the Ghost of Bon AirLast summer I wrote an extensive article on Central Catholic High School as a part of a greater “Defunct Schools of Berks” series. It has been a decade since the merger of Central Catholic and Holy Name into Berks Catholic. So it is time to dive into some tangible research to answer a few of…
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The Robbery of the Century | Wyomissing Bank Heist | Feb 4th 1921
Read more: The Robbery of the Century | Wyomissing Bank Heist | Feb 4th 1921One hundred years ago today – February 4, 1921, six armed men stormed into the Peoples Trust Company of Wyomissing shortly before noon demanding everyone get on the ground. Three jumped the counter and forced clerks to open the vault by gunpoint. The audacious robbers didn’t even try to obscure their faces and were unmasked…
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Josiah Dives & the Ghosts of Folly Farm
Read more: Josiah Dives & the Ghosts of Folly FarmJosiah Dives was born in 1851 in Canterbury, England. He started his business career after moving to London at the age of 13 following his Father’s death. When coming to America in 1872, his first residence was Hartford, CT. This is where he met George Pomeroy and John Stewart. Together they came to Reading and…
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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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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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Lenhartsville Log Cabin Mystery
Read more: Lenhartsville Log Cabin MysteryAn 18th century log cabin owned by Mr. and Mrs. Walter Berger of Allentown, and formerly located in the Blue Marsh Dam project area, has been moved to the rear of the old Lenhartsville Hotel. The Bergers donated the cabin to the Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Culture Society in Lenhartsville. Above, Marvin Werley of Orefield stands…
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Wellers Tavern / Rasputin’s
Read more: Wellers Tavern / Rasputin’sWellers Tavern (later Rasputin’s) was located on 2275 Reading Ave, right off of West Wyomissing Boulevard. It was a popular local haunt that had entertainment almost any night of the week. I can find no information online about when Wellers Tavern opened, so if you have any insight please comment below. This place was notably…
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Be a Berks Billionaire – The 1984 Berks County Monopoly Board Game
Read more: Be a Berks Billionaire – The 1984 Berks County Monopoly Board GameBe a Berks Billionaire is a fairly rare board game developed by a citizen of Berk’s County; Joan C. Zintak of Wyomissing. The game was developed and sold in 1984. It was originally intended to have a print run of 5000 games. There was some competitive drama surrounding the game as apparently an organization called…
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Gadgets Restaurant
Read more: Gadgets RestaurantLets talk about Gadgets, the lesser-known and not as successful (as the likes of Showbiz Pizza Place and Chuck E. Cheese) animatronic themed restaurant from the early 1980s. From 1982-1984 this cutting edge restaurant was upstairs at the Berkshire Mall. It featured animatronic singing robots as entertainment. A 20-minute show entertained guests every half hour.…
