Birdsboro, Pennsylvania

Birdsboro is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located along the Schuylkill River, it is 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Reading. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 5,163. In the past, Birdsboro was noted for its large foundries and machine shops, none of which remain in operation today.

History

Birdsboro was named for ironmaker William Bird, who established a forge on Hay Creek about 1740. His son Marcus founded Hopewell Furnace in 1771, which was the largest domestic producer of iron by the time of the American Revolution. The Schuylkill Canal, running parallel to the river, was completed in 1827. The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, constructed to haul anthracite coal, was completed in 1843. Edward and George Brooke, descendants of the Birds, established the Birdsboro Iron Foundry Company (1867), which became Birdsboro Steel Company (1905). The principal employer for 120 years, the steel plant closed in 1988, following a lengthy strike.

Reading Birdsboro Train Station

The Reading Birdsboro Train Station was a train station on the former SEPTA diesel service line extending from the Norristown section of the Manayunk/Norristown Line in Pennsylvania. According to some sources, the Colebrookdale Railroad Trust, abpreservation society received a grant from Harrisburg to relocate the train station building to Colebrookdale. The newly relocated train station will be part of a revitalized 40 mile of the Colebrookdale Lune between Pottstown, Pennsylvania and Boyertown, Pennsylvania as a heritage railway geared towards tourists. The station was originally built by the Reading Railroad, and was taken out of service in 1981, when SEPTA cancelled diesel service to Pottsville.

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