The Historical Society of Berks County occupies a solid 19th-century building on Centre Avenue in north Reading and maintains the main local history collection for the county. The collections focus on the Pennsylvania German (Pennsylvania Dutch) heritage that defines much of Berks County's cultural character, along with the industrial and commercial history of Reading itself.
The museum has rotating exhibitions and a research library with genealogical records that attract visitors with family roots in the region. The permanent collection includes furniture, textiles, tools, and documents covering three centuries of life in the Schuylkill Valley. Not a major destination, but worthwhile for anyone interested in the region's history or in the distinctive Pennsylvania German folk tradition.