At the end of the Civil War, Pennsylvania had more orphaned children than most states. Carl Bloss, Archivist Emeritus of Bethany's Children's Home, who previously lectured at the BHC about the Soldier’s Orphans Schools Program (SOS), will speak about the early orphanages of Reading and Berks County from 1729 to 1850, when many orphanages were […]
BHC trustee and baseball historian, Brian Engelhardt, presents a program about Moe Berg, who played shortstop for the Reading Keys before a 15 year major league career as a catcher. Fluent in 10 languages, Berg graduated magna cum laude from Princeton with a degree in modern languages. Following his retirement from baseball, during WWII, he […]
Historian Paul Miller will share a slide presentation that details the history of the health resorts that once existed on South Mountain near Wernersville and covers their history in vintage historical photographs from beginning to demise. Included is Grand View, Walter's Park/South Mountain Manor, Sunset Hall, The Preston, Galen Hall, Bynden Wood, Highland House, The […]
Join BHC for a game show of fun facts and photos of historic Berks County structures, presented by Muhlenberg Greene Architects, LLC in honor of their founder (and designer of the Berks History Center) Frederick A. Muhlenberg’s 135th birthday. This program will be held in person, inside the BHC Museum Auditorium. The cost of this […]
Great-great-granddaughter of Julius Sturgis, author Jill Marie Thomas, presents the history of America’s oldest commercial pretzel bakery which started in Lititz and is now located in Reading. (This program is rescheduled from previous dates.) This program will be held in person, inside the BHC Museum Auditorium. The cost of this program is $5 for BHC […]
Historian Dennis Damiani reveals the hidden stories of these local champions through diligent research of high school yearbooks, letters, historical documents, testimonies and more. This program will be held in person, inside the BHC Museum Auditorium. The cost of this program is $5 for BHC members and $8 for non-members. The program fee includes admission […]
Author Fred Moll captures the history and architectural beauty of the many covered bridges that once dotted our landscape with an in-depth look at the five that still exist today. This program will be held in person, inside the BHC Museum Auditorium. The cost of this program is $5 for BHC members and $8 for […]
During our January Second Saturday program, Professor Emeritus of Reading Area Community College, John Lawlor, transcribes and analyzes census information of the neighborhood surrounding the Berks History Center, with special emphasis placed on demographics like gender, race, age, and nationality. This program will be held in person, inside the BHC Museum Auditorium. The cost of […]
In August 1874, the Reading Eagle reported that hunters in Albany Township had killed the last Berks County mountain lion. In the weeks that followed, dozens of newspapers from across the country shared this story, with each providing new sensational details of the hunters' ordeal. Interest in the tale was rekindled decades later, after the taxidermied remains […]
During our March Second Saturday Program, sponsored by Berks Women's History Alliance, learn about the enduring legacy of Indigenous women in Berks County and their important cultural roles in traditional Native society. This program is presented by Amanda Funk, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Widoktadwen Center for Native Knowledge, located in Reading, PA. This program […]