Paul Druzba has written a history of Mount Neversink In Reading, Pennsylvania during the years 1880-1930. After giving background information, Druzba outlines the history of the Neversink Railroad, built to bring tourists to the resorts from the Kapperthal Station of the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroad. The next section deals with the resorts and the other sites on the mountain. To make it easier to visualize the sites, the author provides a map and keys the later chapters to the stops on the Neversink Railroad line. The book has photographs, plans, facsimiles and drawings.

Growing up, I lived in East Reading which is on the north side Neversink (along with the community of Mount Penn). From our front porch on Fairview Street, we could see the Pagoda on Mount Penn and the mountain was just outside our back yard. We sledded on the trail beginning at 15 1/2 Street and hiked up the mountain. The book explained many things I did not know. First there were stone ruins, which were probably from Haak's mine and farm. There was what we thought of as a stone quarry but the book reveals that it was used to mine ochre. At that time, there were holes into what appeared to be caves. We weren't that brave and never entered them. Near the quarry, there was a flat spot approximately a car width; the author says that is where the tracks were located. If we went further up the mountain (where there were the best berries for picking), we soon got to the top where we could see the Schuylkill River on the other side with the railroad tracks running parallel to it. Today, you would also see the West Shore Bypass. Sometimes we took the left trail, where we discovered a stone gazebo. The author indicates that this is the sole survivor of the Neversink Mountain Hotel, which burned to the ground in 1905. Highland House (along the trail to our left) above South 13th Street could be reached by either the railroad or by an incline plane railway (with cars similar to those used today in Switzerland). There is so much more in the book to enjoy, including the history of Nanny Goat Hill.

Neversink came from The Lenni Lenape Indian word, navasink. Most Local history books claim that it meant "fishing place" but the author has extensive research and the word really means "on the promontory" which makes much more sense.

I just loved this book on so many levels and would recommend it to history buffs, railroad enthusiasts and anyone who wants to know more about the history of Reading during the resort years. ( )