A 1888 colorized newspaper photograph of the Coal and Iron Police posing in front of a passenger car of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, at Gordon, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
The photo appeared in the “Looking Back” feature of the Pottsville Republican, October 20, 1979, which was presented by Joseph M. Hanney, who was the vice president of the Schuylkill County Historical Society. The photo is from the historical society’s collection. The text was written by Hanney:
This picture was taken at the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and Coal and Iron Police Quarters, Gordon, on February 23, 1888. The “Coalies,” as they were called, along with come other names, were a product of special Pennsylvania legislative enactment influenced by the powerful and wealth P & R C & I Co., ostensibly to protect its properties and holdings. But the turbulent history of labor for many decades in the latter part of the past century and well into the first quarter of the 20th Century, hardly showed all things and people before the law. Let time, then, fully show their place in history. A roster study would show the men were probably recruited from ethnic groups other than from those with origins as miners.
Note that the chef in the photo appears to be an African American.
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Article & photo from Newspapers.com.
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