Come to the Temple
Hotel, where you can experience "Old World" ambiance and
superb Italian cuisine in one of Berks County's historic
landmarks. Select from pasta, steak, chicken and seafood
specialties all delicious and made-to-order with the freshest
ingredients, even home-grown herbs from the hotel's herb garden.
The Temple Hotel
has a rich history of serving the community since 1795.
Originally, the building was a log and stone tavern named Solomon's
Temple, well-known for its large sign depicting a vibrantly colored
figure of King Solomon. The tavern became widely known,
eventually lending its name to the surrounding community, which
became known as "Temple."
To learn more
about the specific history of the Temple Hotel, check out their
website by clicking here.
Below: The Temple Fire
Company not only serves to protect the community, but its social
quarters is the site for much activity.
Below: Kutztown Road
is the "main street" of Temple.
Below: The babbling
water of the Laurel Run flow along the entrance to the Temple
Playground.
THE FACTS: The
fact that Temple is, after a recent vote by its residents, a former
borough which is now a village within the borders and governance of
Muhlenberg Township.
That decision to dissolve the borough
took the community back to September, 1922, when Temple was carved
out of the township and became self-governing.
The earliest-known settler in the area
was the German immigrant John Hartman, who built his homestead in
1767 at what is now the parking lot of the Wal-Mart shopping center.
The Hartman family owned most of the land upon which Temple was
situated.
THE FIGURES: Up to
the time of the dissolution of the borough, some 1,400 people lived
within Temple's .4 square mile.
THE FUN STUFF: A
key figure in the development of Temple was King Solomon. Now that,
of course, will take some explaining.
It seems that a log and stone hotel
stood on the site of the present Temple Hotel as early as
1795. A sign in front of that hotel depicted King Solomon...on
his throne...in his temple. The crossroads hotel and
settlement along what was then the "Easton Road" became
known to the locals as "The Temple."
Although perceived as a residential
community, there has been a wide variety of industry in Temple over
the years. Cigars with the label "The Temple Queen"
were once made in a plant on Mt. Laurel Avenue, and the popular
"Molly" screw anchors were created in Temple!
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
