Created on March 11, 1752, from parts of Philadelphia, Chester, and Lancaster Counties, Berks County was named for Berkshire, in England. While Lenape tribes remained in the region through the early 1700’s, the fertile Lebanon and Oley Valleys and rich iron ore deposits made the region appealing to European settlers. Farms still cover percent of Berks County. The region was a major stop along the Underground Railroad, and it was also a major battleground in the 19th century struggle between labor and management: in 1877, Reading-based workers for The Pennsylvania Railroad, angry over severe wage cuts and poor working conditions, seized control of the rail yards. By the time the strike ended, after a brief battle with Pennsylvania Militiamen, 11 railroad workers were dead. The 1877 strike was the country’s first major rail strike, and others followed in its tragic wake.

Berks County also remains home to a large German population, and has always been a center of the brewing industry. When Prohibition began in 1920 the Reading Eagle noted, with a nod and a wink, “John Barleycorn, alias King Alcohol, after putting up a game but always a losing fight, passed away at 12:01 o’clock this morning. “