Category: Members Only
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Mobil Station at the Berkshire Mall
Read more: Mobil Station at the Berkshire MallChances are you have noticed the long-abandoned garage at the corner of State Hill road and Woodland Avenue in front of the Berkshire Mall. You also may be wondering why a gas and service station couldn’t survive on such a prominent corner in Wyomissing. Spoiler alert; it wasn’t because they didn’t have business. The Mobil…
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George Boone IV Estate – 371 Old Tulpehocken Road
Read more: George Boone IV Estate – 371 Old Tulpehocken RoadThis property at 371 Old Tulpehocken Road has a three century old history. The oldest section of the house dates to about 1725, when George Boone IV built a small stone dwelling, summer kitchen and gristmill to settle lands that eventually would become parts of both Exeter and Amity Townships. George was the eldest brother…
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Reading’s First Natatorium – 134 N. 5th Street
Read more: Reading’s First Natatorium – 134 N. 5th StreetOn April 6th, 1904 it was announced in the Reading Times that William Luden had purchased a property at 134-136 North 5th street with the intention to construct a Natatorium. It would be Reading’s first indoor swimming pool, managed by the Fifth Street Swimming Club, which was formed for the endeavor with Luden as President.…
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James Carpenter’s Swanona Mansion
Read more: James Carpenter’s Swanona MansionJames Henry Carpenter James Henry Carpenter was born in 1846 in Brooklyn, New York. When he was a boy of 15 years the American Civil War broke out, and he promptly joined the Union Navy as a cabin boy. He took part in a night operation which involved capturing the Confederate schooner named “C.P. Knapp“.…
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30 North 6th Street
Read more: 30 North 6th StreetThis past summer I explored another of Reading’s long abandoned industrial spaces; 30 North 6th Street – directly across from the Courthouse. The bones of this building’s front section likely date to the 1840s. In its very beginnings it was utilized as a residential dwelling. Deeds from 1860 and 1880 describe it as a two-story…
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2025 Year in Review
Read more: 2025 Year in ReviewWishing all of my followers a happy and healthy new year! Above is a video recap of my year, and the places we have explored together. Hope you have enjoyed the things I have covered this year. Special shout out to those of you who have chosen to support my work monetarily through memberships and…
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Old Rajah Temple | 525 Franklin Street
Read more: Old Rajah Temple | 525 Franklin StreetThe beginning of the local Rajah chapter dates to 1892 when the Berks County members of the Lulu Temple were tired of making the journey to Philadelphia to attend meetings. They decided to pursue a local charter with the national Rajah organization. In August of 1892 they were granted their charter and purchased the former…
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The Stouchsburg Murder and Berks County’s most Sensational Trial
Read more: The Stouchsburg Murder and Berks County’s most Sensational TrialOccasionally I come across a story so heinous that I can’t believe it has become largely unknown. Much falls away from public awareness over the passage of a century. The Stouchsburg murder on the evening of July 3rd, 1901 and subsequent trial and conviction played out over thirteen years, and became one of Berks County’s…
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Adeline Baver – One of Berks County’s oldest Unsolved Murders
Read more: Adeline Baver – One of Berks County’s oldest Unsolved MurdersThe 1857 unsolved murder of Adeline Baver is one that has echoed through time in the area of Mohrsville, Berks County. Her gravestone stands in the old Belleman’s Church graveyard. Written in stone is: Adeline Baver, born 15th of May, 1838, and murdered on 7th of October, 1857. Many have attempted at retelling the tale…
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Fleetwood’s Hand Grave
Read more: Fleetwood’s Hand GraveA follower directed me to the small, bizarre “hand stone” that sits in Fleetwood Cemetery along Arch and Laurel Streets. The writing on the stone has worn away in the 140 years since it was inscribed. However, with a little digging I was able to crack the mystery of J. Monroe Kelchner’s hand grave. According…
