This is the third part in a series that will be concluded at a later date. Consider subscribing to receive an email alert when it is published. If you haven’t, read parts one & two for context.
In the wake of the violence on Thursday October 1st, 1936, the weekend kicked off surprisingly calm. Calls for peace and mediation were made by various local business leaders and the Pennsylvania Governor himself.… Read Full Article
The structure known as the Mineral Springs Hotel was built around 1815 as a “woolen factory” or a textile mill. That venture failed within the first three years. It was turned into a privately owned hotel, restaurant and resort in 1818 which it would remain for the better part of two centuries.
The Reading Water Co. bought the property in 1859 and dammed the creek to provide water to nearby residents, at one point providing up to 120,000 gallons a day.… Read Full Article
By the time dawn broke on the morning of October 1st, 1936 temperaments of the picketers were developing from bad to worse. A Reading Eagle reporter who arrived to the scene at 5:30 a.m. described what he saw as a “bitter bloody battle at the gates of the Berkshire Knitting Mills“. Thousands of picketers turned protestors gathered around the three entrance points of the mill.… Read Full Article
It is dawn on October 1st, 1936. It’s a crisp fall morning and a damp rain adds to the heaviness of the air. The sun begins rising at 5:52 a.m. and thousands of workers are gathering in the morning light around the Berkshire Knitting Mills plant in Wyomissing, about to protest what they consider violations of wage pay.… Read Full Article
These photos capture some of the action this morning at Barbey’s playground, Schuykill avenue and W. Elm Street, where “Rabbit, Run” is being filmed. In the photo at top right a cameraman with the company adjusts a minor hitch in the camera that held up filming for about a half hour. The lower photo shows the contingent of local fans who turned out to see the actual filming of the movie.… Read Full Article