Pennsylvania Railroad women workers oral histories

About this collection

    The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) was chartered in 1846 to completing an all-rail road across the state. Between 1855 and 1874, the PRR underwent rapid expansion and emerged as one of the two largest railroad systems in the area east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio.
    The Pennsylvania Railroad women workers' oral histories (Accession 1998.234) collection consists of two interviews conducted in 1998 in West Chester, Pennsylvania with five women who worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad. They describe how they acquired their positions and their experiences working for the company. Topics discussed include wages, uniforms, sexism in the workplace, and the working environment during World War II.
    Image: Female Pennsylvania Railroad employee with steam derrick, 1943. Click here to view in the collection.

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