Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Lehigh Valley Railroad Records

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.1046
Creators:
Lehigh Valley Railroad Company
Dates:
1860-1940
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3.25 Cubic feet
7 boxes, 1 map-folder
Repository:
Papers and photographs documenting the Lehigh Valley Railroad.

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
The collection consists of papers and photographs relating to the infrastructure of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, including correspondence, blueprints, inspection reports, plat and profile books, and photographs of tracks and bridges.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Originally known as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad, the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) competed for the lucrative anthracite coal transport trade in northeastern Pennsylvania. It dominated the industry in eastern Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, becoming known as the "Route of the Black Diamond." The Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad was first suggested by prominent members of Lehigh and Northampton Counties, and the bill was carried through the legislature by Dr. Jesse Samuel, then a representative from Lehigh County. In August 1847, the necessary certificate to the Governor was signed for the purpose of obtaining a charter of incorporation. The name of the company was changed to Lehigh Valley Railroad Company by an act of assembly on January 7, 1853. Although the railroad did carry passengers, it depended mainly on the transportation of coal as its source of profit. The demise of the coal industry and the rise of auto and air transportation in the 1950s led to its financial ruin and a takeover by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1960. The records were acquired over the course of several years from the main offices of the LVRR.
Source
Historical note courtesy the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) Company Records Collection MG-274, Pennsylvania State Archives

Administration

Author
Archives Center staff
Ownership and Custodial History
Transferred to the Archives Center by the Division of Work and Industry, National Museum of American History.
Immediate Source of Acquisiton
Original provenance unknown.
Processing Information
Processed by Mark Seggal (volunteer) and Franklin Robinson Jr., archivist; supervised by Vanessa Broussard Simmons, archivist, 2010.

Using the Collection

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Restrictions on Access
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Preferred Citation
Lehigh Valley Railroad Records, 1882-1936, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Related Archival Materials
Materials at the Archives Center
Coxe Brothers Collection (NMAH.AC.1002)
Girard Estate Records (NMAH.AC.1011)
Lehigh Valley Coal Company Records (NMAH.AC.1106)
Materials at Other Organizations
Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) Company Records Collection MG-274, 1849-1962, undated
The bulk of the records are 703 volumes of minutes, reports, journals, ledgers, cash books, company history, records of lands owned by the LVRR, and other records pertaining to everyday operations. Major series include: Minutes of the Board of Directors, 1850-1962 (which, among other things, contain information on accidents); Annual Reports, 1852-1975; Trustee Files, [ca. 1900-1982]; Cash Books, 1855-1952; Ledger, 1853-1955; and Real Estate Department Records, 1878-1951. (For records documenting personnel see Robert Dructor's publication: Guide to Genealogical Sources at the Pennsylvania State Archives, 2nd ed.) Records of Subsidiary Companies, consisting of 1,421 volumes, are organized by transportation companies, 1851-1950, and non-transportation, 1844-1947, then arranged alphabetically by company name. For each company there are minutes and/or financial accounts. Also included are three cubic feet (over five-hundred items) of photographic negatives taken by staff photographers. Subjects include construction of the Claremont Terminal, Jersey City, New Jersey, 1917-1923; ruins of the Morris Canal near Washington, New Jersey; the 1902 Lehigh River flood near Easton; and construction of an unidentified engine and freight-house, probably in Buffalo, 1915.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Photographs -- 1920-1940 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Railroad bridges Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Payrolls Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Blueprints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Reports Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Railroads -- Pennsylvania Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Railroads -- Maintenance and repair Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Railroads -- Buildings and structures Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Railroad tracks Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Railroad companies -- Pennsylvania Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu