Often people researching their family history focus on male relatives or see female ancestors as appendages to their husbands. This presentation will discuss how researching the women in your family tree--mothers, aunts, grandmothers, etc.--can help you better understand your family's heritage. Please join us on Saturday, October 10th at 10 AM Click here to […]
Did you know that there were Amish in Reading back in the 1700s? Have you ever wondered what happened to them? For answers to your questions, tune in to this lecture by Nic Stoltzfus, a descendant of one of the Amish families who lived in Reading in the late 1700s. His lecture will focus on the […]
Take a nostalgic, virtual "walk" down Penn Street with Berks History Center Trustee and volunteer, Richard Polityka. Enjoy the images of "Old Reading" and remember Penn Street as it was on Christmas years ago with a photographic history. (Photo by Ben Hasty, courtesy of the Reading Eagle) This is a free event to attend, but […]
Local Historian Paul Druzba tells the story of the "resort years" on Neversink from 1890-1930, a time which saw the building of an eight-mile water-powered electric railway on the mountain, as well as several fantastic resort hotels and recreation areas. This is a follow-up presentation to two hikes of Neversink Mountain during the fall of […]
Emeritus Archivist at Bethany's Children's Home, Carl Bloss, explores the hidden history of the Soldier's Orphans' Schools implemented by the State of PA to care for and educate the many orphaned children of the Civil War; In 1863, Bethany Orphan's Home had already accepted many soldier's orphans before this program expanded to include 43 institutions […]
The Berks Suffrage 2020 Centennial continues its celebration with an informative presentation by Amanda Owen, Executive Director of the Justice Bell Foundation, who educates the significance of the Justice Bell in not only Berks County but the State of PA as a whole. This "Other Liberty Bell" was unique in that PA was the only […]
"Help Yourself and God Will Help You" was stamped in French in bronze letters on the ships' wheel of the Confederate Raider, CSS Alabama. This program will focus on the intrigue and characters in the birth of the ship and its eventual campaign of destruction, and it's very interesting connection to another famous American. Register […]
This presentation, given by Patrick Donmoyer, Director of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University, features a survey of architectural stone inscriptions and date plaques, with parallels found in written and printed blessings used in the home. A wide range of German-language blessing inscriptions ranging from Berks, Lebanon, and Lehigh will be explained, […]
Historian Michael Shay discusses the life and career of Lt. General Hunter Ligget, a Berks County Native son, who rose through the ranks to lead the First Army, AEF in World War One. This event will be hosted on Zoom. Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RYa0tCMESNCGb3US56m79A
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were the deadliest in our nation's history. Join us as we commemorate this tragic day on its 20th anniversary with former FBI Agent Rodney Loose, a native of Berks County and one of the heroic first responders on the scene. Rodney will be sharing his own pictures and […]