General 2 — Albany Township Historical Society

“To honor, collect, preserve, and interpret the rich cultural heritage of Albany Township.”

About Us.

The mission of the Albany Township Historical Society is to collect historical artifacts and documents, to preserve historical landmarks, to provide opportunities for education and research, and to preserve the Pennsylvania German language, and other local dialects, and finally, to preserve the culture of the past, present and future.

Albany Township is located in the northern corner of Berks County, Pennsylvania. The township was established between 1732 and 1752. The early settlers came from the German Palatinate, Switzerland, and an area known as “Allemaengel.” The Blue Mountain chain borders the township to the north with the Pinnacle being the highest peak in Albany Township.

There are six remaining villages in Albany Township: Albany, Eckville, Kempton, Quaker City, Stony Run, and Trexler.

In 2001, Trexler was named a National Historic District as it represented a relatively unchanged, self-sufficient village of one hundred years ago.

The Albany Township Historical Society headquarters is the 1917 Trexler Grain & Feed Warehouse located at 404 Old Philly Pike in Kempton.

Nearby attractions are Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the Appalachian Trail, WK&S Railroad and the Kempton Community Center.

Trexler Village.

1733 land grant from the Penn brothers. Landmarks and buildings in Trexler include the three arch stone bridge built in 1841, a Georgian influenced log house circa 1790, a grain & feed warehouse built in 1917, a general store & post office and three other late Victorian homes.

The village was a thriving center of commerce in the latter half of the nineteenth century with an tannery, cider mill, store/postoffice, cabinet maker, undertaker and blacksmith. After the railroad was built it became a center of import and export for lime, fertilizer, potatoes, coal, produce, farm equipment, and other necessities.

A WALKING TOUR OF THE VILLAGE OF TREXLER

Board Members.

We are a small organization run by volunteers, and our office is open by appointment only. If you have an inquiry, please contact us!

ELECTED OFFICERS, DIRECTORS AND SPECIALISTS FOR 2024

President
Lucy Muth

Vice President
Jon Bond

Treasurer
Lisa Jeffery

Secretary
Kristine Amey

Genealogy and Newsletters
Peggy Light

Board Members
Mark Amey
Jeff Dietrich
Peggy Light
Nina Schorran
Jeff Brobst
Roxanna Volk
Sandra Wessner

Volunteering.

Albany Township Historical Society is always in need of volunteers to assist with events and projects. If you are interested in volunteering, or are a student or scout looking for a project we have plenty of opportunities.

If you have any questions, are interested in becoming a board member, or just volunteering for an event, please contact us!

Building Maintenance, Repairs & Landscaping

Board Membership
To serve as a member of our board requires taking a role in decision making, and planning for the future of the organization. This also involves, planning events and
volunteering during events.

General Volunteers
Volunteers are needed for ongoing projects including archival record keeping, building and grounds maintenance, plus other jobs as they arise. Please consider some volunteer time for our society. If you feel more comfortable with a financial donation, we can certainly use your charitable contributions to purchase items on our wish list such as replacement windows, archival boxes and other needs for ongoing renovations. As always, your money will be used wisely.

Partnerships.

PENNSYLVANIA HUMANITIES COUNCIL

Albany Township Historical Society has a partnership with the Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC) to introduce interesting topics and programs to our members. Every year we invite a guest speaker from the PHC to one of our general membership meetings to discuss a topic of historical interest.

In the summer of 2010, the PHC taped a 'Humanities on the Road' program at a local barn in our township. This film has been shown on the PCN channel several times.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, visit their website at pahumanities.org.

SAVE-A-TAPE PROGRAM

We are registered with the Save-A-Tape program with local grocery chain Redner's Warehouse Markets. For every $500 in receipts collected, Redner's will make a $50 donation towards the Historical Society. If you shop at Redner's and have their discount card, request the desk manager to include Albany Township Historical Society in the Save-A-Tape program. Then, save your receipts and hand them in at our meetings, or mail them to our office at: