Berks County is a county located in the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 411,442. The county seat is Reading.
Bernville is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 955 at the 2010 census. Bernville is bordered by Penn Township to the north, east, and south and by Jefferson Township to the west.
Mount Penn is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,106 at the 2010 census. The borough shares a name with a 1,120-foot-high (340 m) mountain that rises to the north and overlooks the city of Reading. The peak is sometimes recognized as the southern end of the Reading Prong group of mountains.
Muhlenberg Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 19,628 at the 2010 census. Making it the third most populous township in Berks County after Spring Township and, Exeter Township. It was named for US Congressman Henry Augustus Muhlenberg, grandson of Henry Muhlenberg, and who is featured on the township seal.
Reading is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, it is the fifth-largest city in Pennsylvania. Located in the southeastern part of the state, it is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area, home to 420,152 residents, and is furthermore included in the greater Delaware Valley. According to the 2010 census, Reading had the highest share of citizens living in poverty in the nation for cities with populations of more than 65,000. Reading's poverty rate fell over the next decade. Reading's poverty rate in the 2018 five-year American Community survey showed that 35.4% of the city's residents were below the poverty line, or less "than the infamous 41.3% from 2011, when Reading was declared the poorest small city in the nation."
Wyomissing is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, established on July 2, 1906. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,461, compared to 8,587 at the 2000 census. The population growth of the borough was largely due to its merger in January 2002 with neighboring Wyomissing Hills. Wyomissing is the most populous borough in Berks County. The borough is recognized as a Tree City USA and selected as a "Contender" for the best places to live in Pennsylvania by Money magazine.
Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district is a district in the state of Pennsylvania. It includes almost all of Chester County, the city of Reading, and Reading's southeastern suburbs in Berks County. The district is represented by Democrat Chrissy Houlahan, who has served in Congress since 2019. As currently drawn, the district is among the wealthiest in Pennsylvania. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania redrew the district in February 2018 after ruling the previous map unconstitutional.
Crystal Cave is a cave near Kutztown in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. It was discovered by William Merkel and John Gehret on November 12, 1871, and quickly became a popular tourist attraction.
Douglassville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. Douglassville is situated along U.S. Route 422 and Pennsylvania Route 724. Developments include the Amity Gardens subdivision, the West Ridge subdivision, the Briarwood subdivision, and the High Meadow subdivision. Douglassville also includes Cider Mill and the Woods Edge subdivision along Pennsylvania Route 562. As of the 2010 census the population of the CDP was 448 residents.
The Conrad Weiser Homestead was the home of Johann Conrad Weiser, who enlisted the Iroquois on the British side in the French and Indian War. The home is located near Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pennsylvania in the United States. A designated National Historic Landmark, it is currently administered as a historic house museum by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The historic site was established in 1923 to preserve an example of a colonial homestead and to honor Weiser, an important figure in the settlement of the colonial frontier.
Founded in 1869, the Historical Society of Berks County (HSBC) operates the Berks History Center as a museum and library located in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Society's mission, as described on its website, is "to focus attention on the unique local history, the vast material culture, and the diverse cultural heritage of Berks County by preserving, archiving, and promoting this material to instill in our citizens of all ages and ethnic groups an awareness of this growing treasure trove of information. This allows the HSBC to be a major cultural magnet, drawing people to our community."
The Antietam School District is a diminutive, suburban public school districts that serves the Borough of Mount Penn and Lower Alsace Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania. It encompasses approximately 5 square miles (13 km2). According to a federal census, it served a resident population of 7,494. In 2009, the district residents’ per capita income was $22,716, while the median family income was $49,511. In the Commonwealth, the median family income was $49,501 and the United States median family income was $49,445, in 2010. District officials reported that, in school year 2007–08, Antietam School District provided basic educational services to 1,084 pupils. The District employed: 92 teachers, 85 full-time and part-time support personnel, and 9 administrators. Antietam School District received more than $4.1 million in state funding in school year 2007-08.
Bethel A.M.E. Church, now known as the Central Pennsylvania African American Museum, is a historic African Methodist Episcopal church at 119 North 10th Street in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was originally built in 1837, and is a 2 1/2-story brick and stucco building with a gable roof. It was rebuilt about 1867-1869, and remodeled in 1889. It features a three-story, brick tower with a pyramidal roof and topped by a finial. The church is known to have housed fugitive slaves and the congregation was active in the Underground Railroad. The church is now home to a museum dedicated to the history of African Americans in Central Pennsylvania.
Blue Marsh National Recreation Area is an artificial lake located northwest of the city of Reading, Pennsylvania, USA and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District. It is in western Berks County, fed into by the Tulpehocken Creek. The main span of the lake is along the border between Bern and Lower Heidelberg Townships. However, the northwesternmost portions lie in the more sparsely populated North Heidelberg and Penn Townships. In the middle of the lake is a large, uninhabited island. The lake is a popular recreation area in the summer, where people can fish, swim, and boat. It has 36 miles of trails and 1,147 acres of water.
The Kissling Farm is a historic farm complex and national historic district located in Robesonia, Heidelberg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
The Womelsdorf Historic District is a national historic district located in Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Reading Artillerists was a militia organization founded in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania during the late 18th century. Mustering in for the first time during the presidential era of George Washington, members of this artillery unit went on to serve tours of duty in the War of 1812, Mexican–American War and, as members of the Union army of the United States, during the American Civil War, before disbanding. Having determined that Reading needed to improve its military readiness, civic leaders of the 1880s authorized the formation of a new artillery unit, and also chose to name it as "Reading Artillerists" in deference to the original unit's storied history. That militia unit then mustered in for the Spanish–American War, and continued its service during the early part of the 20th century.
Morton Luther Montgomery (1846–1933) was a native-born Pennsylvanian and Harvard-trained lawyer who became a respected military and public historian and author of more than a dozen books, lecture-related content and other materials documenting the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from its earliest days through the early part of the 20th century.
Charles Evans Cemetery is an historic, non-sectarian, garden-style cemetery located in the city of Reading, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Charles Evans (1768-1847), a son of Quaker parents and native of Philadelphia who became a prominent attorney and philanthropist in Reading during the late 18th and early 19th century. After donating the cemetery's first 25 acres and $2,000 to support the early development and operations phase of this public burial ground, he then ensured the cemetery's long-term stability by bequeathing a roughly $67,000 endowment from his estate, following his death in 1847 to support beautification of the grounds and other perpetual care activities. Sited atop a hill, the cemetery was initially located outside of the city when Evans first donated the land, but was absorbed into Reading's boundaries as the city developed to meet the needs of its expanding population.
William Sands was a United States soldier who fought with the Union Army during the American Civil War as a principal musician with the 88th Pennsylvania Infantry and, later, as a first sergeant with that same regiment. He received his nation's highest award for valor, the U.S. Medal of Honor, for capturing an enemy flag and carrying it from behind Confederate States Army lines to those of the Union Army during the Battle of Dabney's Mill/Hatcher's Run, Virginia. That award was conferred on November 9, 1893.
