While most people may have memories of Reading Railroad being a property in the game Monopoly, Reading Railroad was an important part of history on the East Coast. The Reading Railroad was part of a larger operation, and in 1833 it carried the name of The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, also known as P & R.
It was first and mostly used for distributing and moving coal along the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, though was involved in other aspects as well such as iron making. Prior to the railway, barges transported the coal, but with technology came faster alternatives.
Through the years, it’s had shifting names for short periods as people moved through the area. Today, the intact records show that the Dutch West India Company bought the land in 1633 and used the name Schuylkill River. It’s since stuck. It translates to many things, but “sheltered creek” follows the Dutch translation.
