Reading Massacre
Posted by: 
Gosffo
N 40° 20.113 W 075° 55.452
18T E 421497 N 4465373
10 unarmed people killed!
Waymark Code: WMA5E
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 04/09/2006
Views: 39
Marker Text:
In 1877, amidst hard times, unrest hit U.S. rail lines. Workers for the Reading Railroad had endured pay cuts. Here, on July 23, militia fired into an unarmed crowd that blocked the trains, and 10 people were killed. U.S. troops reopened the railroad.
During "The Great Strike," a strike across the country by railroad workers, 10 men died in Reading. Reading was between the rich coal fields in Schuykill County and Philadelphia. "The Reading" transported coal and had a 36 acre engineering/production shop complex in the city.
Between the Reading Station and the railroad shops was the 7th Street Cut. It was a narrow man-made ravine with 30-foot vertical walls. A train was blocked by a "mob." The "mob" dumped the coal from the cars and when the militia arrived they foolishly marched into the narrows. The "mob" pelted them from above. The troops fired into the unarmed "mob" and killed 6 and wounded others, 4 died later, bringing the count to 10. The mob headed for the company-owned shops but for some unknown reason they stopped and did not destroy them. Compared to Pittsburg and other towns, this was a small outbreak. But it happened in their town! One of the main reasons for the strike was a cut in pay!
SO TO LOG YOUR FIND TAKE A PICTURE OF YOU AND THE SIGN AND IF A TRAIN IS GOING BY YOU WILL GET EXTRA CREDIT!
Marker Name: Reading Railroad Massacre
County: Berks
Date Dedicated: 10/16/1993
Marker Type: City
Location: 7th & Penn Sts., Reading
Category: Labor, Transportation
Website: Not listed
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