Lehigh Valley Railroad Company

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The Lehigh Valley Railroad Company was incorporated in Pennsylvania as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad Company on April 21, 1846, the name being changed on Jan. 7, 1853. It was one of the major anthracite railroads and formed a secondary trunk line between Jersey City, N.J., and Buffalo, N.Y.

The railroad's original function was to serve as an outlet from the Lehigh Anthracite Region to tidewater by building along the Lehigh River from Mauch Chunk to Easton, Pa. At Easton it connected with the Central Railroad of New Jersey to reach New York City and with the Belvidere-Delaware Railroad to reach Trenton and Philadelphia. Construction began in 1851 under the management of coal operator Asa Packer and was completed in Sept. 1855. Packer became president in 1862 and served until his death in 1879 with control remaining in the Packer family. During the 1860s the company extended its control over several important feeder lines in the coal fields.

In 1867 the Lehigh Valley completed an extension into the Wyoming Coal Field at Wilkes-Barre. Packer purchased the flood-damaged North Branch Canal in 1865 and completed a railroad on its towpath from Wilkes-Barre to Waverly, N.Y. in 1869, connecting with the Erie Railway to Buffalo and developing a market for coal in the cities of the Great Lakes.

In 1871 the Lehigh Valley began to plan for its own route from Easton to New York Harbor. It purchased the Morris Canal, primarily to obtain valuable terminal properties in Jersey City. In 1875 the Easton & Amboy was completed to a coal terminal at Perth Amboy. An extension to Jersey City was not completed until the early 1890s.

During the 1870s and 1880s the Lehigh Valley secured control over a group of railroads in central New York State, extending its reach to Ithaca, Auburn and Geneva and to North Fair Haven on Lake Ontario, whence coal was shipped to Toronto and other Canadian cities. The Lehigh Valley completed its own line to the Buffalo gateway in 1892.

Many of the Lehigh Valley's predecessor companies in the coal regions also had mining privileges. Between 1867 and 1875 the company greatly increased its acreage of coal lands and leases in the Lehigh, Mahanoy and Wyoming Coal Fields. Most of these operations were centralized under the subsidiary Lehigh Valley Coal Company, which for a time was the second-largest anthracite mining firm. Control of the coal subsidiaries was relinquished in the early 1920s following government prosecution of the anthracite railroads under the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Hepburn Act. The company also owned a fleet of ships operating on the Great Lakes which it disposed of in 1917 under the provisions of the Panama Canal Act.

The Morgan interests acquired control of the Lehigh Valley from the Packer heirs in 1897 as part of their reorganization of the anthracite roads. With the breakup of the coal trust and the growth of the railroad consolidation movement in the 1920s, L.F. Loree of the Delaware & Hudson attempted to buy the Lehigh Valley for inclusion in his proposed fifth eastern system in 1927. Failing in the attempt, he sold his substantial minority interest to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company in 1928. The PRR made no attempt to absorb the Lehigh Valley but held the stock to keep the company out of unfriendly hands.

The company suffered from the collapse of the anthracite industry that began in the late 1920s and accelerated after 1945. The Lehigh Valley was one of the first large railroads to eliminate all passenger service (1961). In 1962 the PRR increased its interest in the Lehigh Valley to 90%, but it was unable to provide any meaningful support. With the failure of Penn Central, the Lehigh Valley entered bankruptcy on June 24, 1970. The viable parts of the line lying east of Waverly were sold to Conrail on April 1, 1976, and the rest were abandoned. A reorganization plan was approved on July 16, 1982, under which the company was liquidated by sale and distribution of assets.

From the description of Records, 1847-1971. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122567839

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Johnson, Frank A., 1922-. Oral history interview with Frank A. Johnson, 2009 January 16. University of North Texas Library, UNT
creatorOf Lehigh Valley Railroad Company. Annual reports to the Board of Public Utility Commissioners, 1935-1939. New Jersey State Archives
creatorOf J.P. Morgan & Co. Estate of Asa Packer deceased loan on Lehigh Valley R.R. Co. stock and Bethlehem Loan Co. stock : syndicate records, 1897 Mar. 2. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Financial Dept. Records of Vice President A. J. County, 1902-1938 (bulk 1925-1938). Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company. Coal Dept. Records, 1856-1899 [microfilm]. Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf J.P. Morgan & Co. Lehigh Valley R.R. general consolidated 4 1/2% bonds : syndicate records, 1913 Dec. 19. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Jackson and Sharp Company. Records, 1869-1946 (bulk 1898-1905). Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf J.P. Morgan & Co. Lehigh Valley stock purchase : syndicate records, 1902 Dec. 06. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Legal Dept. Records, 1855-1968, (bulk 1910-1950). Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf Beckwith, A. T., surveyor. Map of the Morris Canal through Newark, N.J., surveyed 1892 / survey made under the direction of Walter G. Berg, principal asst. engr., L.V.R.R. [Lehigh Valley Railroad Company] by A.T. Beckwith, address c/o P. & R.R.R. [Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Co.], Philadelphia ; assisted by A. Valentine of Woodbridge, N.J. New Jersey State Library
referencedIn Learned Hand papers Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn North Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Records, 1836-1982. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Office of Secretary. Corporate records, 1843-1968. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Reading Company. Records, 1795-1979. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Engineering Dept. Maps and drawings, 1876-1976 (bulk, 1900-1950). Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf J.P. Morgan & Co. Lehigh Valley stock railroad syndicate : syndicate records, 1901 Jan 5. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Lehigh Valley Railroad Records National Museum of American History (U.S.). Archives Center
creatorOf Cooper, Theodore, 1839-. Cooper Bridge Plan collection, 1887-1889 (bulk). Cornell University Library
creatorOf Girard Estate Records National Museum of American History (U.S.). Archives Center
creatorOf Easton and Amboy Railroad Company. Journals and ledgers, 1871-1903. New Jersey State Archives
referencedIn Morris Canal and Banking Company. 1890 bond transfer book, 1897. New Jersey State Archives
referencedIn Railroad advertising pamphlet collection, circa 1920-circa 1940. Pennsylvania State University Libraries
creatorOf Wilgus, William J. (William John), 1865-1949. William J. Wilgus papers, 1895-1947. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf J.P. Morgan & Co. Lehigh Valley R.R. Co. general mortgage 4 1/2% bonds : syndicate records, 1916 Apr. 17. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Traffic Dept. Freight Dept. Registers, 1853-1905. Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf Lehigh Valley Railroad Company. Paterson--Mountain View--Pompton Feeder. New Jersey State Library
creatorOf Lehigh Valley Railroad Company. Records, 1847-1971. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Industrial Engineering Dept. Records, 1945-1966 (bulk 1963-1966). Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Penn Central Transportation Company Records, 1835-1981, 1835-1960 Bentley Historical Library
referencedIn Dorr, William Ripley, collector. California railroad clubs : photograph albums, 1948-1960 Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn New York, Ontario, and Western Railway Co. New York, Ontario and Western Railway Company records, 1914. SUNY Oswego, Penfield Library
referencedIn H. H. Copeland Maps and Tables, 1924-1956 Northwestern University Transportation Library
creatorOf Lehigh Valley Railroad Company. [Pamphlets]. Yale University Library
referencedIn Seidenberg, Jacob. Jacob Seidenberg. Additional arbitration files. Cornell University Library
referencedIn Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Office of Chief of Corporate Work. Records, 1901-1949 (bulk 1925-1946). Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf Lehigh Valley Railroad Company records, 1870-1962. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.
creatorOf Lehigh Valley Railroad Company. [Pamphlets. Financial history]. Yale University Library
referencedIn Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Office of Vice President-Operations. Records, 1917-1968 (bulk 1930-1964). Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Morris Canal and Banking Company. Boat loan records, 1866-1886. New Jersey State Archives
creatorOf J.P. Morgan & Co. Lehigh Valley gen'l mtge 4% bonds : syndicate records, 1909 May. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Sayre, Robert H. (Robert Heysham), 1824-1907. Diaries, 1851-1905 [microform]. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Morris Canal and Banking Company. Voting list of stockholders, 1910 Apr. 4. New Jersey State Archives
referencedIn Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Motive Power Dept. Records, 1881-1964 (bulk 1910-1948). Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf Lehigh Valley Railroad Company. Lehigh Valley Railroad elevation, 1864. Cornell University Library
referencedIn Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Office of Secretary. Board files, 1843-1950 [microform]. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn New Jersey. Morris Canal Investigation Committee. Proceedings, 1912-1913. New Jersey Historical Society Library
referencedIn American Car and Foundry Company. Jackson & Sharp Plant. Job files, 1898-1905. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Office of Chief of Transportation. Records, 1920-1927. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Reading Company. Office of Secretary-Treasurer. Records, 1836-1979 (bulk, 1945-1976). Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Dowling & Kennedy. Records, 1872-1886. Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf J.P. Morgan & Co. Packer (estate of Asa) extension of notes with options on Lehigh Valley R.R. Co. stock : syndicate records, 1899 Apr. 19. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Lehigh Valley Railroad Company. Business records, 1870-1933. Temple University Libraries, Paley Library
referencedIn McNair, Thomas S. (Thomas Speer), 1824-1901. Papers of Thomas S. McNair, 1831-194 (bulk 1870-1901). Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
referencedIn Dorr, William Ripley,. William Ripley Dorr collection of California railroad club photographs : albums and slides, 1930-1962. Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn William J. Wilgus papers, 1895-1947 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
referencedIn H.H. Copeland and Son. [Copeland railroad survey collection]. Library of Congress
referencedIn Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Traffic Dept. Publications and ephemera, 1873-1963 (bulk 1925-1960). Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf Lehigh Valley Railroad Company. Lehigh Valley Railroad Company records, 1870-1962. Cornell University Library
referencedIn Morris Canal and Banking Company Business papers 1843 - 1864 Lehigh University Libraries, Lehigh Libraries
creatorOf Morris Canal and Banking Company. Minutes of the Board of Directors and standing committees, 1828-1973. New Jersey State Archives
creatorOf J.P. Morgan & Co. Purchase of Lehigh Valley stock : syndicate records, 1902 Dec. 31. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Harris, Joseph S. (Joseph Smith), 1836-1910. Autobiography [photoprint]. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Executive Dept. Office of Vice President Samuel Rea. Records, 1866-1916 (bulk 1905-1912). Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Lukens Steel Company. Records, 1798-1993. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Reed, Ivan Claire. Ivan Reed papers, 1910-1912. Cornell University Library
referencedIn Reading Company. Law Dept. Reading Company Law Dept. records, 1833-1979 (bulk, 1920-1976). Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf J.P. Morgan & Co. Lehigh Valley Ry. Co. stock syndicate : syndicate records, 1899 June 9. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Reading Company. Records of predecessor and subsidiary companies, 1795-1976. Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf J.P. Morgan & Co. Lehigh Valley R.R. Co. mtge & collat. trust bonds ($5,000,000) syndicate : syndicate records, 1897 Mar. 2. Pierpont Morgan Library.
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith American Car and Foundry Company. Jackson & Sharp Plant. corporateBody
associatedWith Anthracite Coal and Improvement Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Austin Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Bay Shore Connecting Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Beaver Meadow Railroad and Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Beaver Meadow Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Beckwith, A. T., surveyor. person
associatedWith Blackwood Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Brown, Revelle W. 1883-1980. person
associatedWith Buffalo and Geneva Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Buffalo Creek Extension Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Buffalo Creek Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Buffalo, Thousand Islands and Portland Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Canal Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Centralia Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Central Railroad Company of New Jersey. corporateBody
associatedWith Citizens Water Company of Tremont. corporateBody
associatedWith Coal Ridge Improvement and Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Connell Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Consolidated Real Estate Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Cooper, Theodore, 1839- person
associatedWith Cosmopolitan Shipping Company of Philadelphia. corporateBody
associatedWith Coxe Brothers & Company, Inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Delano Land Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Delano Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company. Coal Dept. corporateBody
associatedWith Delaware, Susquehanna, and Schuylkill Rail Road Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Denison Township Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Diamond Water Company of Hazleton, Pa. corporateBody
associatedWith Dorr, William Ripley, person
associatedWith Dowling & Kennedy. corporateBody
associatedWith Drifton Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Easton and Amboy Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Easton and Northern Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Elmira, Cortland and Northern Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Elmira Transfer Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Erdman, F. E. person
associatedWith Erdman, F. E. person
associatedWith Fair Land Realty Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Fell, J. Gillingham 1816-1878. person
associatedWith Franklin Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Geneva and Sayre Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Geneva and Van Ettenville Railroad Comapny. corporateBody
associatedWith Geneva and Van Ettenville Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Geneva, Ithaca and Sayre Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Gerard, Felix R. person
associatedWith Glen Summit Hotel and Land Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Greenville and Hudson Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Hand, Learned, 1872-1961 person
associatedWith Harris, Joseph S. (Joseph Smith), 1836-1910. person
associatedWith Hayts Corners, Ovid and Willard Rail-Road Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Hayts Corners, Ovid and Willard Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Hazleton Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Hazleton Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Hazle Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith H. H. Copeland and Son corporateBody
associatedWith Highland Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Humboldt Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Ironton Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Irvington Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Island Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Ithaca and Athens Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Jackson and Sharp Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Jersey City Belt Line Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Johnson, Frank A., 1922- person
associatedWith J.P. Morgan & Co. corporateBody
associatedWith Kerr, Duncan J. 1883-1940. person
associatedWith Lehigh and Hudson River Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Lehigh and Lake Erie Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Lehigh and Mahanoy Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Lehigh and New York Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Lehigh-Buffalo Terminal Railway Company, Inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Lehigh-Buffalo Terminal Railway Corporation. corporateBody
associatedWith Lehigh Luzerne Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Lehigh Valley Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Lehigh Valley Harbor Terminal Railway Corporation. corporateBody
associatedWith Lehigh Valley Railroad Company of New Jersey. corporateBody
associatedWith Lehigh Valley Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Lehigh Valley Rail Way Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Lehigh Valley Terminal Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Lehigh Valley Transportation Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Locust Mountain Coal and Iron Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Locust Mountain Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Loomis, E. E. 1865?-1937. person
associatedWith Loyalsock Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Lukens Steel Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Major, Cedric A. 1891-1961. person
associatedWith McNair, Thomas S. (Thomas Speer), 1824-1901. person
associatedWith Middle Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Middlesex Valley Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Mineral Spring Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Montrose Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Montrose Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Morris Canal and Banking Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Mutual Elevator Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Mutual Terminal Company of Buffalo. corporateBody
associatedWith Mutual Transit Company. corporateBody
associatedWith National Docks Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith National Storage Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Newark Bay Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith New Jersey. Board of Public Utility Commissioners. corporateBody
associatedWith New Jersey. Morris Canal Investigation Committee. corporateBody
associatedWith New York and Middle Coal Field Railroad and Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith New York, Ontario, and Western Railway Co. corporateBody
associatedWith New York, Ontario and Western Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith New York Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Niagara Junction Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith North Pennsylvania Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Oneida Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Orange County Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Owasco River Railway. corporateBody
associatedWith Packer, Asa, 1805-1879. person
associatedWith Packer Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Packer, Harry E., d. 1884. person
associatedWith Paxinosa Inn Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Penn Central Transportation Company corporateBody
associatedWith Penn Haven and White Haven Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania and New York Canal and Rail Road Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Middle Coal Field Coal and Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Engineering Dept. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Executive Dept. Office of Vice President Samuel Rea. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Financial Dept. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Industrial Engineering Dept. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Legal Dept. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Motive Power Dept. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Office of Chief of Corporate Work. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Office of Chief of Transportation. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Office of Secretary. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Office of Secretary. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Office of Vice President-Operations. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Traffic Dept. corporateBody
associatedWith Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Traffic Dept. corporateBody
associatedWith Philadelphia Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Philadelphia Grain Elevator Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Pioneer Real Estate Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Powers, J. F. person
associatedWith Powers, J. F. (James Farl), 1917- person
associatedWith Reading Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Reading Company. Law Dept. corporateBody
associatedWith Reading Company. Office of Secretary-Treasurer. person
associatedWith Reed, Ivan Claire person
associatedWith Righter Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Rochester Southern Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Roselle and South Plainfield Railway Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Sayre, Robert H. 1824-1907. person
associatedWith Schuylkill and Lehigh Valley Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Seidenberg, Jacob. person
associatedWith Seneca Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Sharp Mountain Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith South Easton and Phillipsburg Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith State Line and Sullivan Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Stony Creek Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Temple Iron Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Thomas, E. B. 1839-1919. person
associatedWith Tomhicken Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Union Central Coal, Iron and Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith United Real Estate Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Walter, Alfred, 1851-1907. person
associatedWith Warrior Run Mining Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Waverly and State Line Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Weatherly Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Westwood Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Wilbur, E. P. 1833-1910. person
associatedWith Wilgus, William J. (William John), 1865-1949. person
associatedWith Wilkes-Barre and Harvey's Lake Railroad Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Williams, Albert N. 1888-1961. person
associatedWith Wright Township Water Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Wyoming Coal and Land Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Wyoming Transport Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Wyoming Valley Coal Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Wyoming Valley Water Supply Company (Pa.) corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Pennsylvania--Lehigh
New York (State)
New York (State)
New York (State)
Lehigh (Pa.)
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Hudson County (N.J.)
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Subject
Anthracite coal industry
Railroad companies
Railroads
Railroads
Railroads
Railroads
Railroads
Railroads
Railroads
Stockholders
Stockholders voting
Occupation
Activity

Corporate Body

Active 1828

Active 1973

Information

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