Pullman

https://www.nps.gov/pull/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman_National_Monument Pullman National Monument is located in Chicago and was the first model, planned industrial community in the United States. The district is significant for its historical origins in the Pullman Company, one of the most famous company towns in the United States, and scene of the violent 1894 Pullman strike. It was built for George Pullman as a place to produce the famous Pullman sleeping cars. Originally built beyond the Chicago city limits, it is now in what is the Pullman community area of Chicago, the district includes the Pullman factory and also the Hotel Florence, named after George Pullman's daughter. Also within the district is the A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum, named for the prominent leader A. Philip Randolph, which recognizes and explores African American labor history. In a growing Chicago neighborhood, diverse people and stories intertwined. All were seeking opportunity. Some succeeded. Others were limited—by race, gender, or economic status. Their stories came together in Pullman, a planned industrial community famed for its urban design and architecture. The Administration Clock Tower Building Visitor Center is located at the corner of 111th Street and S. Cottage Grove Avenue. The parking lot entrance on 111th Street (DO NOT drive through the historic stone worker's gate entrance). Administration Clock Tower Building Visitor Center Start your visit at the Administration Clock Tower Building Visitor Center located at the corner of 111th street and Cottage Grove Ave. Park staff and volunteers are on-hand to answer questions and provide suggestions on how to enjoy your visit to the National Historical Park. Informational displays and artifacts available. The Administration Clock Tower Building Visitor Center is located at the corner of 111th Street and S. Cottage Grove Avenue. The parking lot entrance on 111th Street (DO NOT drive through the historic stone worker's gate). Pullman Clocktower on sunny day front of clocktower taken looking up with blue sky, sunny The iconic Pullman clocktower building is one of the central buildings of Pullman National Monument. Clock Tower and Administration Building Clock Tower and Administration Building Built in 1880 for the rail car construction factory and executive offices of Pullman's Palace Car Company, this building complex was one of the most beautiful industrial landscapes in America. Historic Administration Building Historic Administration Building Administration Building Hotel Florence Building Hotel Florence Building in Fall. The Hotel Florence opened on November 1, 1881 as the hospitality showcase for visitors to George Pullman's "perfect town" of Pullman. The hotel was named for George's favorite daughter, Florence. American Flag American flag flying on front porch. The Pullman district also benefits from a diverse and proud residential community. Clock Tower and Administration Building Clock Tower and Administration Building with a walkway leading up to the front of it. Built in 1880 for the rail car construction factory and executive offices of Pullman's Palace Car Company Fact or Fiction: Did Pullman use Scrip? Fact or Fiction…? The workers at Pullman Palace Car Company were paid in script instead of cash and were only allowed to purchase products and services within the Pullman town in the 19th century. Find Your Park on Route 66 Route 66 and the National Park Service have always had an important historical connection. Route 66 was known as the great road west and after World War II families on vacation took to the road in great numbers to visit the many National Park Service sites in the Southwest and beyond. That connection remains very alive and present today. Take a trip down Route 66 and Find Your Park today! A paved road with fields in the distance. On the road is a white Oklahoma Route 66 emblem. Pullman Yoga While Yoga poses are often tied with things we see in nature, they can also emulate our built environment. These Pullman yoga poses encourage us to take a moment to pause and think about the structures we see around in a historic urban environment and the intentions behind them.  Two rangers practice mountain pose in front of a red brick clock tower. Things to Do in Illinois Find things to do, trip ideas, and more in Illinois. A light orange two story home containing many windows with green shutters. Series: Things to Do in the Midwest There is something for everyone in the Midwest. See what makes the Great Plains great. Dip your toes in the continent's inland seas. Learn about Native American heritage and history. Paddle miles of scenic rivers and waterways. Explore the homes of former presidents. From the Civil War to Civil Rights, discover the stories that shape our journey as a nation. Steep bluff with pink sky above and yellow leaves below. Two Parks, One Mission Welcome to Pullman National Monument and State Historic Site!  We celebrated a truly GRAND opening of the new NPS Visitor Center in the Administration Clock Tower Building and the re-developed historic factory grounds over Labor Day weekend 2021. We’ve enjoyed welcoming thousands of visitors in the months since.     Portrait photo of women in NPS green formal jacket and green tie. Universal Design at Pullman National Historical Park A ranger describes the unique sensory experience of exploring Pullman National Historical Park’s NPS Visitor Center Exhibit Hall. Three people use their hands to explore a tactile map of Pullman. Envisioning New Spaces When is the last time you passed a vacant lot in Chicago? And did you imagine it could become a garden, a grocery store, or a library? Students from Edgar Allan Poe Classical School and Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy put their minds to imagining the potential of what one of the approximately 13,000 vacant lots in Chicago could become for their communities. A group of students and adults pose with masks on in front of a historic brick building. Volunteer Spotlight: Ron Rodriguez With over 100 volunteer hours, Ron Rodriguez certainly has a passion for giving back to the community. A man wears a mask and leans against a greet counter in a NPS volunteer uniform. Volunteer Story: Elizabeth and Mike Mishler Elizabeth and Mike Mishler are a dedicated volunteer duo at Pullman National Historical Park in Chicago. A Caucasian man and woman sit on a bench in volunteer uniforms in front of a red brick building. Pullman During the World Wars Most stories of the World Wars tend to swirl around tales of sacrifice, bravery, and heroism in combat, but they also tell a story about broad changes to workers’ rights and labor’s relationship to both employers and the government. For the Pullman company, World Wars I and II demonstrate the company’s complex—indeed, at times, paradoxical—relationship with the U.S. administrative state. Pullman and the Advent of the Dining Car The history of the dining car and how it affected the Pullman Company. Pullman Summer Explorers 2025 Not offered in Summer 2025 Pullman Summer Explorers Logo Staff Spotlight: Sarah Sherwood Meet Sarah Sherwood, Park Guide at White Sands National Park, and learn about her career journey from internships to permanent positions! A female ranger in uniform standing at a cave entrance. Community Volunteer Ambassadors The primary duty of the Community Volunteers Ambassadors is to encourage local residents, particularly young people, to volunteer for climate-resilience-related projects in the park. A young woman holds two fingers up in front of a cactus, seemingly doing the same thing

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior INDUSTRY A worker’s status and class influenced which Pullman home he rise in 1880. Through “scientific planning,” it integrated offices could rent. High earners lived closest to their workplace. The and industrial shops with housing, all in a parklike setting. company hoped the hygienic homes and elegant landscape East 104th Street and South Maryland Avenue: National A. Phillip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum and Pullman Wheel Works (private residences). would lead employees to strive toward a higher social class Above: Pioneer, the first Pullman sleeping rail car, built in 1864. CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM Left: Upholstery Room. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS L ABOR Pullman National Historical Park Illinois From the prairie south of Chicago, a perfect town began to Cottage Grove Avenue and the Metra (subway) are west of the park. East 103rd Street is along the northernmost part of the park. Both town and company bore the surname of the owner, and behavior. Some praised Pullman’s genius; others called his George Pullman (1831–97). He built luxury sleeping rail cars experiment un-American. By the 1890s, the company and its and leased them to railroads, along with staff who provided workers began to clash. Events at Pullman and rulings in the on-board services. Pullman’s business model gave the company state and federal courts set precedents that echoed through- a nationally competitive edge. out the nation. ABOVE: PULLMAN LETTERING—NEWBERRY LIBRARY Pullman Strike and Boycott A depression in 1893 caused a nationwide decline in orders for rail cars. The Pullman company cut workers’ wages by 25 percent but did not lower rents. George Pullman refused to negotiate with employees over either issue. Workers walked off the job in May 1894, and across the country, American Railway Union (ARU) workers responded in solidarity. They boycotted any train that pulled a Pullman car, halting commerce. By July the strike and boycott led to occupation by US Army troops of rail centers across the nation. When the Pullman shops reopened, the workers had gained little of substance. But they discovered that labor, when organized, had power. They also learned a harsh truth—that the government would side with industry and even use force to restore order. Jane Addams (1860–1935) A social reformer, Addams saw the strike as a class conflict and tried to mediate it. She brought the workers to the bargaining table, but George Pullman refused to meet with her. Clockwise from above left: Broadside aimed at railroad workers in St. Louis, 1894. Chicago Evening Journal headlines, May 11, 1894. Police raise clubs against workers who obstruct tracks at 43rd Street, Harpers Weekly, 1894. Cartoon, “The Condition of the Laboring Man at Pullman,” Chicago Labor, 1894. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Eugene Debs (1855–1956) The founder of the American Railway Union, Debs tried to build labor’s power by reaching out to railroad workers across the skill lines that separated them. The federal government prosecuted and jailed him. REGUL ATION After the strike ended, the tide began to turn in favor of labor. The US Congress passed the Erdman Act in 1898. It required railroad companies and unions to arbitrate labor disputes. CHICAGO LABOR NEWSPAPER Also in 1898, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled the original charter was for manufacturing only, and Pullman began to sell its non-industrial holdings. The ruling paved the way to home ownership for Pullman residents. The Great Migration Left: Travel poster advertising Pullman dining car on the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad. Right: Postcard of porter T.R. Joseph, ca. 1940. A Pullman porter job was a way into the middle class for African Americans—despite continuing racial discrimination. Based near major train hubs, porters earned a good income and had opportunities to travel. They absorbed news and information from across the country and carried it home. Their eyewitness reports helped fuel the Great Migration of African Americans to northern and midwestern industrial cities. Pullman porters helped inspire others to seek change in order to support their families and build new lives. Hundreds of thousands of people made the transition. POSTER—LIBRARY OF CONGRESS; T.R. JOSEPH—SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE EQUALIT Y Pullman National Historical Park is a historic district with many destinations within its boundary. Explore the park on your own or through programs, tours, exhibits, and media offered by the National Park Service and its partners. East 108th Street: Historic Pullman Fire Station. Thank you for respecting the many private homes and buildings in the historic Pullman neighborhood. CHICAGO TRIBUNE Federal and State Laws Change POSTER AND NEWSPAPER HEADLINES—NEWBERRY LIBRARY; STRIKE ILLUSTRATION—GRANGER COLLECTION Visiting Pullman Today East 111th Street runs through the middle of the