The tiny villages along what is now known as the Route 100 Corridor are Bally, Eshbach, Bechtelsville, New Berlinville, Boyertown, and Washington Township, which consists of Schultzville, Barto, and Forgedale. In the late 1800s, the area's prosperous industry attracted such figures as Thomas Edison. The rich history of the area also includes the worst fire in U.S. history, the first Mennonite house of worship, one of the first Catholic missions in the thirteen original colonies, and a young missionary woman who traveled to India and perished on the Titanic. Through vintage photographs and descriptive captions, Along the Route 100 Corridor is a trip down these historic dirt roads with the early settlers.
Patricia A. Stompf Blackwell, born in Bally and now a resident of Wyomissing, is an author, businesswoman, and member of the Historical Society of Berks County. She collects biographies on Berks County women for the Women's History Project with the Berks County Commission for Women and has received many awards and recognitions from the community, President George W. Bush, Governor Ed Rendell, and the American Business Womens Association.