The 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 Mount Penn on Perkiomen Avenue. The second location was opened on Penn Avenue in West Lawn. Both were opened in the early 1970s.… Read Full Article
Take a look at how West Lawn and West Lawn Elementary School looked in 1932:
The school looks like it was fairly new at the date of this photo, but I could not find an exact date of build. It sat at Riegel Ave and Nobel Street, a block in from Penn Ave. It functioned as a school until the 70s when it was demolished.… Read Full Article
This iron bridge was on 422/Penn Ave connecting Wyomissing and West Lawn. It was built in 1926 and replaced an older, smaller iron pony-truss bridge. Only two “overhead bowstring bridges” like it are known to have survived in the state of Pennsylvania.* One ended up being placed on the Horseshoe Trail at Scarlets Mill in Robeson Township. These smaller pony-truss bridges needed to be replaced in the early 1920s because railroad regulations changed to allow double-stacking of rail-car containers.… Read Full Article
In 1962, the company began its expansion program with the opening of an exciting, contemporary “Boscov’s West” in November, located at 3564 Penn Avenue in Sinking Spring/West Lawn.
Boscov’s West caught on fire on November 20th, 1967 only 5 years after it had opened, and ironically the same exact day Boscov’s East, the newest venture was opened. It was determined to be started by an ember from the incinerator.… Read Full Article