Pottstown School District history

1810: Pottstown Library Company was charter by an Act of the PA legislature.

A historical milestone for the township was the opening of the Girard Reach of the Union Canal by the Schuylkill Navigation Company in 1824.

A second Church of the Brethren was built in Shenkel Valley in 1828 in the township’s western part.

In 1831 there were the beginnings of a canal village, known as Pottstown Landing, which took shape along Laurelwood Road at the Schuylkill River, carving lots from the Reiff and Wanger farms.

In 1855 one of the group’s members, Hannah Shingle (aka Shenkel), was murdered in the second floor bedroom of her farmhouse by her own axe.

Three of which had post offices in the 1870’s.

In 1873 Zion Cemetery opened at South Hanover and Schuylkill roads.

In 1889 the local Farmer’s Union established a Grange in Cedarville.

1914: The Century Club, a women’s service organization, took on the enormous project of ensuring a public library for Pottstown.

The library was founded in 1921 by the Century Club of Pottstown.

1923: Miss Freda Gloss was hired as an assistant librarian immediately after graduating from Pottstown High School.

16, March 11.)1959: At the May 28th meeting of the Board of Directors, Mrs.

1963: Borough Control is Endorsed by Library Board (Headline from the March 19th 1963 issue of The Mercury). Article says “All finances will be handled through the borough manager’s office in the future.

1964: Library is Awarded $100,000 from Trust fund (Headline from The Mercury) The court decided the library should get the $100,000 although it did move out of 415 High Street.

In 1967 the first township mall, NORCO or Coventry Mall, was built on the John Halderman farm (once Abraham Wanger’s) on Schuylkill Road at Routes 724 and 100

Bauerle- The chairman of the Renovation Committee reported that the changes to the unused basement of the library were completed and the Children’s Department was opened on April 13th, 1974.

1996: Pottstown Mercury, April 11: The Mercury published a full page announcing the 75th anniversary of the Pottstown Public Library.

2009: The Board of Directors approved the change of the library’s name to Pottstown Regional Public Library at their July 2009 meeting.

2015: Pottstown Mercury, January 16: Headline- Library gets $300,000 grant to fix building.

The Library Board established a Building Fund for construction of a new building at the same site. (Information from: The Pottstown Historical Society Program, January 2017.)