Ever Take a Ride on the Reading?

BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET

The history of Berks County, PA, is recalled through a mixture of colorful tales and factual data in this NEW 49 Page Booklet, reprinted primarily from three hard-to-find books: the 1843 edition of Historical Collections of the State of Pennsylvania by Sherman Day, An Illustrated History of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1876) by William Egle, M.D., and Pennsylvania, a Guide to the Keystone State, a WPA project published in 1940. The spiral-bound booklet is printed one-sided on 60# paper, with the print enlarged for easier reading. A clear vinyl sheet has been added to protect the front cover.

Communities mentioned include: Reading, Womelsdorf, Kutztown, Hamburg, Bethel, Birdsboro, Boyertown, Heidelberg, Longswamp, Fleetwood, Bernville, Topton, Leesport, Morgantown, Virginsville, Cumru Township, Rehrersburg, Mertztown, Pricetown, Unionville, Warrenburg, Weaverstown, Exetertown, Millersburg, Wohleberstown, Lenhartsville, Shartlesville, Maxatawney, Maiden Creek, Temple, Shillington, Gouglersville, Hereford, Bally, Douglassville, Amityville, Baumstown, Mt. Penn, West Reading, Wyomissing, Sinking Spring, Port Clinton, Wernersville, and Robesonia.

The Day and Egle histories cover the early development of this area, while excerpts from the WPA book, give a nostalgic glimpse from a 1940 vantage point, including interesting historical notes, especially as they relate to sightseeing possibilities. Since the source books are concerned with the same subject, there is some duplication of material, but the time elasped often changes the perspective and emphasis.

Among the many and diverse subjects in the booklet are: Indian Alarms, "Justice" as practiced in 1752, The Hessian Camp, the High Cost of Matrimony, Early Churches, Forge Hammer House, Early Manufacturing, Resort away from Revolution and Politics of Philadelphia, Indian Perception of a Church meeting, Crystal Cave, the Reading Court House Clock, County Fair at Hamburg, Pensylvania Dutch Meals, Move to Oust Washington as Army Chief, Discord in Amityville, Albright College, Opera House Disaster, Hopewell Village, Daniel Boone Birthplace, Lincoln's Ancestral Home, Socialism, Conrad Weiser, a friend of the Indians, Wyomissing Industries and Glen-Gery Brick Co, and other interesting bits of history and trivia.

ILLUSTRATIONS include: Reading, the Berks County Court House, the Old Hain's Church, near Wernersville, the Provincial Court House at Reading (1762-1841), Trinity Lutheran Church, the Cemetery Gate at Reading, a 1940 view of the Public Square in Reading, and Horse Shoe Curve on the Pennsylvania Railroad. There's also a map of Reading with Points of Interest.

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