Hamburg Area Historical Society

How awesome and encouraging is it to see many posts of people in the Hamburg area waiting in lines to vote! And whether you mailed it in or went to the polls in person, thank you for doing your civic duty and making your voice heard. (And if you haven’t done so yet, you still have time.) If I may ask one favor...please remember that voting is not an Olympic sport...it doesn’t only happen every four years. Make your voice heard EVERY time the polls are open. Local elections ...for mayor, borough council, township supervisors, school board directors, county commissioners, and for our state and federal representatives are very important too. (OK, I will get off my little soap box now.) Thanks for reading and more importantly thanks for voting!! And keep preserving our past for the future, one vote at a time! By the way, #434 on the south side of the ‘burg of Ham.

Any normal year, this author would be knee deep in cleaning and food prep for the parade. However, this is 2020...darn Covid... anyway, if you happen to be in town, you can still catch a glimpse of King Frost tonight (as is stated in the shared post), see the blue moon, and still have time to set your clocks back an hour. That’s quite the trifecta! Even though no one wants an extra hour this 2020, please use it to keep preserving our past for the future!!

I love fall for so many reasons. One of those reasons is the annual two mile trek down Third Street and back up Fourth Street every last Saturday in October. The bands, the floats, the people, and of course, the big man himself who leads it all off, King Frost. Darn Covid this year. But I thought maybe you would enjoy looking at last year’s post and pictures. Also, I will take this opportunity to tell you that we will be having a meeting Thursday November 5 at 7 PM at Hamb...urg Bible Church, 731 Port Clinton Avenue. Local historian Craig Kleinsmith will be presenting a program on his new book B-17 Gunner Charles M Eyer, Survivor of 59 Combat Missions and a Year of Nazi Captivity. Charlie was a local man, and his story is a fascinating one. Books will be available at the meeting at a cost of $30, and can be purchased by cash or check. PLEASE NOTE- We are planning on Covid protocols and asking you to wear a mask if you are planning on attending. More info to follow. As always, even in a pandemic, keep preserving our past for the future!!

When driving through Shoemakersville in the near future, look for these awesome banners honoring and remembering Shoey’s Hometown Heroes. Thank you for your service!! Looks like it was an awesome day to preserve the past for the future! (Love the Shoey green too) Thank you Shoemakersville History and Community for sharing these great photos.

Sharing this beautiful photo and information from the Schuylkill County Historical Society, Museum, and Gift Shop. With our common connection to the canal, these boats would pass through our area on their way to Philadelphia. It is amazing that each boat (after 1846) could carry up to 180 tons of cargo. Thanks Schuylkill County Historical Society for preserving our region’s past for the future!!

Resharing a memory from 4 years ago. Sadly, there is no meeting this week, but we are planning on meeting November 5. Stay tuned for more information about that. Enjoy this article about Hamburg’s brush with a famous Hall of Fame baseball player on the gridiron 113 years ago. Keep preserving our past for the future!

After 7 months, we are reopening our museum at 102 State Street from 1-4 PM on Sundays starting TODAY October 4!! Our board of directors ask that you wear a mask when in our building. Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to getting together to preserve our past for the future!!

I enjoy reading a newspaper. The paper in my hands, flipping through to the sports section, and occasionally tearing it in my haste to read the box scores. But I know that the paper newspaper is a day late, a dollar more, and sadly becoming obsolete in this digital, get-your-news-the second-it-happens world. Progress? Depends on your point of view I suppose. Where was I going with this post? Oh yeah, so speaking of newspapers, our museum has a treasure trove of bound The Ham...burg Item newspapers from at least 1918. And we are excited to let you know that our museum is reopening Sundays from 1-4 PM beginning October 4. Per our board’s decision, please wear a mask as you enjoy our museum and carefully flip through our papers. And now for the real reason you are here...after I pulled out my copies of post-September 11 newspapers for yesterday’s picture and post, I began to open the Reading Times to reminisce. What did I find on the bottom of the Berks and Beyond page in the September 12, 2001 edition? Two good lookin’ men talking about the formation of our historical society here in Hamburg. (I freely admit that Buck is the better looking of us two, .) We’ve come a long way, baby. But of course there were MANY more than the two of us in the beginning. Throughout our 19 years as an organization dedicated to preserving our unique past, hundreds of people have donated their time, artifacts, and money. We are blessed and able to continue because of your efforts. It is our history. Thanks for reading along. As our goal has always been and ever will be, keep preserving our past for the future! Credit: Reading Times, September 12, 2001, page B1

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day? Alan Jackson. September 12, 2001 newspaper headlines from the USA Today and Reading Times. September 11, 2002 newspaper headlines from The Morning Call in memoriam with a list of all those that died 9/11/2001. And The New York Post from that same day Lest We Forget. ... We remember and honor the victims and heroes of 9/11. Keep preserving our past for the future.

A Happy Labor Day to all on this beautiful first Monday in September!! We are blessed with many company photos of the men and women who worked in our local factories and foundries. Here are a few to share this Labor Day. As soon as we open, please join us at the museum to see more of our collection. Hope you all have a great day! And as you labor today or tomorrow, keep preserving our past for the future!!

If you woke up on this glorious sunny Saturday of Labor Day weekend and opened your windows expecting to smell burgers on the grill in the ‘burg, I share in your disappointment. Ugh...darn Covid canceling events. But if you crave a Luther burger, you can treat yourself at the Deitsch Eck in Lenhartsville where they are selling all of their usual Taste of Hamburger-er Festival delicious burgers this weekend. And better yet, Steve, the owner, is donating a portion of the sale ...of these taste of heaven delights to the Our Town Foundation who organizes the annual (and ever-growing and popular) event. And as you read this throwback article from 2016, may I remind you that our historical society has reprinted for the fourth time the cookbook mentioned that has recipes, pictures, and memories from many of the restaurants in the Hamburg area. They are available by mail only at a cost of $30. If you are interested, send a check for the amount of cookbooks you would like and a note with the address where they are to be sent to the Hamburg Area Historical Society, 102 State Street, Hamburg, PA 19526. Thank you in advance for helping us with our mission to preserve our past for the future! Finally, just some business items to take care of. First, we are not planning on having a program and meeting till November. More info on that meeting to follow. Second, our museum is still closed on Sundays. Again, more information to follow in the weeks to come. And third, we really, really miss meeting with you in person. We are glad to connect through Facebook, but seeing you at meetings, at the festival, and at the museum is so much better. Hopefully soon. Until then, keep preserving our past for the future, and take your buns to a hamburger place today and begin prepping for the 2021 Taste of Hamburg-er Festival.

True or false question for ya. A man who would win the Mr. Olympia title three straight years (1977-79) and who would be one of three men to defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger in a bodybuilding contest, began his professional career after college as a math teacher at Hamburg Area High School. If you answered true you would be correct. ...Continue reading

Whether or not you like it, the weather does make for good conversation. Check out this lengthy memory from 3 years ago about the flood in Hamburg on August 3, 1906. Hope you all are safe, drying out, and have got the power back on from Hurricane Isaias. (Just glad it wasn’t snow...but it is 2020 so you never know...) Keep preserving our past for the future!!

Good evening. Some time ago I was contacted by Sandy Sorlien, an environmental photographer with the Fairmount Water Works/Philadelphia Water Department, about any photos we have from the Schuylkill River Navigation System. In particular I think she was looking for pictures from Waterloo, north of Hamburg, to be used in a video about the first completed canal system in America that carried mainly anthracite coal, among other items, to Philadelphia. Yesterday I received anot...her email from Sandy. It included this link to the YouTube video Shadow River: Recovering the Schuylkill Navigation Ruins by Addison Geary. I watched it last night, and it is superb. The photos (look for the ones from our area) and the videos of the ruins that once helped fuel an industrial revolution are hauntingly beautiful as you look at the height of the locks and imagine all the business that passed through them. I highly recommend it to you. This is one awesome way of preserving our past for the future. Enjoy!! Full credit to Addison Geary and Fairmount Water Works for filming and sharing this video. Thank you!! And thank you to Sandy Sorlien for sharing the link with us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwN9n6bZA_s