Category: Towns
-
The Apple Dumpling Festival
Read more: The Apple Dumpling FestivalThe Apple Dumpling Festival dates back to the summer of 1953. It actually came to be as a merging of two events; Spring Township’s 5-day community summer fair and the West Lawn Owls Baseball Club 2-day fundraising event. The Owls raised money for their club by selling Apple Dumplings and playing modest games like bingo.…
-
Paper Mill Road Covered Bridge
Read more: Paper Mill Road Covered BridgeThe following images were taken in 1957 and I believe them to be depicting around the then-countryside of Wyomissing Borough. The first image has been identified, but the remaining two are up in the air. EDIT: The second image is now believed to be a covered bridge that sat in the area of the old…
-
National Cleaners – Penn Ave – West Lawn – Then & Now
Read more: National Cleaners – Penn Ave – West Lawn – Then & NowA brief history from National Cleaners website: National Cleaners was founded in 1945 by Theodore Roeberg, father of current owners Richard & Mickey Roeberg. He purchased a small wholesale dry cleaning plant in Reading and was quickly the first in the area to offer six-hour dry-cleaning. He expanded quickly opening six small stores and in…
-
The Camelot Inn
Read more: The Camelot InnThe Camelot Inn was located at 665 Fritztown Road in Sinking Spring. It was built in 1925 as a speakeasy and was originally named “Die Scheier” which is Pennsylvania Dutch for “The Barn”. Ralph C. Riffert was the proprietor of the restaurant and bar. During prohibition Die Scheier was raided by state police after they…
-
Wyomissing Borough Streets – 1890, 1935 and Today
Read more: Wyomissing Borough Streets – 1890, 1935 and TodayWyomissing Borough is a community that is rich with history and ties to industry in the late 1800s and turn of the 20th century. It was a community built by the founders and businessmen who ran the knitting mills; Henry Janssen and Ferdinand Thun. It became an opportunity to house their workers so they could…
-
Ice City – Sinking Spring / Douglassville
Read more: Ice City – Sinking Spring / DouglassvilleIce City was a Pool & spa supply store first located on 422 in Douglassville, and then added a second location Penn Ave in Sinking Spring. The company was originally started and owned by Richard Muller in 1958. Muller in 1956 bought the Pure Ice and Coal Co. at 17th and Tilghman streets, Allentown. “Back…
-
5th and Penn – National Central Bank Signage – April 1977
Read more: 5th and Penn – National Central Bank Signage – April 1977National Central Bank has finalized arrangements to install a specially designed message center on its office building at the southwest corner of 5th and Penn Streets. Announcement of the anticipated early-April installation of the new computer controlled display sign at National Central’s Retail Loan Center was made by W. Sturgis Corbett, bank senior vice president…
-
Shillington Theatre
Read more: Shillington TheatreThe Shillington Theatre was located at 29 E Lancaster Ave between Liberty and Brobst St. It opened Sept. 3rd, 1949. It was not until the late 1960’s that the Shillington was able to run movies on Sundays due to the local municipality refusing to repeal and continuing to enforce Pennsylvania’s antiquated “blue laws”. Blue Laws…
-
Sammy’s Steaks
Read more: Sammy’s SteaksSammy’s Steaks was a pretty popular sandwich joint that was founded in 1946. The “Original” shop was at 12th and Buttonwood Sts. While under family ownership they sliced their own meats from fresh formed ribeyes and NEVER used anything but; unlike the emulsified meat that most others use today. They also made their own sauce…
-
Monterey Inn
Read more: Monterey InnThe Monterey Inn was built in the 1920s on the foundation of a building destroyed by a fire. It was located along Route 222, right before Church Road bears right in Maxatawny Township. It was originally built sometime after the 1830s by Isaac L. Bieber. Before and after burning in the 20s, it served as…
