Introduction
This presentation is meant to introduce students to the Pennsylvania Railroad as an entity and to begin to stress the impact of the company on the local area. Students are surrounded by train tracks, but in the modern era when trains seem so outdated and when the local railroad industry has taken such a hard hit, students do not recognize the truly revolutionary impact of the company on the area.
The Pennsylvania Railroad in Altoona:
A Brief History of the PRR in the 1800s
Founding
Created by the PA General Assembly in 1846 at the request of Philadelphia businessmen
Original charter called for a rail line to be built between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/railroad/shs1.htm
PRR Lines, 1840
http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Maps/Centhist/map_centhist01.gif
Founding of Altoona
Construction of the Altoona Repair Shops begins in 1850
Also in 1850, the first train makes the trip from Altoona to Pittsburgh
The sale of plots of land in the location that would soon become Altoona begins in 1851
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/railroad/shs1.htm
Growth of the PRR in Altoona
1850: only a few settlers 1860: 3,600 1870: over 10,000 The railroad grew immensely during the Civil War; the
Union Army relied heavily on the railroad to distribute materials and transport troops
Rumors of a raid by Gen. Lee on the Altoona Shops spread each time the Rebels advanced into the North
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/railroad/shs1a.htm
The Logan House
http://www.west2k.com/papix/altoonaprr.jpg
The Logan House
Beautiful hotel built in Altoona in 1852 Housed many famous and influential
people, including seven presidents, First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, P.T. Barnum, and Edward Albert, Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII of England
Explore PA History
The War Governor’s Conference at the Logan House One of the greatest moments in Blair
County’s history: September 24-25, 1862, two days after the Emancipation Proclamation was released
14 governors of Union states met with Pres. Lincoln and pledged their support to the Northern cause during the Civil War at a time when support for the war was weakening
Explore PA History
The Logan House
Hotel closed in 1927 after 75 years; sleeping cars on passenger trains made the need for the hotel void
In 1931, the site was sold to the U.S. government; it is the current site of the Altoona Post Office
Explore PA History
Altoona maps
http://www.railroadsignals.us/altoona/index.htm
Altoona Maps
http://www.railroadsignals.us/altoona/index.htm
The Horseshoe Curve
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/PRR_Horseshoe.jpg
The Horseshoe Curve
Designed by John Edgar Thomson and Herman Haupt
Opened in 1854 Advertised as the “8th Wonder of the Modern
World” and “The World Famous Horseshoe Curve”
Serves as a main basis for the name of the AA minor league baseball team, the Altoona Curve
The Horseshoe Curve PRR was faced with the problem of crossing the
Allegheny Mts. if they were to connect Philadelphia with Pittsburgh
Trains at the time could not travel on tracks with a grade of greater than 1.8%
Solution was to build a road in a horseshoe shape around the valley, filling in a number of hollows along the way
Received National Landmark status in 1966 http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2870.html
The Horseshoe Curve
The Curve was one of Adolf Hitler’s top strategic spots to attack if he were to move WWII to America
On July 1, 1942, the FBI searched 225 homes in Altoona to find evidence of a Nazi plot to destroy the Curve and cripple the American war machine
"The Horseshoe Curve"
The Horseshoe Curve
Trains along the Horseshoe Curve
The Horseshoe Curve Accidents near the Curve include:
May 27, 1887: Eight injured, six killed, including Dale Graham, the son of former Speaker of the PA House of Representatives James Graham
New York Times, 5-29-1887February 18, 1947: 25 killed when 11 of the
14 cars of the Red Arrow, a passenger train heading from Detroit to New York, jumped the track
The Gettysburg Times, February 18, 1947
Kittanning Point Station, east of the Curve
http://www.west2k.com/papix/kittaningpoint.jpg
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the state… The Railroad Strike of 1877
An economic recession had struck in the years following the Civil War. Instability and inflation sent industries into a tailspin, leading to layoffs and wage reductions
In May 1877, the PRR had, for the 2nd year in a row, reduced pay by 10%. Strikes started in Pittsburgh (leading to bloody confrontations between railroaders and police) and eventually spread throughout the country
Altoona Shop workers did NOT strike; they were not allowed to unionize, and because Altoona was a one-industry city, they feared they would lose their only chance at employment if they struck
Explore PA History
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the state… The Johnstown Flood
May 31, 1889, one of the most terrible disasters in American history took place in Cambria County
The manmade dam built by the South Fork Hunting and Fishing Club (which counted “richest man in the world” Andrew Carnegie among its members) gave way, sending a 40 ft. tall, half a mile wide wall of water and debris through the Conemaugh Valley into the streets of Johnstown, a mining town of 30,000
Over 2,200 people died in the flood; bodies were found as far away as Cincinnati
Johnstown Area Heritage Association
The Johnstown Flood
Johnstown Area Heritage Association
Effects of the PRR The Pennsylvania Railroad was one of the leading
railroad lines of its time. It even appears as one of the railroad spaces on the original “Monopoly” game, so it must be a big deal!!
The city of Altoona was founded by the PRR; anything of any importance to happen in or because of this city can be traced to the PRR
Millions of workers owed their livelihoods to this company
Railroads, including the PRR, played a major role in the course of history. Without railroads, western expansion couldn’t occur; the Union may not have won the Civil War; the Axis may have won World War II.
Industry is the backbone of our economy, and without railroads to transport goods and materials, it would be crippled
Your Task:
You will research a specific event or important placed tied to the Pennsylvania Railroad in or near Altoona. It could be the opening (or closing) of shops or related businesses, disasters, accidents, meetings, or other approved topic that MUST RELATE TO THE PRR!!!!
You will create a presentation or website that exhibits your research in an engaging and creative fashion
Your Rubric:
Project rubric
Conclusion
These events and many others have helped to shape our local identity. Though the Pennsylvania Railroad no longer exists, its effects still linger in the identity of central Pennsylvanians.
Works Cited Johnstown Area Heritage Association. “History of the Johnstown Flood.” www.jaha.org. Web. 26
July 2010. <http://www.jaha.org/FloodMuseum/history.html> “Explore PA History.” explorepahistory.com. Web. 26 July 2010. <http://explorepahistory.com/
hmarker.php?markerId=652> “Database of Pennsylvania Railroad Stations Past and Present.” www.west2k.com. Web. 26 July
2010. http://www.west2k.com/papix/kittaningpoint.jpg “Horseshoe Curve Train Wreck.” AP Wire Service. The Gettysburg Times, February 18, 1947 “Crushed in the Cars.” New York Times, 5-29-1887. “The Pennsylvania Railroad.” www.youtube.com. Web. 26 July 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=jNrPq0Li3P4&feature=related> Mcilnay, Dennis (2007). The Horseshoe Curve: sabotage and subversion in the railroad city.
Hollidaysburg, PA: Seven Oaks Press. “Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark.” www.u-s-history.com. Web. 26 July 2010.
<http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2870.html> Wikipedia Commons. “Horseshoe Curve.” www.upload.wikipedia.org. Web. 26 July 2010
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/PRR_Horseshoe.jpg> “Altoona and Horseshoe Curve Railfan Guide.” www.railroadsignals.us. Web. 26 July 2010.
<http://www.railroadsignals.us/altoona/index.htm> “Explore PA History.” explorepahistory.com. Web. 26 July 2010. <http://explorepahistory.com/
hmarker.php?markerId=675> “Database of Pennsylvania Railroad Stations Past and Present.” www.west2k.com. Web. 26 July
2010. <http://www.west2k.com/papix/altoonaprr.jpg> National Park Service. “Pennsylvania Railroad Shops and Works.” www.nps.gov. Web. 26 July
2010. <http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/railroad/shs1a.htm> “PRR Maps From the Centennial History.” http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail. Web. 26 July 2010.
<http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Maps/Centhist/map_centhist01.gif>
