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Minehill and Schuylkill Haven Railroad - Railway Stock Certificate

Inv# RS2669   Stock
State(s): Pennsylvania
Years: 1833 or 1839

Early Stock. Rare! Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven Railroad (MH&SH) was operating by April 1831 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, from above Mine Hill Gap (north of Minersville) to Schuylkill Haven on the Schuylkill Canal. This railroad was developed by the New York and Schuylkill Coal Co., and was one of the important early "lateral" railroads of Schuylkill County which were constructed to accommodate the Schuylkill canal (in this case located at Schuylkill Haven) with coal tonnage from the more remote areas where mines were operating. In 1862 the MH&SH was leased by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company (P&RR) and became part of its operation system.

The MH&SH was incorporated by the Pennsylvania legislature on March 24, 1828. The New York and Schuylkill Coal Co., with extensive land holdings on the West Branch Schuylkill River, began to plan for its construction prior to legislative approval - running surveys for the railroad along the West Branch and, on November 3, 1827, announcing plans to award contracts for railroad construction within six to eight weeks. The railroad ultimately organized on May 21, 1828, with Burd Patterson and Samuel H. Kneass, who visited England with Strickland, the engineer, among its managers. The trip to England was to obtain first-hand knowledge of the latest railroad technology.

By April 1831, the heavy downstream track carried coal about 10 miles (16 km), from above Mine Hill Gap to Schuylkill Haven. A light return track was built. In 1831, the line carried 17,559 tons of anthracite to the canal. The railroad carried over 1,500,000 tons in 1859. The line followed the valley of the West Branch, as near grade as possible. Thus the route was a succession of curves with frequent small bridges. The rails were strap iron, although a pear-shaped rail, similar to that used on the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, was eventually utilized. Read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine_Hill_and_Schuylkill_Haven_Railroad

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A stock certificate is issued by businesses, usually companies. A stock is part of the permanent finance of a business. Normally, they are never repaid, and the investor can recover his/her money only by selling to another investor. Most stocks, or also called shares, earn dividends, at the business's discretion, depending on how well it has traded. A stockholder or shareholder is a part-owner of the business that issued the stock certificates.

Item ordered may not be exact piece shown. All original and authentic.
Price: $420.00