James Henry Carpenter

James Henry Carpenter was born in 1846 in Brooklyn, New York. When he was a boy of 15 years the American Civil War broke out, and he promptly joined the Union Navy as a cabin boy. He took part in a night operation which involved capturing the Confederate schooner named “C.P. Knapp“. Carpenter was wounded in hand-to-hand combat when he was stabbed in the thigh during that operation. He was promoted to “Master’s mate” and by 16 was at the Naval Academy. He retired from military service by age 19 at the end of the war in 1865, deciding to pivot into engineering studies instead.

Carpenter was married first to Theodora Anne Silvera in 1867, who died in childbirth with their fifth child in 1883. Within a year after her death he went to Chicago for work and met his second wife, Georgian Clara Smith, who had three more children. He left his children from his first wife to live with and be raised by her parents in New York.

In 1887 Carpenter pivoted careers again, choosing to go to Europe to study the metallurgy of steel. He returned a year later looking for investors to back his business plan. Through his father he organized a small group of New York-based Capitalists to fund his newest venture.

Carpenter Steel Works

In the mid 1880s the United States industrial revolution was in full swing, and the City of Reading was working hard to incentivize industrialists to start their businesses here. Its access to both rail and water made it an ideal location for mills of all sorts.

A March 22nd, 1889 Times article reported that Carpenter was in Reading inspecting the P & R rail mill on North 9th street for the operations of his new steel mill. By May steel was being poured in the new foundry, and by November plans for expansion were underway. On November 9th it was reported in the Times that a site for a new mill had been settled on along River Road in the sixth ward; the same area the company still occupies to this day.*

In 1891 the steel works suffered a large fire which completely destroyed the plant. Carpenter was home suffering from flu at the time, but hurried out to see how he could help. A few days later he was reported to have developed pneumonia. Carpenter would suffer from occasional respiratory ailments for his entire duration in Reading. Insurance ultimately covered the reconstruction of the Carpenter Steel Works and the business was up and running at capacity by May of 1892.

The company went on to fill government contracts for projectiles. The most famous of which was a steel armor-piercing projectile patented and named after Carpenter. He was known amongst his peers to have a scientific mind, and worked tirelessly to innovate new materials. He also felt very responsible for his workers, reportedly paying them in gold when possible and giving them access to health and dental care.

Swanona Mansion

Berks deed records show that Carpenter purchased the property along west 5th street in November of 1894. A December 11th 1894 Philadelphia Record article reported that a night prowler was shot at by a watchman who was on duty at the “unfinished mansion in course of erection“. A January 25th 1894 Reading Times article mentions that Dorward, Homan & Co. won the bid for the bricklaying for Carpenter’s mansion, which confirms construction began well before the deed transfer occurred. References to the mansion online classify it as “italianate-style” but this mansion is a blend with typical victorian motifs of the period. The most prominent example of which is the turret. One thing to note is that while Carpenter was alive, newspapers referenced the name of the mansion as “Swannanoa“.

On Christmas day in 1895 an article ran on the front page of the Reading Eagle titled, “A Missing Butler” which reported that Carpenter’s new butler had stolen $100 worth of silver and was on the run. Carpenter lived in the mansion with wife Georgian and their three small children, Georgetta, Rudolph and Wesley.

In March of 1897 Carpenter resigned as the general manager of the Carpenter Steel Works and devoted his time to developing new companies, although he was retained in a consulting capacity.

Carpenter died on March 6th, 1898 of pneumonia, after being bedridden for a couple weeks in the mansion. His March 7th obituary claimed he had been in failing health for several months. His Times obit mentioned his severed ties with the steel mill about a year prior to his death, and had been traveling between Reading and his office in New York when he fell ill. His wife and children went back to New York after his death and never returned to Reading.

In 1898 Carpenter’s estate sold the property to John B. Raser, a prominent local druggist who owned Raser’s Pharmacy at 6th & Walnut Streets. The Raser’s Pharmacy business was established by John’s father J. Heyl Raser after moving to Reading via canal boat in 1851. John was known for creating concoctions to help remedy a myriad of ailments. This 1892 photo looking north off the Penn Street Bridge on the West Reading side shows an advertisement for his Sarsaparilla, followed by a 1889 newspaper ad that boasts its uses.

The then-50-year-old Raser moved his wife Catherine (44) and three children, Elsie (20), William (19), and John (9) into the home.

The front page of the January 7th, 1899 Reading Times describes the societal debut of daughter Elsie, “The handsome residence was ablaze with light from cellar to attic and the entire first floor was transformed for the nonce to a spacious ball room, and was abloom with flowers and tropical plants. Shortly before 8 o-clock the Germania orchestra struck up the music for the dance and the hours sped by merrily. Many invitations had been issued and fully 250 persons responded. While the reception and dance were in progress the dining room was not neglected, and the guests were treated to one of the most enjoyable suppers ever served in Reading.”

An October 15th, 1927 Times article celebrates John and Catherine’s 50th wedding anniversary and mentions that when he bought Swanona, there were only two other houses on the block and it was considered the country.

Wife Catherine perished in the home in 1935 of heart failure. John followed suit in 1939, after what his obituary described as two years of declining health. It went on to give him credit for being the first maker of root beer extract in the United States. His death certificate gives us a little more insight, and indicates dementia and heart failure as direct causes of death.

In 1946 the Raser’s children sold the home to Helen Seidel, daughter of funeral home owner Calvin Seidel. They renovated the property for funeral home operations shortly after acquiring it, which it would serve for the next three decades. In 1972 the property was purchased by Penn Trades LLC, who leased it to The Bell Tower Salon and Spa. The salon moved out around the turn of the millennium, and the home was then utilized as various apartments.

In 2015 the property changed hands again and became the home to law offices and Berks County’s Executive center for legal professionals. This majestic mansion will be hitting the market soon, if you are interested in the property contact the listing realtor.

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*In 1968 the company changed its name to Carpenter Technology Corporation to better reflect its modern scope of services.