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Authored by Society president George Meiser IX |
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Seven News-Bits of Reading-Berks historical
interest... ============================================= 1- RSO concert Sat. night features Chris Lee, world-class violinist, whose new CD will soon be available 2- Ringgold Band’s annual dinner concert Sun. night is at Stokesey, the conclusion of the band’s 150th anniversary 3- Book on First Amish Mennonite Communities in America has fresh new Berks history included--and photos 4- Mon., Oct. 21st, the Albany Twp. Historical Society at Kempton hosts program on Felix Dam/Schuylkill River/Sch. Canal and the lockhouse there. 5- Church records just put on line that include some folks from northeastern Berks. Check the website provided. 6- Oley Valley tragedy on the Hoch homestead in the Oley Township. Can we help Mr. Hoch? 7- Berks County Assn. for Graveyard Preservation to meet Sun., Nov. 17th, at 2 p.m., at the Oley Legion Bldg. ========================================= 1- This Saturday night, Oct. 19th, at 8 p.m., as part of the Reading Symphony Orchestra's special 90th Anniversary commemoration, the RSO is featuring world-class violinist Christopher Collins Lee at its program at the Sovereign Performing Arts Center (formerly the Rajah). Hear Mr. Lee play the ever popular "Scottish Fantasy." 
Also on the program is Tchaikovsky's "Patetique" Symphony, a work many will recall from the days of old-time radio, as part of it was used as a theme song for a popular daytime soap opera! Call 610 - 898-7299 for tickets. Want to hear a sound preview? Access http://www.readingsymphony.org/concert2.htm ========================================= 2- Reminder about this Sunday’s Ringgold Band annual dinner- concert, which is the concluding event of the organization’s 150th anniversary commemoration. Ringgold Band Fall Dinner Concert 150th Anniversary Year! Sunday, October 20 - 6 p.m. Stokesay Castle Hill Road & Spook Lane, Reading Featured soloist - Dr. Carl Adams Retired flute professor, Indiana University of PA $28 per person (reservations required) Ticket info: call Wendy (610) 779-8858 or e-mail TheRinggoldBand@aol.com ===================================== 3- A 52-page softbound book titled "First Amish Mennonite Communities in America" just came to our attention. While hot off the press, the material was researched by Grant M. Stoltzfus for his master of arts thesis in 1954. The title might mislead the casual reader as much of the data found in this volume, which is carefully footnoted, has much to do with Berks County history and deals with family names that one might not realize were originally Amish and Mennonite. Many of the earliest settlements in what is now Wyomissing, Spring, Bern, Maiden Creek, Tulpehocken, etc. were Amish Mennonite. This highly informative publication sells for $8.95. For mailing costs, contact Masthof Press, 219 Mill Road, Morgantown, PA 19543. Email: mast@masthof.com ========================================= 4- The Albany Township Historical Society will resume monthly meetings starting next Monday October 21, 2002. This meeting will be held 7:30 PM at the Kempton Elementary School. Archaeologist Kira Presler will do a presentation on a recent archaeological investigation of the dams and the surrounding area in Muhlenburg Township’s Felix Dam Park. The investigation included the shoreline cribbing associated with the dams and lock, the lock tender’s house, a prehistoric site under the historic fill levels within the Park and a stonefish weir. The Felix Dams and Canal Lock #42 are part of the Schuylkill Navigation System constructed in the early nineteenth century. The canal system was very important to the early transportation and economic development of the region. The excavations at the site provided important historical information on this stretch of the Schuylkill River. Kira Presler works for Kittatinny Archeological Research, Inc as a Report Editor, Laboratory Director and Project Archaeologist. She has a master’s degree in Archaeology from Washington State University. Kira is also currently directing a volunteer excavation at a historic farmstead near Stockerton, PA. On another note, the ATHS website will begin a pictorial review of ATHS’s 250th Celebration. Once every month, until the end of this year, the site will be updated with new pictures. We invite you to visit the 250th Celebration Review page often for updates. Deanna Wahler for Albany Township Historical Society www.albanyths.org ======================================== 5- As part of a grant project funded by the Pennsylvania and Historical Museum Commission, the History Committee of Ziegels Union Church in Breinigsville, PA (the western end of Lehigh County) has had the parish records of Rev. William A. Helffrich, a German Reformed preacher, translated from German. By the end of this month, a hard copy and microfilm copy will be given to the Historical Society of Berks County. The ledger contains lists of confirmands, lists of communicants, lists of deaths, lists of marriages, etc. from the 19th century. Some of the members of Ziegels Church came from the eastern end of Berks County. To make these records available to even a wider audience, the translator, Randall T. Wert, has put the translation online at: http://www.users.fast.net/~rtwert/ZiegelKB/OnlineKB.htm Please be advised that it takes a while to download the entire file. The text loads well, but for some trial users, the pictures are not all downloading. Randall will be refining the site as more feedback is submitted. In the meantime, you will have access to information not published before as this church book was just returned to the church in 1998. Randall has spent the past year working on this translation. It is our hope that this information will assist researchers in tracing their ancestors. Mary Redline History Committee, Ziegels Union Church =========================================== 6- This note was received recently and is being passed on as the Hoch homestead, near Hoch’s Corner and cemetery, is one of the oldest in Berks County. What happened is a true tragedy. Can anyone help Mr. Hoch? "To whom it may concern, I don't know if this is the right site to ask this question but we don't know where to turn. We are the owners of the Hoch Homestead in the Oley valley. Recently we had vandalism to our old spring house. Someone went up on the roof and smashed about 250 of the old, red, original ‘Oley Valley’ clay tiles. We are at our wit’s end trying to find replacement tiles so that we don't have to fix the roof with something modern. "I don't know if anyone can help us but we are looking for someone who knows whether anyone still makes them or knows where old ones might be bought." Mark Hoch 227 Hoch Road Oley Pa. 15547 610-987-6067 or berniehoch@aol.com ===================================== 7- We often receive emails asking whether the Berks County Assn. for Graveyard Preservation is still aroundand functioning. The answer is YES...but the group needs YOUR help. If you have an interest in furthering their valuable service to the county and its history, please make it a point to attend their next meeting....on Sunday, Nov. 17th, at 2 p.m. -- at the Oley American Legion building near the butcher shop along Route 662. The mailing address is BCAGP, P. O. Box 3707, Reading, PA 19606. BCAGP@dotplanet.com ======== gmmix ========= end ===================== |
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