A remnant of Reading’s 19^th century brewing industry, the former Deppen beer vault, has fascinated Delaware County native Paul Zenone, writes Michelle N. Lynch for the Daily Times.

The beer cave was built in the 1850s on South Ninth Street for brewer Nicholas A. Felix to store barrels of beer.

Zenone discovered the beer vault, dug 140 feet into the western slope of Neversink Mountain, about 10 years ago.

The vault runs under the city’s 10^th and South streets playground.

About five years ago, during a winter walk, the 56-year-old discovered people were using the vault for shelter.

“It went down below freezing for about a week,” he said, “and there were people actually living in there and lighting fires to keep warm.”

Zenone and his girlfriend, Sandra Jones, are cofounders of Providing Hope, which offers food and clothes to people living on the streets.

“So I went back up to the house,” he said, “grabbed some coats, grabbed some gloves and stuff, warm socks and all for them.”

The entrance to the vault has since been sealed and backfilled by the city.

Read more about Paul Zenone and his fascination with the mountainside beer vault in Reading in the Daily Times.

“American Beer” is a 2004 documentary that looks at the American Craft Brewing industry.