Category: Nostalgia
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Seafood Shanty
Read more: Seafood ShantyThe Seafood Shanty was a popular restaurant in Berks County for 23 years. It was technically a chain, with other locations being around the greater Philadelphia area and into New Jersey. The first location in Berks was opened in Exeter township on Perkiomen Avenue. The second location was opened on Penn Avenue in West Lawn.…
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Kmart – 45 Years in Berks
Read more: Kmart – 45 Years in BerksKmart has been a staple nationwide big box store since the 60s. The company, originally called S. S. Kresge Corporation, dates back to 1899. It wasn’t until 1974 when it broke into the Berks County market, opening a store at the 94,500-square-foot Cumru Township location in Shillington Plaza. According to the Reading Eagle, it featured…
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Embassy Theatre
Read more: Embassy TheatreBuilt on the site of the Empire Theatre. The Embassy Theatre in Reading, PA opened April 4, 1931, with the movie “Stolen Heaven” starring Nancy Carroll. It was owned by Wilmer and Vincent Corp. The Embassy Theatre was designed by Philadelphia architect William H. Lee with his associates Armand de Cortieux Carroll and Charles E.…
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Sno-Kist
Read more: Sno-KistSno-Kist was a beloved summer ice-cream place that was located along route 222, just south of Shillington. It was directly across the street from an Adult Video store called the RT. 222 News Outlet and was just north of Simotas Dairy Bar. The building had been an ice cream stand since the 1950s, always called…
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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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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…