When the city of Chicago was first established it was muddy! Originally everything was built at about the same level as the lake. Due to the flat grade there was no drainage so when it rained the streets would turn to mud and many would even become impassable. Basements would flood everytime and the stagnate water would become a breeding ground for germs. Solutions such as building wooden sidewalks so the rain could seep below them failed as the water would rot the wood. The city was forced to design a proper sewer and storm water system to allow the water to drain. The only problem was since the city was on the same level as the lake a sewer couldn’t be built underneath without raising the city. Having started his career working for his father to move houses to new foundations, George Pullman was among the team of engineers hired to take on the incredible task of raising Chicago’s buildings to a higher level, for which he was handsomely paid. 

Pullman came to Chicago from New York by train. The cramped quarters on the trains inspired him to start his own rail car company. He designed a variety of luxury cars for sleeping, dining, lounging, etc. His cars were too expensive for the rail companies to purchase them, so he created his business model around leasing them equipped with staff. As his business grew Pullman needed to build a new factory. He purchased 4,000 acres of land just south of Chicago and decided to build a company town. He built housing for his workers, his manufacturing plant, a church, a theater for entertainment, as well as a hotel for visiting businessmen. Construction began in early 1880 and by 1883 the community had a population of 8,000.

You may recall my October 2023 post about New City, in which we learned about workers who wanted to live near their job, due to lack of transportation, but also the poor living and working conditions at the stock yards that led to a multitude of workers strikes. While the housing in Pullman was much nicer than by the stock yards, accommodations were more spacious and even had indoor plumbing, gas, sewers, alleys for trash collection, and small yards, the residents of Pullman were renting from their employer. Rents were collected directly from their paychecks. This gave George Pullman a sense of authority of not just over how his employees performed at work, but also how they behaved in their own homes. Pullman banned alcohol sales in the town, except at the hotel where he resided and entertained visiting business men, he required a dress code outside of work, he disallowed public forums for discussion, sent inspectors to randomly inspect the homes of his tenants, and would terminate leases spontaneously.

This behaviour didn’t go unnoticed, as was reported in the Chicago Tribune in 1888.

“There are variety and freedom on the outside. There are monotony and surveillance on the inside. None of the “superior,” or “scientific” advantages of the model city will compensate for the restrictions on the freedom of the workmen, the denial of opportunities of ownership, the heedless and vexatious parade of authority, and the sense of injustice arising from the well founded belief that the charges of the company for rent, heat, gas, water, etc. are excessive –if not extortionate…Pullman may appear all glitter and glow, all gladness and glory to the casual visitor, but there is the deep, dark background of discontent which it would be idle to deny.” The Chicago Tribune, September 21, 1888

The railroad industry in the United States was experiencing a bubble in the 1880s. Many investors were banking on railroad companies and as a result railroads were overbuilt, which ultimately led to failure. In February of 1893 both the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad went into receivership. This was a large contributor to the Panic of 1893. By June 1894 over 125 railroads were in receivership. As a result Pullman’s demand plummeted. George Pullman’s solution was to lower the wages of his employees, but not decrease their rent payments. This became the last straw for workers who were already living in the oppressive town. Employees tried to work with the American Railway Union (ARU) to negotiate wage increases, but to no avail. In response the ARU launched a boycott on running trains with Pullman cars. Strikebreakers were then hired to work the trains and railroad companies rallied together to run Pullman cars along with mail cars, knowing that if the strikers shut down the trains with mail cars the federal government would step in. It happened and thousands of troops were sent to Chicago to end the boycott. Riots that took place across the country resulted in the death of 30 people in Chicago and an estimated 40 more in other states. Following the strike President Grover Cleveland appointed a commission to study the cause of the strike. They found the town of Pullman to be un-American and forced the company to divest ownership in it. He also declared Labor Day as a federal holiday only six days after the strike ended.

George Pullman died in 1897 and Robert Todd Lincoln and Thomas Wickes took control of the company. Lincoln and Wickes built more industrial buildings and the housing, that they no longer controlled, started to fall into disrepair. 

The Pullman Porters, who were the onboard staff hired to assist passengers, were in many cases former slaves hired by Pullman since they would have already received the particular training needed to be able to serve to a customer’s every whim. He ended up being the largest employer of black people in the United States. Their jobs were tough with very long hours, low pay, and abuse from passengers. Many of whom would call every porter “George”, regardless of his real name. This came from slaves being named after their owner, as if the porters were George Pullman’s slaves. The practice became so widespread that a group called the Society for the Prevention of Calling Sleeping Car Porters “George” was formed, to protect white men who were actually named George. In 1926 the group successfully got the Pullman company to install name cards for the porter on duty, so they can be called by their own name.

On the other hand, porters were well regarded within their own communities. They dressed well, spoke intelligently, were well traveled, and had a steady income. They were looked up to by the young men in their communities and are seen as significant contributors to the formation of the black middle class. The porters rallied for better pay and working conditions as early as 1900. After organizing the first black labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925, they started to gain traction in this endeavour. The union was also a large contributor to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s.

In 1960 the town Pullman built was threatened to be raised between 111th-115th streets for industrial expansion. The Pullman Civic Organization (PCO) fought this proposal in order to preserve the historical significance of the area. In 1969 the area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service and in 1970 it was deemed a National Historic Landmark District. The Historic Pullman Foundation was founded in 1973 and they purchased buildings to rehab, while the PCO provided grants to residents to rehab their homes. In 1991 the State of Illinois purchased the Hotel Florence, the Administration, and Factory buildings. In 2015 Pullman was designated Chicago’s first national park. 

On Labor Day weekend, 2021 the Pullman National Monument and State Historic Site celebrated its grand opening. Today visitors can come tour the grounds and buildings to learn even more about the massive amounts of history that came out of George Pullman’s company town. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=QWQa2jCNzIc&t=93s

https://www.nps.gov/pull/learn/historyculture/a-brief-overview-of-the-pullman-story.htm

https://www.architecture.org/online-resources/stories-of-chicago/5-things-to-know-about-pullman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman_National_Historical_Park

https://www.wttw.com/ten/towns/pullman

https://www.nps.gov/pull/learn/historyculture/a-brief-overview-of-the-pullman-story.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman,_Chicago

https://florencekelley.northwestern.edu/historical/panic/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman_Strike

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman_porter#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywPd0D6bzZk

https://positioningpullman.org/

https://www.pullmanil.org/the-history-of-pullman/