In 1903, Lawrence and Paul Gieringer, young brothers, climbed to the top of Mt. Penn in Reading, PA and upon seeing the panorama, Lawrence said "let’s start building little houses as they look from here". And so, what started as a child’s hobby became his life’s work. Lawrence spent 50 years crafting the little buildings of all types and eras.

Laurence went to work at 16 as a carpenter and painter and continued making model buildings in his spare time. He arbitrarily established a 3/8 inch to 1 foot scale which he stuck with for all his models. He married Dora Seisler who lived just down the street. She understood his passion and helped out by creating shrubbery and trees (approximately 10,000 of them over the years). Later, even their two kids got into the act with detailing and figure painting. Today, Roadside America is still run and maintained by family members.

It seems almost inevitable that Roadside America came to be. Word started spreading about his creations in the 1920s and 1930s. When he set up his Christmas display for his kids in 1935, the Reading Eagle newspaper published a story about it. Soon thereafter, the Rainbow Fire Company donated the use of their building for the display of his creations with profits going to local charities. In 1938, an additional exhibit was set up in Carsonia Park and then in 1941, the exhibits were brought together under one roof where it is today. Gieringer died in 1963 and the display has remained exactly as he left it (although he never considered it finished).

For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6