The Museum of the American Railroad plans to host the “Pullman Rising: A Pullman History Symposium,” from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 2 at the Nack Theater, 6711 Oak St., in Frisco.
Once a household word, “Pullman” was synonymous with luxury travel as The Pullman Company manufactured and staffed sleeping cars for nearly every overnight train in North America. In addition to the “Palace” rail cars, the company also made history through one of the first planned industrial communities and one of the nation’s worst labor disputes.
While Pullman’s cars crisscrossed the continent, a quiet revolution was taking place: African American Pullman Porters were raising their own standards of living, which gave rise to the black middle class.
Located in Frisco, the Museum of the American Railroad is a repository of one of the nation’s foremost collections of preserved Pullman rail cars from the early 1900s.
For the symposium, the museum has assembled a panel of guest speakers including Rich Luckin, a documentary filmmaker who has produced multiple programs about the nation’s most famous passenger trains and stations; and Melissa Johnson, a Collin College history professor who has vast knowledge of the Pullman Company. Topics slated to be covered during the event will include George Pullman’s company town, sleeping car manufacturing and operations and the role of porters.
Admission to the symposium is $24 per person and includes lunch and refreshments. Additional information is available at historictrains.org.
