In 1877, American workers stopped the trains, besieged the militia in Pittsburgh, and ran St. Louis for a week. The government's response? They built castles. And they're still standing. #AmericanHistory #LaborHistory #GildedAge #GreatRailroadStrike #PittsburghHistory #USHistory #WesternPennsylvania
The Castles They Built: The Great Railroad Strike of 1877
In 1877, American workers stopped the trains, besieged the militia in Pittsburgh, and ran St. Louis for a week. The government's response? They built castles. And they're still standing. #AmericanHistory #LaborHistory #GildedAge #GreatRailroadStrike #PittsburghHistory #USHistory #WesternPennsylvania #PittsburghPA #AppalachianHistory
shadowofyesterday.com
July 1, 2026 at 12:02 PM
In 1877, American workers stopped the trains, besieged the militia in Pittsburgh, and ran St. Louis for a week. The government's response? They built castles. And they're still standing. #AmericanHistory #LaborHistory #GildedAge #GreatRailroadStrike #PittsburghHistory #USHistory #WesternPennsylvania
I'm doing a book talk for THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE IN OHIO on Thurs., March 12 at 6 pm. I hope to see you there! #GreatRailroadStrike #RailroadHistory #OhioHistory #ClydePublicLibraryOhio #BookTalk #History
March 9, 2026 at 10:38 PM
I'm doing a book talk for THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE IN OHIO on Thurs., March 12 at 6 pm. I hope to see you there! #GreatRailroadStrike #RailroadHistory #OhioHistory #ClydePublicLibraryOhio #BookTalk #History
I will be in the author's tent at the Book Fest Huron 2026 selling some of my books included my latest, THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE OF OHIO. I hope to see you there this Saturday (June 6)! #GreatRailroadStrike #BookFestHuron2026 #MarkStreckerAuthor #MarkStrecker
June 3, 2026 at 9:30 PM
I will be in the author's tent at the Book Fest Huron 2026 selling some of my books included my latest, THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE OF OHIO. I hope to see you there this Saturday (June 6)! #GreatRailroadStrike #BookFestHuron2026 #MarkStreckerAuthor #MarkStrecker
Thousands of workers in #Baltimore with the #GreatUpheaval/#GreatRailroadStrike clashed with #NationalGuard on #ThisDayInHistory in 1877. Federal troops reinforced them and opened fire, killing up to 22 #WorkingClass Americans and injuring 150+. This is the price of #capitalism.
July 20, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Thousands of workers in #Baltimore with the #GreatUpheaval/#GreatRailroadStrike clashed with #NationalGuard on #ThisDayInHistory in 1877. Federal troops reinforced them and opened fire, killing up to 22 #WorkingClass Americans and injuring 150+. This is the price of #capitalism.
During the Great RR Strike, a gunfight between William Vandergriff and militiaman Private John Poisal broke out in Martinsburg, WV, where B&O workers had struck. Vandergrift succumbed to his wound a few days later. www.markstrecker.com/16.html#16 #RailroadHistory #GreatRailroadStrike #history
February 26, 2026 at 10:35 PM
During the Great RR Strike, a gunfight between William Vandergriff and militiaman Private John Poisal broke out in Martinsburg, WV, where B&O workers had struck. Vandergrift succumbed to his wound a few days later. www.markstrecker.com/16.html#16 #RailroadHistory #GreatRailroadStrike #history
Workers run things perfectly well without the owner class expropriating profit. On #ThisDayInHistory in 1877, during the #GreatRailroadStrike, #StLouis, MO, was under the control of workers, from the trains to the flour mills to breweries. #Socialism is as American as apple pie.
July 22, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Workers run things perfectly well without the owner class expropriating profit. On #ThisDayInHistory in 1877, during the #GreatRailroadStrike, #StLouis, MO, was under the control of workers, from the trains to the flour mills to breweries. #Socialism is as American as apple pie.
The end of the #GreatUpheaval / #GreatRailroadStrike of 1877 came on #ThisDayInHistory, as federal troops moved from city to city, putting down each #strike by force. Pres. Hayes, like nearly all US presidents, put the interests and profit of #corporations over the #WorkingClass.
September 4, 2026 at 3:00 PM
The end of the #GreatUpheaval / #GreatRailroadStrike of 1877 came on #ThisDayInHistory, as federal troops moved from city to city, putting down each #strike by force. Pres. Hayes, like nearly all US presidents, put the interests and profit of #corporations over the #WorkingClass.
During the #GreatRailroadStrike/#GreatUpheaval of 1877, on #ThisDayInHistory, a city posse in #Scranton, #Pennsylvania, opened fire on striking workers, killing four and wounding up to 50. The shooters were all acquitted, and federal troops occupied the city to break the #strike.
August 1, 2026 at 3:30 PM
During the #GreatRailroadStrike/#GreatUpheaval of 1877, on #ThisDayInHistory, a city posse in #Scranton, #Pennsylvania, opened fire on striking workers, killing four and wounding up to 50. The shooters were all acquitted, and federal troops occupied the city to break the #strike.
The #BattleOfTheViaduct took place in #Chicago on #ThisDayInHistory in 1877, during the #GreatUpheaval/#GreatRailroadStrike. #Police opened fire on striking workers, soon joined by informal militia & #NationalGuard, with 20 killed and scores wounded, none on the side of the law.
July 25, 2026 at 4:30 PM
The #BattleOfTheViaduct took place in #Chicago on #ThisDayInHistory in 1877, during the #GreatUpheaval/#GreatRailroadStrike. #Police opened fire on striking workers, soon joined by informal militia & #NationalGuard, with 20 killed and scores wounded, none on the side of the law.
In the worst violence of the #GreatRailroadStrike/#GreatUpheaval, in #Pittsburgh on #ThisDayInHistory in 1877, #NationalGuard troops shot 20 dead and wounded 29. In response, workers torched 39 buildings, 103 locomotives, and 1245 rail cars. Troops then killed another 20 workers.
July 21, 2026 at 4:00 PM
In the worst violence of the #GreatRailroadStrike/#GreatUpheaval, in #Pittsburgh on #ThisDayInHistory in 1877, #NationalGuard troops shot 20 dead and wounded 29. In response, workers torched 39 buildings, 103 locomotives, and 1245 rail cars. Troops then killed another 20 workers.
The #GreatUpheaval, AKA the #GreatRailroadStrike, began on #ThisDayInHistory in 1877 in #WestVirginia. The first nationwide #strike, backed by 100k workers, observers feared it could spiral into another civil war, this time between #workers & #capitalists as in the #ParisCommune.
July 14, 2026 at 5:00 PM
The #GreatUpheaval, AKA the #GreatRailroadStrike, began on #ThisDayInHistory in 1877 in #WestVirginia. The first nationwide #strike, backed by 100k workers, observers feared it could spiral into another civil war, this time between #workers & #capitalists as in the #ParisCommune.
I will be doing a book talk for THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE IN OHIO at the Sandusky Public Library on Tuesday, February 17, at noon. I hope to see you there! events.sanduskylib.org/event/15714715. #GreatRailroadStrike #RailroadHistory #History #OhioHistory #SanduskyOH
February 15, 2026 at 8:15 PM
I will be doing a book talk for THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE IN OHIO at the Sandusky Public Library on Tuesday, February 17, at noon. I hope to see you there! events.sanduskylib.org/event/15714715. #GreatRailroadStrike #RailroadHistory #History #OhioHistory #SanduskyOH