The Hidden History of Pullman Porters Revealed

By Adalia Yeung, political science and journalism major

As railroads expanded across the U.S. in the late 1800s, passenger trains were becoming popular for travelers crossing the country. These train cars, owned by the Pullman Company, were staffed by former slaves known as Pullman Porters. 

In 2022, African-American Studies professor Robert Hawkins was tasked with helping restore two Pullman cars that would become an exhibit at the Wheels O’Time Museum in Dunlap, Ill. The exhibit was designed to highlight the Pullman Porters’ to commemorate the 99th anniversary of the founding of the Brotherhood of Sleep Car Porters. Hawkins knew he wanted students to work on the project with him to give it some human elements. 

Jamiah Glover ’22 researched the Pullman Porters as her capstone project in both the History and African American programs. She focused on how the Pullman’s Company advertised the experience of working on the Pullman cars to former slaves. When Glover graduated in 2022, Makira Davis and Anaiah Davis (now seniors) stepped to finish what she started. 

In conjunction with the Virginius S. Chase Special Collections at Bradley University and their own online research, the students searched for artifacts such as flyers, newspaper clippings, and mentions of the Pullman Porters in different pieces of literature. They would find miscellaneous artifacts like uniforms, playing cards, and even manuals on how to run the Pullman train cars. 

Libby Tronnes, head of the center shared why the project is so special. “A lot of students graduate from Bradley without knowing about the Special Collections Center. I have worked hard to create more opportunities for students to learn about our center and access our unique and wonderful collections. The Pullman Porter exhibit represents a whole new level of student engagement.”

Tronnes was able to help both students purchase and restore several items.Makira shared that one of her favorite artifacts was a book called Dark Princess, by W.E.B. Du Bois. Worried about ordering the book due to its expense, Hawkins and Tronnes insisted if she found it important, they would get it for the exhibit. 

“I was able to purchase several Pullman Porter items—from artifacts to rare manuscripts—that Makira and Anaiah had researched and selected for our permanent collection,” Tronnes explained.  

Since the Pullman Porters were a part of Black history that was not commonly taught, Anaiah was thrilled to be part of this project and learn more about it. When she studied the Pullman Porter job advertisements geared toward black people, she was in shock how misleading they were. 

The ads made the job look luxurious, when in reality, it was far from it. The Porters lived in harsh conditions, forced to sleep on the floor or baggage cars and they worked more than 70 hours per week. “It looked like the happiest place on earth, but in reality, it wasn’t,” Anaiah said.  

Hawkins and the students showcased their exhibit in late August at Wheels O’Time. Anaiah and Makira were able to guide visitors through the Pullman cars and talk about the hidden history behind the Pullman Porters. 

“We could have written a paper, but we were able to do something hands-on,” said Makira. She and Anaiah are proud their research will become a permanent addition to the Virginia S. Chase Special Collections. 

“Supporting student and faculty research is the mission of our center and I have made it my personal mission to increase our presence in the community and share our collections in a variety of ways,” Tronnes explained.

The Pullman Cars are part of the permanent collection of Wheels O'Time. Some interpretive materials related to the Pullman Porters will remain to accompany the train cars, but the artifacts acquired by Special Collections with the help of our students, will return to Special Collections and remain a part of a permanent Pullman Porters collection, which will be available for students or other researchers.