Location: Roundhouse, Bay 19 

The C&O No. 409, built by the Pullman Company Car, is a passenger car originally built in 1900, and worked primarily in Virginia where it was redesigned in 1931 to accommodate Jim Crow Era segregation requirements.

This car did not run on the B&O Railroad. However, it is an important marker in rail history and is displayed in the Roundhouse as a testament to the injustices done to Black Americans on transportation across the country during segregation. The car is split into three sections and juxtaposes the experiences of the African American and white passengers who shared the ride while separated by dividing walls. The car contains narratives of revolutionary activists like Frederick Douglass, Kate Brown, and Homer Plessy, who rose up against railroad segregation and challenged the Jim Crow Era laws.

More Exhibitions

2024
Sensory Inclusive Summer Camp

"I had no idea camps like this existed! It was truly inclusive, the counselors were accepting, kind and patient. It was incredibly affordable and very well organized. I can't say enough great things about it. I am very grateful!"

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