Reading Company records
Creation: 1795-1979Abstract
Chartered in 1871, Reading Company was the holding company for the system of railroads, canals and coal mines assembled by the predecessor Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company between 1833 and 1896. The collection consists of the corporate records of the Reading Company (1871-1976), the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company (1833-1896), the Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company (1896-1923), and 159 predecessors and subsidiaries.
Dates
- Creation: 1795-1979
Creator
- Reading Company (Organization)
Extent
1,131 Linear Feet
Historical Note
Chartered in 1871 as the Excelsior Enterprise Company, Reading Company became the holding company for the system of railroads, canals and coal mines assembled by the predecessor Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company between 1833 and 1896. As a result of anti-trust proceedings, the Reading Company divested itself of its mining subsidiary in 1923 and became an operating company for its rail properties. After bankruptcy in the early 1970s, viable portions of the rail network were conveyed to Conrail on April 1, 1976. The reorganized Reading Company retains real estate and other non-rail assets.
Arrangement
Part I. Parent company and predecessors (1833-1976)
Part II. Subsidiary and associated companies (1795-1976)
Part III. Subject files (1861-1957)
Part IV. Miscellaneous (1825-1969)
Scope and Content
The collection consists of the corporate records of the Reading Company (1871-1976), the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company (1833-1896), the Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company (1896-1923), and 159 predecessors and subsidiaries. Record types include minutes, account books, securities records, reports and agreements. Departmental records are available for the parent company, primarily from the various officers of the Operating Department, the Legal Department, the Secretary and Treasurer. Fragments of presidential correspondence are also available, especially for J.S. Harris and A.A. McLeod. Departmental records contain abundant detail on operating, technical and labor matters, with coverage relatively complete for the 1860-1914 period. Of special interest are papers relating to the Molly Maguires in the 1870s.
Existence and Location of Copies
A selection of material on the Molly Maguires was digitized and is available online in the Digital Archives.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.
Litigators may not view the collection without approval.
Use Restrictions
Literary rights retained by Reading Company.
Language of Materials
English
Additional Description
Provenance
On Deposit from the Reading Company.
Separated Materials
Reading Company photographs (Accession 1975.430), Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.
Subjects
- Advertisements
- Anthracite coal industry
- Bus lines
- Canals
- Coal mines and mining
- Drawings
- Holding companies
- Personnel records
- Police, Private
- Railroad police
- Railroad stations
- Railroads
- Railroads -- Buildings and structures
- Railroads -- Employees
- Railroads -- Equipment and supplies
- Railroads -- Rolling stock
- Street-railroads
- Strikes and lockouts
- Telegraph
- Timetables
Related Names
Subject
- New York and Long Branch Railroad (Organization)
- Pennsylvania Railroad (Organization)
- Baer, George F. (George Frederick), 1842-1914 (Person)
- Association of Railway Executives (U.S.) (Organization)
- Baird, Matthew, 1817-1877 (Person)
- Beech Creek Railroad Company (Organization)
- Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company (Organization)
- Biddle, Edward R. (Edward Robert) (Person)
- Bertrand, Charles Edward, 1915-1978 (Person)
- Adams Express Company (Organization)
- Association of American Railroads (Organization)
- American Railway Association (Organization)
- Montour Iron and Steel Company (Organization)
- McLeod, A. A. (Archibald Angus), 1848-1902 (Person)
- Lorenz, William, 1826-1884 (Person)
- Lewis, Edwin M. (Person)
- Lehigh Valley Railroad Company (Organization)
- Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company (Organization)
- Lehigh & Susquehanna Rail Road (Firm) (Organization)
- Knights of Labor (Organization)
- Knight, Edward C. (Edward Collings), 1813-1892 (Person)
- Junction Railroad Company (Organization)
- Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway Company (Organization)
- Jersey Central Transportation Company (Organization)
- J.P. Morgan & Co (Organization)
- Harris, Joseph S. (Joseph Smith), 1836-1910 (Person)
- Baldwin Locomotive Works (Organization)
- Gowen, Franklin B. (Franklin Benjamin), 1836-1889 (Person)
- Gowan & Marx (Organization)
- Fall Brook Railway Company (Organization)
- Furness, Frank, 1839-1912 (Person)
- Empire Transportation Company (Organization)
- Ewing, Charles H., 1866-1935 (Person)
- Emlen, William F. (William Fishbourn), 1787-1866 (Person)
- Dickson, Samuel, 1837-1915 (Person)
- Reading Terminal (Philadelphia, Pa.) (Organization)
- Drexel, Morgan & Co (Organization)
- Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company (Organization)
- Dice, Agnew T. (Agnew Thomson), 1862-1932 (Person)
- Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company (Organization)
- Corbin, Austin, 1827-1896 (Person)
- Central Railroad of New Jersey (Organization)
- Chauncey, Elihu, 1779-1847 (Person)
- Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway Company (Organization)
- Tide-Water Pipe Company, Limited (Organization)
- Young Men's Christian Association. Reading Railway Department (Organization)
- Temple Iron Company (Organization)
- United Mine Workers of America (Organization)
- Toland, Henry (Person)
- Wootten, John E. (John Eastburn), 1823-1898 (Person)
- Sayre, Robert H. (Robert Heysham), 1824-1907 (Person)
- Williamsport and North Branch Railroad Company (Organization)
- Robinson, Wirt, 1806-1865 (Person)
- Wyoming Valley Coal Company (Organization)
- Tamaqua and Lansford Street Railway Company (Organization)
- Workingmen’s Benevolent Association of Schuyklill County, Pennsylvania (Organization)
- Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Organization)
- West Pittston Coal Company (Organization)
- Welsh, J. Lowber (John Lowber), 1842-1904 (Person)
- Reading Iron Company (Organization)
- Western Union Telegraph Company (Organization)
- Robinson, Moncure, 1802-1891 (Person)
- Western Maryland Railroad Company (Organization)
- Reading Terminal Market (Philadelphia, Pa.) (Organization)
- Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.) (Organization)
- United States Railroad Administration (Organization)
- Pullman Company (Organization)
- United States Express Company (Organization)
- Powelton Iron and Coal Company (Organization)
- Elmira, Cortland, and Northern Railroad Company (Organization)
- Voorhees, Theodore, 1847-1916 (Person)
- United States Railroad Labor Board (Organization)
- Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company (Organization)
- Philadelphia and Reading Relief Association (Organization)
- Philadelphia, Reading & New England Railroad (Organization)
- Pinkerton's National Detective Agency (Organization)
- Osborne, John H. (John Humfrey), 1818-1894 (Person)
- Pennsylvania Coal Company (Organization)
- Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Co (Organization)
- New York Central Railroad Company (Organization)
- Nichols, Henry K. (Henry Kuhl), 1830-1904 (Person)
- Nicolls, G. A. (Gustavus A.), 1817-1886 (Person)
- Norfolk and Western Railway Company (Organization)
- Montour Iron Company (Organization)
- National Company (Organization)
- New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Company (Organization)
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- Reading Company records
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
