Below: Shillington's
Borough Hall is one of the most charming municipal buildings in
Pennsylvania.
Below: At the heart of much
activity and civic pride in Shillington is the home of the
"Mustangs," the Governor Mifflin School District.
Below: This old wall along
Philadelphia Avenue (Route 724) in Shillington is the last vestige
of the former county "Almshouse."
THE FACTS:
Shillingtonians have a man named Samuel Shilling to thank for the
name of their borough. Sam owned a lot of land in the area back
around 1848. On about 128 acres of his land, he laid out building
lots and sold them to folks who erected homes and established the
settlement in Cumru Township.
Most folks called the place "Three
Mile House," as its nearby tavern was three miles out the
Lancaster Pike from Reading. On August 18, 1908, 60 citizens of
Cumru finalized their dream to establish a separate municipality,
and that municipality became Shillington.
THE FIGURES:
Shillington consumes exactly one square mile of land, and within it
are an estimated 4,900 residents. Its "main street" is
Lancaster Avenue, which angles its way through the borough. Along it
is the campus of the Governor Mifflin School District, what was the
first "strip mall" shopping center in the Reading suburbs
(The Shillington Shopping Center), and numerous businesses and
residences.
Shillington also maintains a sprawling
borough park and recreation areas. Its borough hall, at the coroner
of Lancaster and Philadelphia Avenues, is one of the most
picturesque seats of government in Pennsylvania.
THE FUN STUFF: Once
upon a time, sections of what is now Shillington were known as
Clover Park, and Edison. In 1868, a horse racing track was built and
prospered there for several years.
Shillington grew considerably after a
trolley line was extended into town in 1890 and a 1904 highway
improvement project on Lancaster Avenue was completed.
Way back in 1824, a portion of what is
now Shillington was the Angelica Farm, upon which the Berks County
Almshouse was constructed. On these "poorhouse" grounds
was an "Insane Building," a hospital, and a fully self
sufficient operation where the area's poor and infirm worked and
resided.
It is interesting to note that the farm
on which the Almshouse was located was the historical home of Thomas
Mifflin, the first governor of Pennsylvania.
And, Shillington native (and Pulitzer
Prize winning author) John Updike immortalized the old Almshouse in
his early novel, The Poorhouse Fair.
Finely-detailed paintings of the
old Almshouse are considered to be treasures of American folk are,
and reproductions of them are sold worldwide. The Historical Society
of Berks County has several original "Almshouse paintings"
in its collection and on display.
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
