Jacksonwald is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
in
Exeter Township,
Berks County
Berks County ( Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading.
The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, United States. It is located less than a mile from the borough of
St. Lawrence
Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roma ...
. As of the
2010 census, the population was 3,393 residents.
The Village of Jacksonwald was established in 1870, when John Jackson built the Jacksonwald Hotel on the corner of Oley Turnpike Road and Church Lane Road. The Hotel overlooked a little red schoolhouse which was also built in 1870, then restored in 1970 for its 100th anniversary. Prior to 1870, the area was once referred to as
Schwarzwald
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
, German for "black forest," because it reminded early settlers of the
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
region of Germany. Nevertheless, on March 27, 1967 the Jacksonwald Hotel was demolished to make way for a Boyertown headquartered bank branch,
National Penn Bank.
''Wald'' is the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
word for woods or forests. Similarly to the etymology of other cities, towns and villages of the time, citizens often named their community after a prominent landmark or individual, hence the name ''Jacksonwald''.
Demographics
References
Populated places in Berks County, Pennsylvania
{{BerksCountyPA-geo-stub