Attractions
Colebrookdale Railroad
Address: 64 S. Washington Street, Boyertown, Pennsylvania 19512
Phone: 610-367-0200
Toll Free: 866-289-4021
You’re going to go back in time to 1718, when the first iron furnace in America was established on the banks of the Manatawny Creek, near Boyertown. That event began the American Industrial Revolution which ultimately spread up and down the whole East Coast. The Secret Valley Line is 8.6 miles on the Colebrookdale Railroad from Boyertown to Pottstown and back. The once forgotten railway lies in the heart of the Secret Valley. The valley looks much the same as it would to the iron-willed pioneers. The train and its cars have been completely restored by the hands of volunteers who take great pride in the now polished wood, soft upholstery and elegant Victorian detailing. Enjoy your journey back to a different place in time in beautiful Victorian style that you won’t encounter anywhere else.
Museum of Historic Vehicles
Address: 85 S Walnut St, Boyertown, PA 19512
Phone: 610-367-2090
Website: http://boyertownmuseum.org/
High wheeler, safety bicycles, trolleys, original commercial car and truck bodies, and immaculately restored cars round out their collection. Since almost all of our vehicles were built in Pennsylvania, you will see things on display at the Museum that are so rare you won't find them anywhere else. There is even a 1921 Sunoco gas station and the 1938 restored Fegely’s Diner, which once stood in nearby Reading. Be sure to check if the Museum is holding one of its popular events while you’re in town such as Duryea Day, which fills the Boyertown Community Park with show cars annually.
Boyertown Area Historical Society
Address: 43 South Chestnut Street,
Boyertown, PA 19512
Email: boyertownhistory@windstream.net
Phone: 610-367-5255
Website: http://www.boyertownhistory.org/
Housed in the 1903 Unger residence, with a striking 1951 façade from St. Columbkill Church's occupation of the building, Boyertown Area Historical Society is your destination for knowledge. If you have an ancestor that lived in Boyertown or the surrounding area, you may be able to learn more about your heritage at the BAHS research library. It was established in 1972 to preserve the history of the Boyertown area. Visit the museum for permanent and rotating exhibits featuring important moments that shaped our town.
The Historical Society provides regular educational and social opportunities to members and to the public.
General Carl Spaatz National USAAF
Museum
A WWII Experience
Address: 28 Warwick Street, Boyertown, Pa 19512
Phone: (484)945-3402
Website: https://www.spaatzmuseum.org/
After a storied career in the US Army as World War II raged in Europe, Boyertown native son, General Carl Spaatz was appointed the first Commander of the US Army Air Force. The designers of the General Carl Spaatz Museum in Boyertown aimed at creating an experience where visitors have a sense of “being there” instead of just viewing static artifacts. Live cast members in period uniforms demonstrate equipment used in an Air Force bomber, while guests walk through exhibits and recreations with “sensory impact, attend a pre-flight briefing, sit in a cockpit and serve as waist gunners and bombardiers."
Fairview Cemetery
Address: 317 W Philadelphia Ave, Boyertown, Pennsylvania 19512
Phone: (610) 367-2309
The broad, immaculately groomed lawns of Fairview Cemetery are a great place to stroll among the trees and stones, high above town, where the highest point in the cemetery delivers an absolutely spectacular view of our delightful historic town! Now a place of peace, Fairview Cemetery, like everywhere else in Boyertown, was dramatically impacted by the Rhodes Opera House fire of 1908. The tragedy forever changed Boyertown. Despite heroic efforts of firefighters, 171 people perished. There is a monument to the 'unidentified' (forensics were difficult in that time) victims where the Historical Society holds a memorial service each January .
The State Theater
Address: 61 N. Reading Avenue, Boyertown, PA 19512
Phone: (484) 415-5517
Website: https://boyertownstatetheatre.com/
In 1912, George Unger, the same industrialist who helped bring electricity to Boyertown and whose home is now the Boyertown Area Historical Society, teamed up with three other area gentlemen to bring entertainment to Boyertown. The building, “The Lyric”, a beautiful new theater which played silent movies and hosted special community events. Movies with sound came in 1930 and in 1934, it became the State Theater. After years of ups and downs, fast forward to today, and you’ll discover a theater that has been restored to its original grandeur, playing first run movies on a digital projector with surround sound. See what’s playing when you visit!
Bahr's Mill
Address: 338 S Ironstone Dr, Boyertown, PA 19512
Welcome to a woodworking shop frozen in time. This restored historic banked stone mill produced grain and wood turned items. It is a three story stone structure with a 40 bucket water wheel in the basement, once fed by water diverted from Ironstone creek. This water wheel powered a host of lathes, saws and sanders that could grind out 1,000 wagon wheel spokes a day!