Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts
Scope and Content
This collection contains two receipts issued to the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad. The first receipt, issued by the Catawissa, Williamsport & Erie Railroad and dated 1855, is for freight charges; the second is for springs and draws purchased of N. & A. Middleton of Philadelphia in 1865.
Dates
- Creation: 1855 - 1865
Creator
- Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Co (Organization)
Access Restrictions
Collection is open to research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Historical Information
Founded in 1833 as one of the first railroads in the United States, the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad served eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, transporting coal over a line that initially spanned 94 miles. The company soon expanded into subsidiary interests, including coal mining, iron making, water transportation and shipbuilding. By the 1870s, the conglomerate had become the largest corporation in the world. Anti-trust laws, however, eventually forced the various entities to separate, and the railroad's operating name became the Reading Company. The company entered bankruptcy in 1971, and its lines became part of the Conrail system in 1976.
Full Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Two receipts issued to the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged chronologically.
Acquisition Information
The Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts were purchased by Special Collections in 2009. The documents had been part of a larger group of railroad-related materials compiled by a collector, then sold to a dealer (see "separated material" section).
Separated Material
The Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts were acquired as part of a larger collection of railway-related material that had been compiled by a collector, then sold to a dealer. In the course of processing, the receipts were removed to a separate collection. The acquisition of which these receipts were a part also included:
General Physical Description note
1 container; 0.1 cu. ft.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement and description of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts commenced and was completed in March 2009.
- Title
- A Guide to the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts, 1855-1865
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- John M. Jackson
- Date
- © 2009 By Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Description is in English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu