Black History Month at Hildene

MANCHESTER, VT - In honor of Black History Month, the public is invited to visit Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, to explore the story of the Pullman Porters as told in the Many Voices exhibit, located at the beautifully restored 1903 Pullman railcar, Sunbeam.

"The Pullman Porters played a significant role in the company’s success and were instrumental in the birth of the Civil Rights movement."
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​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ — Brian Keefe, president of Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home

This thought-provoking exhibit features a timeline that spans 100 years, from the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 to the March on Washington in 1963. It includes quotes from executives of the Pullman Company, wealthy passengers who traveled in luxury, and the African American railroad employees who provided the impeccable service that made Pullman travel exceptional.

"The Pullman Porters played a significant role in the company’s success and were instrumental in the birth of the Civil Rights movement," said Brian Keefe, president of Hildene. "The Many Voices exhibit presents the extraordinary history of the Pullman Porters and the Pullman Company."
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​Hildene’s 72-foot-long restored Sunbeam was configured as a private car for Pullman’s charter service in 1903 during Robert Lincoln’s tenure as president of the Pullman Company, a position he held from 1897 to 1911. During this period, the Pullman Company was the largest railroad manufacturing company in the world and the largest employer of African Americans in the country, providing jobs as Pullman Porters to those freed by the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment. Despite facing exploitative working conditions, these men joined together as the "Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters" and were able to improve their lives and those of their families, contributing to the rise of America’s Black middle class.

"In the almost 14 years that we've had Sunbeam, we've realized the history of Pullman Porters is not well-known to many," said Gary Parzych, exhibit manager for Hildene. "With our Many Voices exhibit, we share the 'voices' of the Pullman Porters and allow their stories to speak for themselves."

Parzych reported that Hildene's docents are trained to engage visitors in civil civic discourse: "We often act as hosts for sometimes difficult conversations with people from all walks of life across this country and from around the world. This story still has important lessons for the present day, especially in February, as we observe Black History Month."

"This exhibit is intended to stimulate discussion," Keefe stated. "It connects Robert Lincoln and the construction of Hildene during his presidency of the Pullman Company to the Gilded Age and to this era in U.S. history with all its social complexities," Keefe noted that Robert's father, President Abraham Lincoln, signed the Transcontinental Railway Act in 1862, which provided the federal government’s support for building the first continental railroad, completed in May 1869.

For Robert Lincoln, spending time at Hildene did not mean business ceased. He served as the president of the Pullman Company during the first six summers he spent at Hildene and as chairman until 1924. The only significant addition he made to his home after its completion in 1905 was the creation of the secretary’s office, which featured custom cabinets containing copies of his important personal and business papers and correspondence.

The Many Voices exhibit positions Hildene as one of the southernmost sites along the Vermont African American Heritage Trail. This trail consists of locations that recognize and celebrate important sites in Vermont associated with inspiring African Americans and those who fought for the abolition of slavery and the establishment of civil rights.

Visitors to Hildene can tour the Pullman Car and the Many Voices exhibit with a docent during regular operating hours, from 10 AM to 4:30 PM, Thursday through Monday. Hildene is closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and some holidays. Registration is required for a special program, Pullman Porters: Unsung Heroes, scheduled from 2 PM to 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 22nd.

Media inquiries regarding the Many Voices exhibit at Hildene, should be directed to:

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Many Voices exhibit gallery

The "Many Voices" exhibit at Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home.Many Voices Exhibit and Pullman PlatformPullman Car, Sunbeam

Adelina Patti, operatic coloratura soprano, with her members of her entourage and her Pullman car, circa 1904. Library of CongressPullman Car, Sunbeam - SignPullman Porter, Chicago, 1943, Library of CongressMany Voices Exhibit detail

Pullman Car, Sunbeam gallery