Carl A. Spaatz (1891-1974). Aviation pioneer Spaatz was a 1914 graduate of West Point and a pilot in France in World War I. He rose to the rank of brigadier general in 1940 and general in 1945. During World War II he commanded the US 8th Air Force and the US Strategic Air Forces in Europe, facilitating the ground invasion and liberation of western Europe. He was first Chief of Staff of the newly independent US Air Force, 1947-48. Boyertown was his home.

PA 562 (S Reading Ave.) at W 2nd St., Boyertown, PA, United States

Rhoads Opera House Fire. A disastrous fire destroyed the theater that stood at Philadelphia Ave. & Washington St. on Jan. 13, 1908. It claimed 170 victims, many buried here, due to overcrowding, poorly designed and unmarked exits, and inadequate fire escapes. The tragedy prompted the Pa. General Assembly to enact fire safety laws and improve construction and inspection standards, making public buildings safer and influencing similar legislation in other states.

Fairview Cemetery, north side of W Philadelphia Ave., Boyertown, PA, United States

Jeremiah Sweinhart and Successors. The evolution of the business located here mirrors America's changing transportation scene. In the factory begun by Mr. Sweinhart in 1872, horse-drawn carriages, farm and delivery vehicles, and sleighs were built. After 1914, bus and truck bodies, and other commercial and military vehicles, were made here. Production ceased, 1990, but the original 1872 shop became part of the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles.

3rd. & Walnut Sts., Boyertown, PA, United States