Category: History
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Reading Municipal Memorial Stadium
Read more: Reading Municipal Memorial StadiumMunicipal Stadium hosted it’s first baseball game in 1951. On March 28, 1945, Reading City Council voted unanimously to purchase 27 acres of ground known as Cathedral Heights at a cost of $64,491 for the purpose of building a municipal stadium. In 1947 the grading of the land began and by 1949 the initial stages…
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It’s Berks Nostalgia’s 1st birthday… Share YOUR Nostalgia!
Read more: It’s Berks Nostalgia’s 1st birthday… Share YOUR Nostalgia!Wow, hard to believe I started this blog one year ago today. Thanks for subscribing, and improving the content of this site by adding your stories and memories! For our 1 year anniversary, I’m leaving the nostalgia up to YOU. Send in your favorite nostalgic photos or videos. They can be of anything; places, people,…
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100 block Penn Ave: Before the Bypass
Read more: 100 block Penn Ave: Before the BypassWe all have driven on route 422…the stretch of highway that runs past Reading and along the Schuylkill River down to Pottstown. This stretch of road did not always exist. In fact it wasn’t until the 1960s that US 422 in the Reading area was rerouted from surface streets through downtown Reading onto bypasses built south…
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Ritz Theatre
Read more: Ritz TheatreThe Ritz Theatre was located at 819 Penn Street, across from the Kissinger-Farmer’s Market. It was originally called the Crescent Theatre when it opened: The Crescent Theatre was opened in 1910. In 1913 it was renamed Princess Theatre. It was re-named Arcadia Theatre in 1928, taking the name of the Arcadia Theatre which had burnt…
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Northmont School
Read more: Northmont SchoolThe Northmont School was built in 1922 and opened for Reading School District’s 1923-24 school year with six grades in each of its six classrooms. Kindergarten was added for the 1929-30 year but discontinued after 1935. In 1955 the Reading School District discontinued use of the building, but leased the building to Muhlenberg Township for…
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JFK Campaign Stop Berks | 1960
Read more: JFK Campaign Stop Berks | 1960John F. Kennedy (JFK) made a campaign stop in Berks County PA on September 16th, 1960. He was a presidential candidate at the time of the visit, and went on to win the presidency. JFK spoke the a huge crowd in Penn Square after making a parade all the way into town down Route 422.…
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The Anchor Hotel
Read more: The Anchor HotelThe Anchor Hotel was located on Canal Sreet (2nd street extension), right next to the Bingaman Street Bridge. This photo was taken from the Bingaman Street Bridge, looking Northeast. Notice Berks Packaging in the background. Currently where the hotel sat is Canal St as it splits when it goes under the bridge. I assume this…
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Sinking Spring Railroad Station
Read more: Sinking Spring Railroad StationThe Sinking Spring Station served as a major pedestrian stop for many decades. My grandmother, who grew up on Columbia Ave in the 40s and 50s has fond memories of catching trains to Hershey or into the city. By the 70s the Station house was in disrepair. Eventually the Sinking Spring Historical Society moved the…
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Then & Now, The Abraham Lincoln Hotel
Read more: Then & Now, The Abraham Lincoln HotelThe Abraham Lincoln hotel was unveiled to the public with a weekend of activities that began on Friday, May 23, 1930 – echoing the glamour of the Roaring 20s yet on the brink of the Great Depression. This new hotel boasted 16 stories, making it one of the tallest buildings in the city. Guests could stay at the…
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Sunshine Brewing Company
Read more: Sunshine Brewing CompanyThe origins of Sunshine Brewing Company can be traced to Peter Barbey & Son Brewing which was established in 1880 at West Elm and Gordon Streets in Reading. Peter Barbey, who started his first brewing company in 1859, died in 1889, leaving the his son John at the helm of their joint venture. In 1933…
