Berks History Center

Berks History Center The Berks History Center is home to a vast collection of artifacts & historic documents that tell the story of Berks County, Pennsylvania.

The Berks History Center (BHC), founded in 1869, is a museum and research library (named the Henry Janssen Library) dedicated to preserving and sharing Berks County, PA’s unique cultural heritage. We showcase local history through a vast collection of artifacts and documents, educational programs, workshops, and community events. By preserving, archiving, and promoting our collection, we invite vi

sitors to explore Berks County’s history firsthand, research their Berks County roots, and share with us their Berks County stories. The BHC is open to both members and non-members. For non-members, our museum admission fee is $7 for ages 18-64, $5 for ages 65+, and $4 for children 4-17. Our signature programs include: Second Saturdays (a historical presentation held every second Saturday of the month), our annual Road Ramble, Brunch & Brushes, our summer Junior Historian Camp, and the HJL Book Club (our research library’s book club). We also publish a quarterly publication called “The Historical Review of Berks County,” a historical journal featuring articles from a variety of contributors and historians. A subscription to “The Historical Review” is included with most memberships. You can learn more about us by visiting our website: www.berkshistory.org.

Basket weavers showing off their work along the edge of a creek in western Berks County sometime in the 1870s.Many histo...
08/28/2026

Basket weavers showing off their work along the edge of a creek in western Berks County sometime in the 1870s.

Many historical baskets can be found at the History Center in our exhibits!

More than a century ago, Elias Hartz was a well known Reading celebrity known as the “Goose-Bone Man.”Each fall, Hartz s...
08/26/2026

More than a century ago, Elias Hartz was a well known Reading celebrity known as the “Goose-Bone Man.”

Each fall, Hartz studied the breastbone of a young goose, believing its markings, spots, and coloration could predict the severity of the coming winter. His annual forecast was made in the Reading Eagle newsroom at 6th and Penn and appeared in the newspaper the day after Thanksgiving.

His predictions became a yearly tradition for many Reading residents. Hartz died in 1907 at the age of 92 and is buried at the Robeson Friends Meeting House cemetery south of Birdsboro.

highlights the individuals, past and present, who shaped the culture, landscape, and economy of Berks County, Pennsylvania.

A great presentation by Brian Engelhardt! If you're interested in a speaker, send us an email at info@berkshistory.org
08/26/2026

A great presentation by Brian Engelhardt! If you're interested in a speaker, send us an email at [email protected]

In 1771, ironmaster, entrepreneur, and patriot Mark Bird established Hopewell Furnace near French Creek in southern Berk...
08/19/2026

In 1771, ironmaster, entrepreneur, and patriot Mark Bird established Hopewell Furnace near French Creek in southern Berks County. Building on the success of his father's ironworks at Birdsboro, Bird helped expand one of Pennsylvania's most important colonial industries.

But Hopewell Furnace was more than just a business. It also represented quiet resistance to British rule. The Iron Act of 1750 prohibited the colonies from manufacturing finished iron products, requiring them to send raw pig iron to England instead. There, it would be turned into finished goods and sold back to the colonists at a profit.

Like many colonial ironmasters, Mark Bird ignored the law. Rather than shipping raw iron overseas, he produced finished iron goods and sold them directly to American customers, strengthening the local economy and challenging British control long before the Revolutionary War. The furnace operated until 1883.

Join us for a special session of in-person PA Dutch Classes with Keith Brintzenhoff! Keith Brintzenhoff specializes in P...
08/17/2026

Join us for a special session of in-person PA Dutch Classes with Keith Brintzenhoff!

Keith Brintzenhoff specializes in Pennsylvania German music, dance, instruments, culture, folklore, and language. He is skilled in playing the guitar, banjo, autoharp, and mountain dulcimer and has served as a Commonwealth Speaker for ten years. Mr. Brintzenhoff has showcased his talents on radio in both the U.S. and Germany, as well as in numerous videos, films, and CDs.

Keith has taught 15 public classes on PA Dutch Language, including; Berks History Center, Berks County Heritage Center, Albany Township Heritage Center, Upper Macungie Township, Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, and for Kutztown University's 3-Credit college course.

Register online: https://berkshistory.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F54124

Registration for Fall PA Dutch Classes is now live! https://tinyurl.com/PADutchClassesNOTE: The Intermediate Level Class...
08/17/2026

Registration for Fall PA Dutch Classes is now live! https://tinyurl.com/PADutchClasses

NOTE: The Intermediate Level Class may fill quickly. We have added a waitlist option for that class, and if in high demand, we plan to add a 2nd Intermediate Class; however, it may be on a different day. We will notify anyone on the waitlist of the changes.

Joseph "Joe" McLean was born and raised in Philadelphia but moved to Reading in 1848 to work for the railroad. Active in...
08/17/2026

Joseph "Joe" McLean was born and raised in Philadelphia but moved to Reading in 1848 to work for the railroad. Active in community affairs, he became well known throughout the city as a speaker. In 1856, he came out strongly in support of the new Republican Party. In 1860, he traveled to other cities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey, delivering about 60 speeches advocating the election of Abraham Lincoln and opposing slavery. He was considered one of the “big guns” in the Wide Awake campaign.

When the Civil War began in 1861, he helped recruit men for three years and was mustered in as a lieutenant colonel in the Cameron Light Guards, which became the 88th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers (“the Bloody 88th”). On August 30, 1862, he was killed in the Second Battle of Bull Run. His body was never recovered, but a tombstone in his memory stands in Charles Evans Cemetery. In 1869, the local veterans' organization, GAR Post #16, was renamed McLean Post.

highlights the individuals, past and present, who shaped the culture, landscape, and economy of Berks County, Pennsylvania.

The Goddess of Liberty once stood high above the old Berks County Court House, becoming one of Reading's most recognizab...
08/12/2026

The Goddess of Liberty once stood high above the old Berks County Court House, becoming one of Reading's most recognizable landmarks. Purchased from the W. H. Mullins Company of Salem, Ohio, for $500, the statue was hoisted into place on October 20, 1897, where she remained for 34 years.

When the old Court House was demolished in 1931, the statue was carefully removed and taken to an estate in Amity Township, where it rested on a specially built stone base for many years. It was later turned over to Berks County to be restored and prepared for installation at the new Court House annex.

ANNOUNCEMENT: PA Dutch Classes are returning this Fall! Classes begin the week of September 21st! Registration will offi...
08/12/2026

ANNOUNCEMENT: PA Dutch Classes are returning this Fall! Classes begin the week of September 21st! Registration will officially open on August 17th! 👩🏻‍🏫✏️🍎

Direct registration links will be posted prior to the 17th... so keep an eye out for them this weekend! In the meantime, you can head to www.berkshistory.org/membership to become a member and receive the Membership Discount Price of $90!

Paul Levi Specht was a pioneer in the American dance band business. Born in Sinking Spring in 1895, he was a violinist v...
08/08/2026

Paul Levi Specht was a pioneer in the American dance band business. Born in Sinking Spring in 1895, he was a violinist virtuoso, taught by his father, Charles G. Specht, who was well-known locally as a violinist, organist and bandleader. While attending Combs Conservatory in Philadelphia, Paul Specht organized the “American Collegians” and arranged a national concert tour for this band. From 1916–1919 the Berkshire Hotel served as his headquarters before he moved on to New York City. His classical jazz style became known as “rhythmic symphonic syncopation”. In the early 1920's his orchestra was one of the three best known in the business and served as a training ground for other noted musicians at the time such as Charlie Spivak, Artie Shaw and the Dorsey Brothers. By 1922 he signed an exclusive contract with Columbia Phonograph Company and in ten years had made over one hundred recordings. His orchestra had many firsts: it was the first to have a “band within a band”, to record classical jazz on phonograph records, to broadcast modern music over radio, to make sound films, to broadcast commercial radio programs for RCA and first to broadcast a presidential inaugural ball. He and his orchestra played for presidents and kings. Paul Specht died in 1954 and is buried in the Sinking Spring Cemetery.

highlights the individuals, past and present, who shaped the culture, landscape, and economy of Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Address

940 Centre Avenue
Reading, PA
19601

Opening Hours

Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm

Telephone

+16103754375

Website

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