A & J Insurance, Inc. (610)
562-0677. A & J Insurance has been serving the needs of
customers in Berks County and southern Schuylkill County since
1989. If you still value personal contact in your business
dealings, please give us a try. We'd welcome an opportunity to
serve your insurance needs...whether automobile, home, business, or
life.
Greater Hamburg Business Association
Below: Civic pride shows in
this sign at the Route 61 entrance to Hamburg!
Below: Looking North on 4th
street, one of the main thoroughfares of Hamburg.
Below: 'Twas a simpler time
on N. 4th Street in Hamburg in this 1907 postcard view.
Below: The Schuylkill Canal
can be seen in the foreground of this picture of what folks in
Hamburg commonly call the "Kernsville Dam." This is
how the local landmark appeared in around 1905!
THE FACTS: Should it be
Homburg instead of Hamburg? The borough of Hamburg didn't
exist until 1837, when it was carved out of Windsor Township.
It is generally believed that the town, which was once known as
Kerchertown or, in the old German, "Kaercherstadt," was
named after Hamburg, Germany. However, there is some
speculation that it may instead have been named after another town
of a similar name, closer to where many of the earliest German
immigrants originally resided. Thus it could be that what we
call Hamburg should really be called "Bad Homburg," after that
town in Germany. What is known is that Hamburg became Hamburg
in 1798 when its first post office was designated so.
THE FIGURES: Boasting
"101 Places to Shop," Hamburg is the bustling commercial
center of Northern Berks County. Within its 1.9 square miles
are 3,900 people. Hamburg has benefited from its position
along major roadways, the Schuylkill Canal and railroads, and still
today benefits much from its location at the junction of
Pennsylvania Route 61 and Interstate 78.
THE FUN STUFF: Hamburg
is not only a busy place for shopping, dining, and living the good
life of a typical small town, it is regarded by historians as one of
the most architecturally-interesting boroughs in all of Berks
County. In their 1983 book The Passing Scene: Volume 2,
Gloria Jean and George M. Meiser IX offer this rousing review:
Hamburg borough is without a doubt one of the finest
towns-architecturally-to be found anywhere in the state. Lest
anyone question the foregoing commentary, take a stroll down State
or Fourth Street-or almost anywhere else in "old
Hamburg." On your walk, notice the remaining
over-the-sidewalk porticos at long-established business stands, the
abundance of genuinely-superb residential entranceways, the number
of fine original shutters, and the general condition and appearance
of most properties. The Meisers attribute those
architectural gems to the quality of builders in and around Hamburg
in the 18th and 19th centuries and the relative affluence of those
who built in the borough.
Thanks to WEEU's Charles J. Adams III for help
in compiling this material.
34 North Fourth Street, Reading, PA 19601
Phone: 610-376-7335 Fax: 610-376-7756
E-mail: weeu@weeu.com
