Category: Reading
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On this Day – January 8th, 1977
Read more: On this Day – January 8th, 1977While Christmas is behind us for another year, the snow-covered scene of Penn Square Friday afternoon brought to mind memories of the old Bing Crosby standard. Although shoppers were scarce due to driving conditions, the view they missed was worth a lot.
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Reading Street Railway Company Strike
Read more: Reading Street Railway Company StrikeOn this day in 1950; the Reading Street Railway Company went on a sudden Bus Strike after negotiations on contracts came up short. This stopped all bus and street-car service in the city of Reading, which as you can imagine caused problems for those who relied on the service. Some of the conferees in a…
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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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Penn Street Bridge History
Read more: Penn Street Bridge HistoryThis photograph of Reading, Pennsylvania was taken around the turn of the 20th century from Leinbach’s Hill in West Reading. Pictured in the foreground is the third Penn Street Bridge crossing the Schuylkill River. Across the bridge and to the left is the Pennsylvania Railroad station. A large big portion of Leinbach’s Hill, including the…
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Muhlenberg Greene Architects – 100 Years
Read more: Muhlenberg Greene Architects – 100 YearsForwardMuhlenberg Greene Architects, Ltd. was founded in 1920 by Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg II. Since 1920 they have been responsible for designing some of the most well-known buildings in Berks County. Happy 100 years, MGA, this article is dedicated to your legacy. Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg II Frederick A. “Fred” Muhlenberg II was born in Reading on…
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Promise Unfulfilled: The Brief Life and Bizarre Death of Actor Robert Morris
Read more: Promise Unfulfilled: The Brief Life and Bizarre Death of Actor Robert MorrisA couple weeks ago an email popped up in my inbox from a Vernon Gravely. He had cited BerksNostalgia.com as a source in a book he had recently published that was a biography of a Reading-born man named Robert “Bobby” Morawczynski, later known under stage name “Robert Morris”. Robert lived a short but interesting life…
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6th & Penn Street Reading
Read more: 6th & Penn Street ReadingPictured above is 6th & Penn Streets in 1949. On the immediate right is Pomeroy’s Department Store. A block north in the background is the Berks County Court House. All of the buildings between the photographer and the Court house were razed in the 1970s as a part of downtown Reading’s revitalization efforts. Can you…
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Far East Chinese Restaurant
Read more: Far East Chinese RestaurantIn 1920, the very first Chinese cuisine restaurant opened in Berks County at 739 Penn Street in Reading by Chee Yuen Hong and his father Sik Que Hong. Back then it was called the Far East Tea Garden and was ran by various members of the Hong family through the following decades and moves. In…
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Holy Name High School
Read more: Holy Name High SchoolHoly Name High School’s history is directly entwined with the first catholic high school institution in Berks County; St. Peter’s Reading Catholic High. In the late 50s and early 60s enrollment at Reading Catholic High was declining, as it did not have the space or facilities it needed to attract new students. During this same…
