Mike Madaio - Lost Mount Penn: Wineries, Railroads and Resorts of Reading

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.com

Copyright 2019 by Michael J. Madaio

All rights reserved

First published 2019

e-book edition 2020

ISBN 978.1.43966.887.0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019948143

print edition ISBN 978.1.46714.114.7

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

For Michael

I hope it inspires you someday.

CONTENTS

For bonus content, visit LostMountPenn.com

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I could not have possibly completed this project without the generosity of both Joseph Webb and Charlie Adams, both of whom allowed me essentially unlimited usage of their vast collections of period artwork and photography. To both of you I am eternally grateful. Best to William Woys Weaver, for the initial inspiration as well as the photo to prove it. Also thanks to George M. Meiser IX, who shared several photographs from his wonderful series The Passing Scene. Thanks to Stephanie Frederick, for creating the Gravity Railroad map (and generally putting up with me). To the folks at the Berks History Centerespecially Vicky and AlexisI appreciate your help and encouragement. And of course thanks to Arcadia Publishing and The History Press, particularly Banks Smither, for giving me the opportunity, and all your help (to come, as of this writing) crossing the finish line.

Lastly, Id like to appreciate, one last time, Jacob Louis Kuechler, for being a generally awesome dude.

INTRODUCTION

When I first started researching and writing about this topic, the Berks History Center invited me to present at one of its upcoming educational seminars. After accepting, I jumped on a phone call with communications director Alexis Campbell to work out some of the details.

Are you from Reading? she asked almost immediately. I replied that I was not. She then wondered if I had spent time in the area, or had family here, or something like that.

I again replied in the negative. So, she continued, why on earth are you interested in this?

Its a fair question. And the answer is a great way to discuss why I wrote this book.

First, a little background. As a food and wine writer, Ive long been fascinated by stories beyond flavorthe culture, the history, the impact that eating and drinking has on our lives, aside from simply sustenance. Ive been lucky enough to travel around a bit, both for pleasure and as a writer. Wherever I go, I experience that place through food and drink first, expanding out from there.

One thing I have noticed, consistently, is how differently European countries treat alcohol compared with the United States. Here, many arent exposed to drinking growing up. Its a kind of taboo in many families or communities. And there are countless rules and restrictions. Its no wonder kids take to binge drinking in high school and college, when theyre first put in a situation with unfettered access. In Europe, wine (and beer, depending on location) is embedded in the fabric of society. And it is rarely taboo.

I can still remember, vividly, key experiences that highlighted this fact. Ordering a beer in a London pub during high school and being served without a second glance. (I was with my mom.) The revelation, in Paris, that one could buy beer or wine in a corner store and walk down the street, drinking it, without hassle or worry. Perhaps most strikingly, attending a harvest festival in Umbria, Italy, where the local wine was generously handed out, free, to anyone who wanted it. No IDs. No bracelets. No tents just for the drinkers. And there were no problems.

Theres another story that a friend of minewho happens to be one of the worlds top wine criticstold me about Italy. It couldve easily, however, happened in France, Germany or Spain. This guy, who is also a medical doctor, was working in the emergency room many years ago. A little old lady came in, and while initially examining her, he asked the typical questions. Do you smoke? No. Do you drink alcohol? Never. The latter gave him pause. An Italian lady, of a certain generation, who didnt drink wine, he thoughthow could that be possible? Not even wine? he countered. Of course I drink wine! she responded, confused. I drink wine every day!

Its a funny story, and perhaps even apocryphal, but it also says a lot about the culture. Wine is not alcohol. Its food. Its part of everyday life. Its assumed. And, as well as the United States has treated me, this is one thing we most certainly get wrong.

(This is the type of stuff wine writers think about. A lot.)

THE PHOTO

As such, being this type of person, its not particularly surprising that one day I found myself reading a book titled As American as Shoofly Pie: The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine, by food historian William Woys Weaver. Its an interesting book, mostly about how what we currently think of Pennsylvania Dutch culture is a lie, made up for tourists, and that there was actually once something great in this lies place. But I bring it up for another reason.

As I was flipping through this book, a photo jumped out at me. It featured several men sitting around a table drinking wine. A good start from my perspective, though I was unprepared for what came next. Under the photo, the caption read: Pennsylvania Dutchmen enjoying Mt. Penn wines at their Schtammtisch [regulars table] in a Reading, PA wine saloon1868. Hold on just a second, I thought. Local wines in a wine saloon? Yes, I get thatIn Vienna. But Reading, Pennsylvania? Mount Penn wines? I was immediately transfixed. Spellbound.

Reading men gathered around local wine in 1868. The photo that led me down this rabbit hole. Roughwood Collection, Devon, Pennsylvania.

On the opposing page, it spoke of the famous meals served at Kuechlers Roost, one of the best-known of the Pennsylvania Dutch haute cuisine eateries of the late nineteenth and early 20th centuries. Whoa. Kuechlers Roost, the book continued, was the first of several Pennsylvania Dutchstyle wienstube (wine bars), where fine cooking and locally made wines went hand in hand with a style of cuisine that was European in tone yet thoroughly Pennsylvania Dutch in character.

As one is wont to do these days, I immediately headed to Google to find out more about these supposed Mount Penn wines and this so-called Kuechlers Roost. As my research continued to successfully probe the depths of the internet for more amazing details, I felt myself being pulled by an unstoppable force, deeper and deeper into the story. Day turned to night. After several hours, now sitting in a pitch-black room, save for the harsh light of the computer screen, I found myself shouting to my wife things like: Hey! Youre not going to believe what this Kuechler guy did in 1883! (I couldnt see the eye roll, but I know it happened.)