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Authored by Society president George Meiser IX |
| Posted 10-09-2003
NINE News-Bits of Reading-Berks historical interest… ============ ============ ============== ============ ============ ============== 1- Mystery schoolhouse might have been a Maxatawny Twp. bldg. 2- Hampden Fireman's outfit on eBay; sale ends Fri., Oct. 10th 3- Ringgold Band dinner-concert reservation deadline- Oct. 10th 4- Gold CD's have a life-expectancy of 100 years; others not so good 5- Old-time Berks postcard show online now, thanks to Doug Reinert 6- Berks Genealogical Society's annual "Market Place" Oct. 11 - 8-4 7- Gingerbread House Lady Patti Hudson at Society Sat. Oct. 11 at 1 8- Rdg.'s Riverfront - old-time photos Sat., Oct. 11 at 1 - RACC, free 9- Slides on old-time Schwarzwald-Jacksonwald area- Sun., Oct. 19 ============ ============ ============== ============ ============ ============== 1- The unidentified Berks County one-room schoolhouse photo, dated 1927 and shown in the last News-Bits dispatch, remains unidentified---but six readers feel it may have been in Maxatawny Twp. We plan to check further when time permits. ================ ============= ========== 2- A Hampden Fireman's uniform is now appearing on eBay. The auction ends Fri., Oct. 10th. There have been 13 bids so far with a top bid of #26. It's uniform # 6. To check it out, access: ================= ============= =============== 3- The Ringgold Band's annual dinner concert is Sunday, Oct. 19th at Stokesay Castle atop Mt. Penn (actually, it's atop Mount Washington). Reservations are due by tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 10th. Tickets: $28 each. For reservations, email TheRinggoldBand@aol.com or call Wendy at (610) 779-8858. More info? =============== ============= ========== 4- Recently, and after burning some 400 CD's to "keep" music and photos on file, a world authority on archival standards emailed to inform me that my CD's probably have a life expectancy of 20 to 25 years---under the best of circumstances. While it's a very long story, there is now one company in the world producing Gold CD's with a life expectancy of 100 years. The maker is Mitsui and 100 blanks will cost you about $ 1.38 each postpaid. The Historical Society and your editor will be buying a supply soon. More particulars? ================ ============ =========== 5- Doug Reinert, the Society's News-Bits facilitator and creator of our prize-winning web-site, has put together a little postcard show. To see it, access: ============== ============= =========== 6- This Saturday, Oct. 11, from 8 to 4, is the Berks County Genealogical Society's annual "Market Place," which will have available all manner of goods to aid genealogists gather and keep their holdings. Lots of books, photos, maps, supplies, and dealers will be on hand. $5 entrance fee. The event is at the BCGS's headquarters in the school building at 3618 Kutztown Road, Laureldale. ============== ============= ============ 7- Appearing this Saturday at 1---at the Historical Society of Berks County---will be Patti Hudson, the famous Gingerbread House Lady, to show how one goes about making such a thing. This event is FREE. Her new book and video on the subject are now available at the Society.   Info? Call the Society at 610 - 375 - 4375 =============== =========== ============= 8- Also this coming Saturday (Oct. 11th) at 1, your editor will be presenting a slide program at RACC titled "Along Reading's Riverfront," composed of photos taken between 1863 and 1973. The program is in the Yocum Library. You are invitied. It's free. This slide show has never been given previously. Herewith is a quickly prepared "note sheet" with comments that might be made at the program to accompany the slides. If you have no interest in Reading's Riverfront or the Schuylkill Canal, skip to the next News-Bit. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1- Kissinger's Lock #45 - foot of W. Douglass 2- Kissinger's Lock, last operated by Emma Gilmer; Ehrgood family last lived there 3- Giles' or Reese's Lock #46, between Lebanon Valley RR Bridge and Buttonwood St. Bridge. Reese's grist Mill at site until PSV train line put through in 1884. Train ran right next to mill and caused fires. Mill used canal water and last operated by E. S. Fox to manufacture glass bottles. 4- Looking upriver. Note old r.r. line on Spring Twp. side and Peter Barbey's brewery at foot of West Elm (1st Hockley Lane). 5- Looking north from River Road, foot of Washington St. 6- Looking eastward to area between Washington and Court. 7- Looking eastward to foot of Court to the Reading Paper Mill which earlier had been a distillery and, very early, O'Brien's brewery. A fine spring was on the property which the Hessian soldiers used when first brought to Rdg. during the Revolutionary War. 8- Looking eastward to the Pennsylvania R.R. passenger depot which stood alongside the Penn St. bridge/viaduct, on the north side. 9- Feb. 1973 view looking to the Pennsy passenger depot. 10- Aug 24, 1933 flood looking to Penn St. viaduct from Front St., foot of Court. 11- Supposed about an 1844 view looking into Reading from Leinbach's or Yeager's Hill. Note cannon. Note Union Canal at lower left. Depiction by John Kendall, shown sketching at far right. Original 1818 Penn St./Harrisburg Bridge, destroyed in the freshet of 1850. 12- Original Penn St. bridge (two lanes), on right. Note passage- way from Sch. River to the Schuylkill Canal on the Rdg. side. Dr. Benson's steam grist mill on far right. 13- Earliest known shot of Penn St. Bridge from W. Rdg. side. Bertolet's rolling (iron) mill at far left. 14- Early view shows E. Davis's hotel and store. Converted to Eli S. Fox's terra-cotta works; foot of Franklin. Guard Lock at foot of Frankln. Beginning of Rdg's "long island." 15- Dismantling 1851 Penn St. covered bridge in 1884. Leinbach's Hill in background. About 600 feet long; 3 spans, 2 lanes. Supposedly some of the lumber was used to build the Northkill Covered Bridge at Bernville in 1885. Every bit of the structure was salvaged---even the nails. 16- Looking northward from Pennsy tracks to depot and paper mill in the aftermath of 1902 flood. 17- Looking southward to Pennsy passenger depot, the top part of which was removed to make way for the new Penn St. Viaduct in 1913. 18- 1884 iron-truss bridge looking into Rdg. from W.Rdg. 19- 1884 iron-truss " " " 20- Close-up view of structural detail of 1884 Penn St. Bridge 21- Close-up view of Pennsy depot's entrance from bridge level 22- Trolley crossing Penn St. Bridge prior to the ban of crossing with passengers. 23- 1873 picture map of (1) Bridge, (2) Dr. Benson's mill, (3) Fox's terra-cotta works, and (4) Franklin St. Guard-lock 24- Pennsy freight depot on south side of Penn St. Viaduct, in Feb. 1973, prior to razing. 25- From Penn St. Bridge, looking to Guard-lock & Penn Hardware---and r.r. bridge to Met Ed's 1900 Eiler electric plant. 26- Aug. 24, 1933 flood --- taken from Penn St. Viaduct, looking to Front and Franklin. 27- From Franklin St. Guard-lock, looking to Penn St. Bridge. Notice 8-sided stone toll-collector structure which survived into the 1930's. 1898 view 28- From Guard-lock, looking to Penn St. Viaduct under construction in 1913. 29- Close-up view of the former toll-collector's structure, used in later years by kids to change into their bathing trunks. 30- Looking from W. Rdg. to Guard-lock area. Note water in abandoned Union Canal channel. Union Canal ceased operating in Oct. 1884 and water dried up almost immediately. 31- Early view of Franklin St. Guard-lock and early buildings on Long Island. Note position of the 8-sided toll-collector's building. 32- Taken from Penn St. Bridge to terra-cotta works 33- Closer view of # 32 34- Once magnificent resident of Sch. Canal Sup't Smith, erected in the late 1830's. After Pennsy tracks laid along Reading's riverfront in 1884, the view of the Sch. was destroyed and the once elegant mansion with formal gardens fell into decline. Stood between Franklin and Chestnut. Razed June 1934. 35- 1873 picture-map of Sch. Canal buidings between Chestnut and Spruce. Note covered bridge over canal. For a brief period, another covered bridge crossed the canal---at the south end of the Penn Hardware complex. 36- 1897 view of Schuylkill, looking northward from Lancaster/ Bingaman St. Bridge. Note trolley bridge pillar under construction. Another pillar stood on Independence Island. 37- The Monitor stands under the trolley bridge. Built in 1885, this steamer was later sold to a plantation owner from Mexico. 38- The steamer Maine, appropriately launched in 1898, is seen at Boyer's Landing, on the west side of the river, below the Bingaman St. Bridge. 39- Nellie stands below the Reading & Southwestern trolley bridge, in 1895. 40- April 1971 view looking from the West Shore By-pass to the UGI (former Rdg. Gas Works) gas tank. Note the pillar on what's left of Independence Island. Much of what's seen here was severely compromised by Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972. 41- Feb. 1973 view, taken only days before the Sch. Canal between the Guard-lock and Jackson's Lock area was filled in. We look northward. 42- Another view of #41 43- The impressively large "City of Reading" excursion boat owned by the Reading Steam Boat Assn, composed of City Council members and other local officials. Behind is Getz's Marble yard, just above the Bingaman St. Bridge. 44- Very early view of the Lancaster/Bingaman St. Bridge covered bridge which burned in 1875. Note the Union Canal on the right. The first covered bridge here was built in 1831. 45- The 3-span 2-lane Lancaster Bridge showing the 1869 flood damage. The span that connected with Bingaman St. washed down the Schuylkill. This portion was set up at Douglassville, which explains why the bridge there was the only country covered bridge with two lanes. It suffered fire damage in 1950 and was then razed. 46- Very rare early view of the grist mill at the west end of the Lancaster iron-truss bridge. The mill never was very productive as it used Union Canal water. The mill has been gone a century. 47- The Lancaster iron-truss bridge, from Lancaster Ave. 48- Looking up-river to the Lancaster iron-truss bridge. 49- Dismantling the iron-truss Lancaster/Bingaman St. Bridge. Incidentally, Bingaman St. was an early roadway in Rdg. Hill Road, running beside City Park on the east side, is part of the original Bingaman St. route. 50- The temporary Bingaman St. bridge. 51- The new cement Bingaman St. Bridge, opened 1921. The late Wm. E. Maier and his dad were among the first over the new span as they had gotten up early to take bread to market, freshly made at Maier's Bakery. 52- Another view of #51 53- Map of Jackson's Lock, foot of S. 6th St., located between the river and the old pumping station. Note carousel ticket. A carousel was at the Hiester boat-works property during the summer of 1910. Its band-organ only played one song: "In the Good Old Summertime." Florence Hiester got so tired of the tune, she could never listen to it thereafter. Note lock-tender's shanty. 54- Jackson's Lock. Note sewage pump-house, which still stands. 55- Excursion boats Rosa and Carrie up front. Note Hiester saw-mill on the island, on the left. Houseboat "Mildred" on right, then owned by Mr. McCarter, a grocer at 4th and Pine. 56- Close-up view of Rosa and Carrie. The double house at 116-118 Park Ave., Rdg., just west of Morgantown Rdg. and just south of Lancaster Ave., is in reality the Rosa and Carrie in another form. C. Howard Hiester and his uncle built their residences using every board from the two former excursion boats. 57- Rosa along the river near Willow Grove, which is what the Hiesters named their "park" when folks boarded their boats. The carousel was at Willow Grove. 58- Jackson's Lock and a well-manicured Long Island. The frame structure in the background was the South West Temperance Club---which was a joke. 59- Jackson's Lock with a view of the willows. 60- Jackson's Lock flooded. 61- Looking from Jackson's Lock to the telescoping gas tank at the Reading Gas Works. 62- Rare view showing Wm. Sharman, the last lock-tender at Jackson's Lock. With him is Al Hiester, an uncle to C. Howard Hiester---whose collection is on display at the C. Howard Hiester canal museum near Red Bridge---at the Heritage Center. 63- The remains of Jackson's Lock, which survives buried! If you were to dig it out, you'd find all manner tools, ledgers, and files from the Sch. Navigation Co.'s office. When all canal operation ceased, they carried tons of stored goods from the Navigation building and threw same into the lock chamber. Mr. Hiester fished a good deal out and took it home---but much remained behind. 64- Looking up-river. Notice the Union Canal on the left, as it appeared prior to the freshet of 1850. After the flood, this canal section was abandoned due to major damage. Thereafter, the Union Canal ended at Miller's Lock, opposite Jackson's Lock. Jackson's Lock is seen on the right. 65- A photographic view of #64 but taken after the Union Canal in this section abandoned in 1850. This dried-up channel can still be seen at places after a sprinkling of snow---from the West Shore By-pass. 66- A long view of the two previous scenes…but notice "Keim's Folly," a short-lived terraced arrangement that once had all types of flowers and plantings. It resembles a truncated pyramid. Contemporary accounts described it as Reading's Hanging Gardens of Babylon. In the 1840's, Keim opened the White House Hotel that used to sit along the now-abandoned South 9th St. Road that led to Poplar Neck Covered Bridge--- which led past Ezra High's mansion to present-day Route 724--- near the Animal Rescue League's headquarters. ============= =========== ============= 9- On Sunday morning, Oct. 19, at Schwarzwald U.C.C. at Jacksonwald, in the 1870 brick church, just off the Boyertown Pike/ Route 562, your editor will present a slide program only seen once before. It's a tour in and around Schwarzwald, composed mainly of old-time views---many never published or seen previously. The program is open to the public. Time: 10:30 a.m. For the record, there was no Jacksonwald prior to the opening of the John Jackson's hotel and the post office within, in 1870---where the bank now stands. The Jacksonwald Post Office closed Oct. 31, 1956. Accordingly, this general area was known as Schwarzwald. Incidentally, if you come to the church for the program, be sure to check the cemetery section near Oley Turnpike Road to see famed accordionist Anthony Monde's tombstone, the one with a likeness of his accordion cut into the granite. =============== gmmix ========= end ==== Hampden |
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