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Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)John M. Jackson, Archivist
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
The collection is open for research.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts, Ms2009-038, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
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).
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts commenced and was completed in March 2009.
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.
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.
The collection is arranged chronologically.
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 certificates were a part also included the following collections at Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives:
Chapman J. French Papers, Ms2009-034
Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven Railroad Stock Certificates, Ms2009-035
New River Mineral Company Stock Certificate, Ms2009-036
Norfolk & Western Railway and Associated Companies Collection, Ms2009-037
Raleigh Coal & Coke Company Rail Spur Drawing, Ms2009-039
Reed Island Iron Company Receipts, Ms2009-040
Rock Island Lines Insurance Booklet, Ms2009-041
Sullivan Railroad Company Stock Certificate, Ms2009-042
Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railroad Annual Report, Ms2009-043
Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railway Annual Report, Ms2009-044
The guide to the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).