Category: Towns
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On this Day- Nov 22, 1976 – Reading Brewing Company building demolished
Read more: On this Day- Nov 22, 1976 – Reading Brewing Company building demolishedThe Reading Brewing Company history can be found in this article. Millions of gallons of golden “suds” rested in the holding tanks, in the above photo, over the years the Reading Brewing Co. was in operation. In all, 23 tanks holding 650 barrels with 32 gallons of beer per barrel were located in the building…
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Marvel Ranch – Then & Now
Read more: Marvel Ranch – Then & NowMarvel Ranch is a restaurant located on the northwest corner of 4th & Penn Street in Reading. It opened in 1959 as a breakfast and lunch joint where many Berks natives have enjoyed a hot meal for the past 60 years. The establishment has changed hands over the course of its existence, but the mantra…
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Meckley’s Hat Shop
Read more: Meckley’s Hat ShopIf you ever visited Sinking Spring to purchase a hat from Meckley’s Hat Shop, you may have been acquainted with my great-grandfather, Ernest Meckley. He grew up in Fritztown and his career began in 1938 at Bollman Hat Factory in Adamstown. Ernie’s career with hats didn’t begin in retail but the manufacturing of the product.…
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Wilbur “Lefty” Reeser –
Sports Star to Sporting GoodsRead more: Wilbur “Lefty” Reeser –Wilbur “Lefty” Reeser was born on June 28th 1918 in West Lawn to Herbert and Mary Reeser. Judging from Lefty’s senior yearbook excerpt below, he was an all-around athlete during his adolescence. During his senior year at Wilson he led Berks County in boys basketball scoring and also took the Prexies baseball team to the…
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The Grand View Sanatorium; a Century of Tragedy
Read more: The Grand View Sanatorium; a Century of TragedyThere is a dense, dark atmosphere on the windy roads that once led to old sanatoriums that graced the wooded South Mountain below Wernersville. If you have ever driven around up there after nightfall you probably know what I mean. The mountain is rich with history, but the oldest and some of the most frightening…
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Haunted Fairgrounds Square Mall
Read more: Haunted Fairgrounds Square MallThe Fairgrounds Square Mall has itself become a ghost. It was just demolished over what will inevitably go down as the infamous Summer of 2020. The mall was on its last leg for years, and it only seemed fitting that it would meet its end in such a year as this one has been. However,…
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Distelfink Freeze – Rigg’s Drive-In
Read more: Distelfink Freeze – Rigg’s Drive-InDistelfink Freeze aka Rigg’s Drive In was another 1950s and 60s refreshment establishment and was located near Fleetwood. It was located on route 222 roughly 2 miles southwest of Kutztown. It was located along route 222 near the old Lincoln Tavern in part of the area torn down to make room for the Kutztown exit…
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Mary’s Dog House Luncheonette
Read more: Mary’s Dog House LuncheonetteMary’s Dog House Luncheonette was a food establishment in St. Lawrence. Some of the favorite menu items were the hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, steak sandwiches, Bar-B-Cue and of course milk shakes. It was open between 11 a.m. and midnight seven days a week. It was located along Boyertown Road. Looking at the photos, it…
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Old Man Echo – Wyomissing’s Gate to the Underworld
Read more: Old Man Echo – Wyomissing’s Gate to the UnderworldIf you grew up in the Wyomissing Borough in the early and mid 20th century you might recall Old Man Echo. It was an entrance to the sewer water drainage system which could be followed for miles underneath the streets of Wyomissing. Presumably getting its name from the effect ones voice had when speaking or…
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Ted’s Soft Ice Cream – Blandon
Read more: Ted’s Soft Ice Cream – BlandonTed’s Soft Ice Cream was in operation between 1960-1976 in Blandon. It was owned by Theodore and Grace Hughes. After closing up the ice cream shop in 1976 they went on to operate a business called Ted’s Soft Pretzel’s. Unfortunately Theodore passed in 1982 and Grace ran the business until retiring in 1986. Do you…
