How Pennsylvania’s Great Railroad Strike turned Scranton into a martial law zone with Gatling guns

Scranton Railroad Strike Turns Deadly in 1877

Inside Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, you can walk through the same railroad roundhouse and repair shops where workers once fixed locomotives for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.

The exhibits tell the story of how railroads shaped America, but they also preserve the memory of one of the most violent labor conflicts in American history.

In July 1877, economic desperation pushed Scranton’s railroad workers, miners, and factory hands into a massive strike that would end in bloodshed and martial law.

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 turned this Pennsylvania city into a battleground between workers and militia, leaving four strikers dead and changing the course of American labor history forever.

Scranton Workers Hit Hard After Years of Money Troubles

Money problems in Scranton started well before the strike. The Panic of 1873 crashed the economy for four years, hitting coal country hard.

Mine workers lost 10% of their pay in 1874, then another 15% in 1876. Many mines only ran a few days weekly.

Railroad companies kept paying shareholders while cutting worker wages. By summer 1877, Scranton families couldn’t pay their bills.

Food and rent stayed expensive while paychecks got smaller. Railroad strikes winning in Pittsburgh and Baltimore gave Scranton workers hope.

Railroad Men Quit Their Jobs on a Hot July Evening

The walkout began July 23, 1877, at 6:00 PM. Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad workers dropped their tools and left.

They couldn’t handle another 10% pay cut that pushed their families toward hunger. Railroad bosses wouldn’t talk when workers asked for their old wages.

Within hours, no trains moved in or out of Scranton. Coal shipments stopped.

Passenger travel ended.

News spread through town as railroad men gathered at meeting halls and street corners with a simple message: no more cuts, no more work.

Factory Workers and Miners Joined the Growing Strike

The strike spread quickly. By noon on July 24, about 1,000 workers from Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company left their jobs.

The next day, coal miners joined in, stopping Scranton’s biggest industry. Workers from smaller businesses followed.

Within three days, thousands of men stood together in a general strike. The city grew quiet as factories closed and mines sat empty.

At big meetings in public squares, speakers demanded their old wages back. With trains stopped, even businesses not striking felt the squeeze.

The Mayor Asked Businessmen to Carry Guns

Mayor Robert McKune acted fast as tension grew. He ordered all bars closed to keep alcohol from causing trouble.

Then he formed the “Scranton Citizens’ Corps,” a group of 51 men with new rifles. William Walker Scranton, who ran Lackawanna Iron & Coal Company, led this armed group.

The militia wasn’t made up of fair-minded peacekeepers. Most members were company managers, store owners, and businessmen who wanted to end the strike.

They practiced daily, getting ready for a showdown with workers they once employed.

Hungry Families Felt Growing Pressure to Give Up

By late July, worker unity started breaking. Company bosses threatened to fire anyone who didn’t return.

Some men, with hungry children at home, went back to their jobs at lower pay. This split the strikers apart.

Those still holding out grew more desperate as their savings ran out. Strike leaders tried to keep hopes up at daily rallies.

Mine and railroad owners refused any deal on wages. Large crowds of jobless workers and their supporters kept gathering downtown.

The mood grew darker as another week passed without pay.

Angry Crowd Attacked the Mayor in the Streets

Things boiled over on August 1. A huge crowd of about 6,000 people confronted Mayor McKune on Wyoming Avenue.

What started as yelling quickly turned violent. Several men grabbed the mayor and beat him up, leaving him hurt.

Police couldn’t control the angry mob. The attack on McKune marked a dangerous turn in what had been mostly peaceful protests.

Workers felt betrayed by city leaders who took the company owners’ side.

The mayor’s injuries weren’t life-threatening, but the assault crossed a line that would bring harsh consequences.

Gunfire Broke Out When the Militia Faced the Crowd

The Citizens’ Corps rushed to the scene under William Walker Scranton’s orders. The 51 armed men lined up facing thousands of unarmed strikers and townspeople.

Without warning, they shot their rifles directly into the crowd. Four men died on the spot: Charles Dunleavy, Steven Phillips, Patrick Langan, and Patrick Lane.

Between 20 and 50 others got shot. Blood ran in the streets as people ran in panic.

The militia claimed they shot in self-defense, but many witnesses said the crowd posed no deadly threat when the shooting started.

Troops With Machine Guns Took Over the City

Pennsylvania Governor John Hartranft declared martial law in Scranton.

He sent state militia and federal troops with Gatling guns, early machine guns that could fire hundreds of bullets per minute. The Thirteenth Infantry Regiment took control of the city government.

Soldiers set up checkpoints throughout town. Military commanders set strict curfews.

Anyone gathering in groups faced immediate arrest. Armed patrols walked through neighborhoods day and night.

Constitution Square became a military camp with tents and big guns. Scranton looked like a city under enemy control.

Murder Charges Came for the Militia Members

A coroner’s jury looked into the killings and on August 8 charged 22 members of the Citizens’ Corps with murder. The list included big shots like William Walker Scranton, Ezra Ripple, and Wharten Dickson.

General Huidekoper, the military commander, used federal troops to protect the accused from angry crowds wanting revenge. Arrest warrants went out, but the suspects stayed under military protection instead of in jail.

The court process moved slowly under martial law.

Witnesses told different stories about who started the violence and whether the militia gave any warning before shooting.

Strikers Finally Gave Up After Months Without Pay

By mid-October, most strikers faced total money troubles. On October 16, miners voted to return to work, accepting the same pay cuts they had struck against.

The next day, the last holdouts among railroad workers quit fighting. They gained nothing for their sacrifice.

Federal troops stayed in Scranton until October 31, when the Thirteenth Infantry finally left. Workers returned to jobs paying 25% less than three years earlier.

Many families lost their homes during the strike. The companies blacklisted known strike leaders, who couldn’t find work anywhere in the area.

Workers Found Power at the Ballot Box

The strike’s biggest lasting impact came through politics. In 1878, Scranton voters elected Terence V.

Powderly as their new mayor. Powderly, a machinist and leader in the Knights of Labor, ran on the Greenback-Labor Party ticket.

His victory showed workers could fight back through voting even when strikes failed. Powderly served three terms, bringing labor’s voice into city government.

Meanwhile, the courts cleared all Citizens’ Corps members of murder charges. Juries accepted their claims of self-defense despite conflicting testimony.

The 1877 strike changed Scranton forever, launching decades of labor organizing that eventually brought better conditions for workers.

Visiting Steamtown National Historic Site

Steamtown National Historic Site at 350 Cliff Street in Scranton tells the story of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. It’s free to enter the visitor center, museum, and grounds, which are open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can watch “Steel and Steam,” an 18-minute film that plays on loop on the first floor.

If you want to ride the trains, you’ll need tickets from the Information Kiosk (they only take cards). RVs and campers should note the bridge clearance near the entrance is 13 feet, 7 inches.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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