National Railroad Museum – Green Bay, WI

When you think of one of the first African-American labor unions in the US, what comes to mind?

Trains – specifically porters for those trains. It wasn’t until 1937 that the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was organized by A. Philip Randolph. You can learn all about life for the porters when you visit the National Railroad museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

We had just finished a serendipitous two days in nearby Door County. En route to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we drove straight through Green Bay and wanted to see something.This museum popped up on Trip Advisor. What cinched the deal was when someone said, “Great for an hour or two, especially on a rainy day.” It was raining. We had about 90 minutes – no longer. “Let’s do it,” I told my husband.

 

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The main exhibit was “Pullman Porters: From Service to Civil Rights.” What I really enjoyed about this exhibit is that they had voices from previous Pullman porters reminiscing about their own experiences. Some talked about the privilege it was to work for Pullman. Others talked about segregation. The most poignant for me was hearing one retired porter talk about how he was always nicknamed “George” and felt he had no say to correct the passengers. (more…)

Natchez Mississippi

Last month, we went to South Louisiana. On the way home, I wanted to explore a bit of Natchez since it has a huge amount of antebellum homes.

View of the Mississippi River from Natchez
View of the Mississippi River from Natchez

 

Natchez Visitors' Center
Natchez Visitors’ Center

Our time was limited and thankfullly, we found the Natchez Vistors’ Center to get an overview of everything. Although it was filled with informative brochures, the most valuable item was the walking (or driving) tour of the historic downtown area and plantation homes.

Rosalie Plantation
Rosalie Plantation

Owned and operated since 1938 by the Mississippi Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Rosalie Plantation was home to Peter and Eliza Little beginning in 1823. Shortly afterwards, the Littles started the Natchez Children’s Home in their house. After they both died in the mid-1850’s, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wilson purchased the property. They too took in orphaned children and deeded it over to one of their charges, Fannie McMurtry. The home remained in Fannie’s family until the last child, Annie Rumble died. (more…)