by Did you know that the Borough of Shillington gives away Free Curbside Trees each spring and fall?
Keeping Shillington Beautiful: A Century of Trees on Shillington’s Curb Lines
Walk any street in Shillington in high summer, and you will notice something special, sometimes even before you notice the houses. The canopy. Maple, oak, and linden arch over the sidewalks in a way no builder can manufacture and no listing photo fully captures. It took decades to grow. It is still growing today, one curb line tree at a time, and if you’re a resident, the Borough will plant one on your property at no cost, provided you simply ask.
This is not a new idea here, it’s closer to a founding principle.
The Town Name, Rooted in the Land
Shillington’s own name carries the weight of provenance. The land was patented by the Penn family in 1733, 1735, and 1736, and for over a century it existed quietly as farmland and a wayside stop known as the Three-Mile House. In 1860, landowner Samuel Shilling laid out the town’s first lots, and the community took his name in recognition of the survey that gave it shape.
The Borough was formally incorporated on August 18, 1908, with a population of 450. It would go on to become the homestead of Pennsylvania’s first governor and the childhood home of our Pulitzer prize-winning novelist, but its earliest stewards were already thinking in longer terms than a single generation. A town, they understood, is not just streets and lot lines. It is the character built into the spaces between them.
That understanding earned Shillington its old nickname: “The Town Beautiful.” A name that assumes upkeep. Sidewalks lined with shade. A canopy someone chose to plant on purpose.
My own family’s roots run alongside this one. My great-grandfather, a stone mason from Calabria, came to Berks County in 1905 and helped build the wall along Skyline Drive leading up to our Pagoda. For over a century, we have watched this region’s civic character take shape one deliberate project at a time. A free curb line tree is a small line item in a Borough budget, but I also consider it part of the same lineage.
Formalizing the Tree Practice
The Borough put this philosophy into writing in 2003, when Council adopted Ordinance 1013, establishing the shade tree provisions that still govern Shillington today. Section 25-103 authorizes Council to provide trees annually, funded through the Borough budget, for free distribution to any property owner who submits a written request. The ordinance is precise, not sentimental, about what qualifies: each tree must stand at least eight feet tall, with a trunk at least one and a quarter inches in diameter, healthy, well-rooted, and free of disease or infestation.
Today, that work is carried forward by the Shillington Tree Advisory Committee, a group of volunteers who coordinate with Borough Administration each spring and fall on new plantings along the curb line.
Property owners who want a tree simply submit a request; the Committee handles placement, sourcing, and the planting itself. Requests for the fall season typically close in mid-September, with a comparable window each spring. This year’s deadline is September 18, 2026. Once a tree is in the ground, ownership and care pass to the property owner, an arrangement that keeps oversight close to home rather than buried in a municipal department.
Why This Matters Beyond the Sidewalk
A mature street tree does more than shade a porch on a July afternoon. It moderates stormwater, tempers energy costs, and, by every metric a real estate advisor takes seriously, it supports the value of the home behind it.
Buyers respond to a mature canopy well before they respond to curb appeal in the conventional sense. A block of established trees signals a neighborhood maintained across generations, not staged for a single season. As a local real estate advisor, I can tell you a secret, street trees help increase the value of your neighborhood and your home. Just look at Wyomissing, our neighbor and example.
There is a quieter alignment at work, too. A tree planted this fall will not reach its full stature for decades. Someone is planting shade they may never sit under, for the benefit of an owner who has not yet purchased the house. That is not a small gesture. It is the same instinct that built this Borough’s stone walls and laid its first sidewalks: a belief that stewardship outlasts any one resident’s time on the property.
Sadly, this is the tree we lost in 2021 when a hurricane came through the region. Thankfully it did not do any damage to people or property, but it was unfortunate to lose an old beauty.
How to Request Your Tree
The process asks little of a homeowner beyond a written request. Trees are planted along the grass strip between curb and sidewalk, sited carefully around utility lines and intersections, and installed at no cost to the property owner. One detail worth knowing in advance: trimming or removing a curb line tree requires a Borough permit, regardless of who planted it.
For the current planting schedule, available species, and the request process, visit the Borough of Shillington’s website. It carries the most up to date detail. Send an email to: shillingtontrees@gmail.com as this remains the most reliable way to secure your place on the list for the next planting season.
Shillington did not become “The Town Beautiful” by accident, and it will not remain so without the same quiet participation that built it. A tree request is a small commitment. The shade it leaves behind is not. Did you notice the little trees planted behind this sign at the corner of N. Wyomissing and Elsie? I remember when we all showed up to fight the builder because people were worried about parking. I have to say, I’m pleasantly impressed that the new townhomes do look nice, they planted some trees, and they have driveways. Let’s continue the beautification of our town. I’m on a mission to make Lancaster Avenue a walkable destination like West Reading. Who’s with me?
PS: Make sure you follow along on Facebook or Instagram for more about the history, homes, and lifestyle, right here in our historic suburbs of Reading and Berks County. Reach out if you’d like to get the conversation started.
Kate Murray, MBA, Historic Homes Expert, Real Estate Advisor, and your Community Advocate
Source: Borough history (Penn patents, Samuel Shilling, 1908 Incorporation). Tree ordinance details (Ordinance 1013, 2003, Section 25-103) comes directly from Shillington’s official history page and municipal code. Current program details (Shillington Tree Advisory Committee, spring/fall requests, mid-September deadlines) is via the borough’s website as of the time this article was published. September, 2026