The Reading Railroad Massacre was one of the deadliest episodes of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, resulting in up to 16 civilian deaths.
Key Facts
- Date
- July 23, 1877
- Civilian deaths
- 10 to 16 people
- Injured
- 20 to 203 people
- Location of violence
- Seventh Street Cut, a 3-block man-made ravine
- Wall height of Cut
- 20 to 30 feet
- Order restored by
- Federal troops
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877, arising from wage cuts during the Long Depression of 1873–1879, spread to Reading, Pennsylvania, prompting workers to strike against the Philadelphia and Reading Railway. Rioters engaged in arson and attacks on local railway facilities, forcing authorities to summon units of the Pennsylvania State Militia to restore order.
On the evening of July 23, 1877, a militia unit was marched into the Seventh Street Cut to free a stopped train. Rioters on the ravine's walls bombarded the soldiers with bricks, stones, and gunfire. The soldiers responded with rifle volleys fired into a crowd at the far end of the Cut, killing between 10 and 16 civilians and injuring dozens more.
Most rioting ceased that night, and a tense calm followed the next day. Federal troops ultimately arrived to fully restore order. A subsequent coroner's inquest cleared the militia of blame for the deaths, instead holding the local sheriff responsible for failing to maintain public order in the city.
Political Outcome
Federal troops restored order; a coroner's inquest blamed the local sheriff rather than the militia for the breakdown in public order.
Local civil authority unable to control striking workers and rioters during the Great Railroad Strike
Federal military intervention re-established order; sheriff held responsible for failure to maintain peace