Category: Video
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Christ Episcopal Church – 200 years
Read more: Christ Episcopal Church – 200 yearsFor over 160 years the brownstone Cathedral of Christ Episcopal Church has towered 180 feet above the heart of Reading. The body of this church dates to 1763, when enough settlers decided they wanted a church for the english-speaking citizens of the city, who were far outnumbered by Germans. Local attorney James Read petitioned the…
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The Textile Inn, Birthplace of Wyomissing Borough
Read more: The Textile Inn, Birthplace of Wyomissing BoroughThere is more drama coming out of Wyomissing Borough this week, but this time it is not about the mall. On Tuesday May 12th, Wyomissing Borough Council voted 4-2 to approve a conditional use request for a development project at 915 Penn Avenue. Currently the property is a parking lot, but the owner wants to…
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5th and Penn Redevelopment
Read more: 5th and Penn RedevelopmentI have spent the better part of a year advocating for the long-awaited sale and redevelopment of the buildings on the northwest corner of 5th and Penn, that the City of Reading has sat on and let deteriorate for well over a decade. Finally, last month the city decided to sell the Farmers National Bank…
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George Boone IV Estate – 371 Old Tulpehocken Road
Read more: George Boone IV Estate – 371 Old Tulpehocken RoadThis property at 371 Old Tulpehocken Road has a three century old history. The oldest section of the house dates to about 1725, when George Boone IV built a small stone dwelling, summer kitchen and gristmill to settle lands that eventually would become parts of both Exeter and Amity Townships. George was the eldest brother…
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2025 Year in Review
Read more: 2025 Year in ReviewWishing all of my followers a happy and healthy new year! Above is a video recap of my year, and the places we have explored together. Hope you have enjoyed the things I have covered this year. Special shout out to those of you who have chosen to support my work monetarily through memberships and…
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Hoch High Cemetery
Read more: Hoch High CemeteryIn the shadow of the Western Berks Landfill lies the Hoch Cemetery. Situated in Cumru Township, on High Hill – a peninsula made by the bend in the Schuykill River. This 400 acres was once part of Poplar Neck Farm, which was established by Samuel Hoch in 1745. Samuel was the grandson of Rudolph Hoch…
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Sinking Spring History
Read more: Sinking Spring HistoryThis is the first article in a “Towns of Berks” series which I will be tackling this summer to look more in-depth into Berks County’s communities. This is an overview of Sinking Spring History. Sinking Spring is a borough located in south-western Berks County. It sits along major roadway route 422, also called Penn Avenue,…
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City Park Fallout Shelter
Read more: City Park Fallout ShelterReading’s City Park Fallout Shelter has long been the subject of mystery. The shelter’s entrance is located along Constitution Boulevard, directly next to the city’s greenhouse. The doors have been locked tight for the past few decades. A relic of an era when the ever present threat of nuclear annihilation swept our nation; perhaps you…
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Reading Pagoda – History, Present & Future
Read more: Reading Pagoda – History, Present & FutureFor nearly 120 years the Pagoda has served as a beacon to generations of us who have called Reading and greater Berks County home. What is its story? How does such a unique Japanese structure end up on a mountain in Pennsylvania? What’s happening now? You have likely noticed the building has been closed and…
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McGinty Motorcars
Read more: McGinty MotorcarsBack in October Pat McGinty of McGinty Motorcars was kind enough to give me a tour of his building at 1041-43 Washington Street in Reading. The structure sits on the east end of Washington near the foot of City Park. In 1882 the deed for this property was transfered to a George Schroeder, who died…
