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Authored by Society president George Meiser IX |
| Posted 01-22-2006
SIX News-Bits of Reading-Berks historical interest... ============= =========== ============== ============= =========== ============== 1- Mon., Jan. 23 at 7:30 - an open Leesport Hist. Soc. mtg. 2- Reading-Berks collection on auction Wed., Jan. 25 3- Gen. Udree's grist mill at Oley Furnace up for sale 4- A cake with 75 candles for Vice-Grip! 5- Nice photo of the back-bar at the Virginville Hotel 6- Fascinating Schuylkill Canal report of July 3, 1824 ================ =========== ============= ================ =========== ============= ================ =========== ============= 1- The Leesport Area Historical Society will be held THIS Monday, January 23, 2006 at 7:30 PM. --- at Bethany Church 308 Main Street, (West) Leesport. There's easy parking right behind the church. The speaker at this meeting will be Cathy Wegener, sup't of Interpretive Services-- Berks County Heritage Center. Her topic is "The History of the Berks County Parks System." This meeting is open to the general public. YOU are invited. FUTURE MEETINGS: Feb. - Geo. M. Meiser, IX - "Preparing Passing Scene books" March - Graduate Students from Penn State, Berks Campus - "Northern Berks Underground Railroad System" Questions? Contact HMengel5@aol.com ============= ============== ============== 2- Bonnie Yuhas from Mohnton emailed to inform us that Friday's EAGLE had a classified ad regarding an auction this coming WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25th at 10 a.m. at Mauer & Wilson's Auction House, 3rd St. in Pottstown. The listing notes that the auction has numerous items from collections who had an extensive historical reference library. Their primary interest was Reading. Yours truly knows nothing beyond what is reported above. ============= ============== ============== 3- Matt Barnhart has an interesting web-site related to the sale of Gen. Daniel Udree's grist mill at Oley Furnace. This site is worth checking into. Our historical Society has a prize-winning life-sized portrait of the general holding an iron nugget in the furnace office, which survives at the site. 
Oley Furnace was an "iron hamlet" in the years before and after the Civil War. The ancient furnace is gone but the site is intact. Udree had an extensive iron mine in the locality. INTERESTING area..... =============== ============== =========== 4- Bob Compton forwarded an interesting reference to the 75th anniversary of the Vice-Grip, at least one of which can probably be found in most homes in America. ============= =============== ============= 5- The aforementioned Bob Compton of Breiningsville, an erstwhile Berks Countian, takes representative photos of the places where he and his company eat. Be advised that Bob & Co. really get around! He just dined at the Virginville Hotel, justly famous for its creamed cucumber salad which often draws this reporter to the landmark hotel on main street, Virginville. Here's Bob's PHOTO of the landmark hotel's back-bar: 
============== ========== ============== 6- The "New York American" for Saturday, July 10, 1824, reported the following.... "Schuylkill Canal, Reading (Penn'a) - July 3, 1834...... "In honour of the day, the managers of the Schuylkill Canal Co. have made arrangements that will e highly gratifying to our fellow citizens and creditable to them. "The 32 miles of canal commencing from the vicinity of this borough is now filling with water, and on Monday at 6 a.m. two boats covered with awnings, the Stephen Girard, Reading Packet, and the Thomas Oaks will get under way from the outlet lock, below Strohecker's Ferry, and proceed on their first voyage towards Phil'a. "A polite and general invitation has been given to the constituted authorities of this borough and the citizens generally to take passage. Refreshments will be provided, and every thing is prepared to give pleasure and satisfaction. "Several of our ladies, we are happy to hear, have politely agreed to honour this aquatic excursion with their company. Two boats ladened with merchandize will bring up the rear of the passage boats. "The whole line of this important canal, from Mount Carbon, in Schuylkill county, to the city of Phil'a, will be completed early in the month of September, and we venture to suspect that in less than 5 yerars, there will not be better stock in the state of Penn'a. "The transportation of the single article of coal will realize a dividend of 6 per cent. per annum, independent of merchandize, produce, water power, &c." ================ =============== ==================== ================ =============== ==================== |
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