May 11, 1861 | Illustration
This image from the May 11, 1861 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts members of the Eigth Massachusetts Regiment repairing bridges on the railroad from Annapolis, Maryland to Washington, D.C.
1901 | Book
In this excerpt from Charles Chesnutt's novel, the African American doctor protagonist faces the reality of segregation on Southern railroads.
1890 | Law
The Louisiana Railway Accommodations Act mandates "equal but separate" rail travel in the state.
1975 | Artwork
July 27, 1877 | Newspaper
This article from the July 27, 1877 issue of the Pittsburgh Daily Post notes the state of the strike around the country. There are reports of violence in some areas while in others order is being maintained and things are well under control.
July 27, 1877 | Newspaper
This July 27, 1877 article from the Pittsburgh Daily Post notes the easing of tensions regarding the railroad strike and suggests that the end of violence has been achieved. The article also details the military's efforts to control the situation as well as the Pennsylvania Central's efforts to rebuild its tracks.
July 24, 1877 | Newspaper
This selection of articles from the July 24, 1877 issue of the Pittsburgh Daily Post looks at the events surrounding railroad strikes in cities around the United States and notes the crime and violence taking place.
1932 | Map
This map from the 1932 Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States depicts the vast railroad system James J. Hill owned in 1914.
February 27, 1864 | Illustration
This image from the February 27, 1864 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the interior of a Union hospital car during the American Civil War. See Woman's Work in the Civil War on this site for the recollections of a hospital train nurse.
1928 | Photograph
This photograph shows the hotel and railroad station at Cumberland, Maryland, built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, as it looked in 1928.
1932 | Map
This map from the 1932 Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States displays the Harriman Railroad System in 1914, including the Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, and Los Angeles, San Pedro, and Salt Lake railroads.
1882 | Time Table
1882 | Time Table
A beautifully illustrated timetable stressing the amenities to be had on the both rail lines and their connections with other railroads. Text in German and Spanish emphasizes the lines' reach and their wide audience.
November 3, 1894 | Newspaper
Speech by William Jennings Bryan.
March 14, 1868 | Illustration
This image from the March 14, 1868 issue of Harper's Weekly offers a cartoonist's conception of the railroad to the Pacific as the movement of a line of trunks.
July 23, 1877
This article from the July 23, 1877 edition of the Chicago Daily Tribune suggests that railroad corporations should adopt new policies to meet the needs of railroad workers, which will also keep many of the corporations from falling into bankruptcy.
July 23, 1864 | Illustration
This image from the July 23, 1864 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a major railway disaster near Montreal, Canada. The conductor failed to heed a signal that the Belacil Bridge was open for barge traffic and the ensuing accident killed ninety people and wounded one hundred more.
1877 | Photograph
Part of a series of stereographs published in the wake of the 1877 Railroad Strike. The images show the destruction at Pittsburgh, which resulted from violent clashes July 21-22.
1877 | Photograph
Part of a series of stereographs published in the wake of the 1877 Railroad Strike. The images show the destruction at Pittsburgh, which resulted from violent clashes July 21-22.
April 21, 1888 | Newspaper
This April 21, 1888 report and response from Harper's Weekly gives an overview of the Burlington, Chicago and Quincy Railroad Strike; the role of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the ready availability of replacement workers, and escalating violence all draw the writer's attention. A response to the strike written by William Dean Howells, American author and literary critic, was added to the Harper's article and is written from the point of view of a stockholder favoring arbitration.