The Irish Railroad Workers Museum

The Dublin Sisters Come to Town

"Catholic Nuns are my heroes”, said no boy who grew up in the 1960’s, ever. Of course, we didn’t know much, but were convinced that we did. A bit of research happened once I learned how to behave, and now I think they did some fantastic things. Let’s talk about them.

Working Men and Women

Remembering the Talented Women of the Holbein Family

What was one to do with all those children in Ireland…especially the daughters? Just how many dowries was a modest, landless family supposed to come up with? One daughter marrying was a stretch…and other daughters becoming Nuns was an uncommon solution, whatever their capabilities were. Immigration to America was the answer for many, where the most capable took on a vocation that allowed their natural gifts to shine forth. Such was the case with the talented young women of the Mount Clare neighborhood, and the parish where they thrived.

Working Men and Women

Hammer and Anvil, Wooden Wheels and Iron Tires: The Blacksmiths and Wheelwrights of Baltimore

Our immigrant ancestors included mighty men known as blacksmiths, wheelwrights and horseshoers. Their work was essential to everyone’s life…back before plumbers and electricians were needed by every home in America. Many held them in awe, as these were men of importance.

Working Men and Women

Ambition, Academics and Athleticism: A Story of Father and Son

Our immigrant ancestors came to America and worked feverishly, in many cases, towards achievement and success. Their workplaces, educational institutions and even their modes of recreation were settings for these generations to assert their significance and belonging within an ambitious American nation. Even our beloved baseball diamonds were a showplace for those who wanted to do well.

Working Men and Women

Solving a Mystery: Excavating the Stories of 910 Lemmon Street

The rowhouses of Baltimore were places of transformation for a countless number of our immigrant ancestors. Their stories were an integral part of our Museum’s establishment and continue to fascinate us during these modern days of expansion. Such has been our recent experience as we unveiled the earlier days of our future Visitor Center at 910 Lemmon Street…. known as 10 Lemmon Street prior to 1887.

Irish Themes

Learning about Anna Leahy Kenney: Survivor and Transformative Family Matriarch

The Irish people experienced immeasurable devastation and loss during the Great Hunger of 1845-1855, but those who escaped and began anew were part of a redefinition of what it meant to be Irish within America. Mothers and fathers saw new possibilities for their children, and great things happened for the daughters of Anna and Daniel Kenney: a simple couple who loved each other dearly, and made all things possible for their seven daughters.

Churches/Parishes

Neighborhood as Crucible

What is a modern man to think when he rolls past the abandoned and decaying houses found in major cities? Perhaps our thoughts turn to disgust and a bit of anger, but many of these were places of transformation for our immigrant ancestors…and for several generations. Baltimore was such a place: where rural immigrant families were transformed into American urbanites, in neighborhoods not so different from Washington Blvd. and Bayard Street (pictured).

Working Men and Women

Learning about Murphy's Corner Market

Our immigrant ancestors usually arrived in a rather modest state. They were most often listed on ship passenger lists as laborers or farmers, and a considerable number arrived in American cities with very little money at all. Families saved as they could, and some gathered enough capital to open a business of their own, whether it was a pub, grocer, bakery, or confectionary. Arthur Murphy was a third-generation Irishman who did just that. He soon learned that such a life was not without its own share of both rewards and peril.

Railroaders

A Panoply of the Ambitious: Railroaders Big and Small

America’s early immigrant men often left a country that thought little of their role in greater society. This was certainly true of those who lived in the West of Ireland. A huge number were subjected to restrictions of advancement by the ruling classes, but a better way of life awaited them in America, where a man could rise to fulfill his potential and mark his place among his peers. Such was railroading life for those who headed westward in an expanding young nation.

Churches/Parishes

Young Women, Education and Railroading

Many young men being raised in the shadows of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad didn’t quite finish grammar school, as railroad work placed a calling on them that could not be resisted. Other students of both sexes became railroaders once more considerable studies had been completed. Among these was a young woman who grew up in the shadows of the Mount Clare shops of the B & O Railroad. Her name was Elizabeth Agnes Herbig.

Irish Themes

The Fighting Irish: Pugilists and Patriots

Boxing once rivaled baseball as the most popular sport in America, and the immigrant Irish were among the most active ethnic groups that did well in the ring. They also used their skills to provide relief for the suffering in 1921’s Irish struggle for independence.

Railroaders

Respecting the Working Man

Railroaders were the heroes of many a young boy, but were also honored by their peers. Daniel Willard was President of the B & O Railroad, and knew all about the working man. He had started at the bottom and worked his way to the top...and admired the men who worked under him.

Working Men and Women

Immigrant Irish Women: Trackside and Otherwise

It would be difficult to overstate the role and contributions of Irish women both in their native land and in America. Friends from the Gorham Historical Society joined us as we wrote this story of mothers, wives and heroes.

Irish Themes

Irish Poverty, Irish Prosperity

Do you ever scratch your head and wonder why our Irish ancestors lived in such decrepit conditions, and for so many years? Other writings in this series have described the horrors that the Irish suffered during centuries of systemic oppression, but there is a puzzling part of all of this. Why didn’t the Irish just bust out and do what needed to be done to improve their station in life? They seemed to do just fine in America; why not in Ireland?

Working Men and Women

Early Irish, Modest Work and an Enslaved Man Named Frederick

Early immigrants who came to America were attracted by the abundant work available, with no taxes or tithes taken from their pay by the powers-that-be. Catholic Irish from the Western Connaught region were entirely unfamiliar with industrial work, but it was waiting in abundance in America’s shipyards, coal mines, canals and railroads that were desperate for the unskilled labor that strong Irish backs could provide. They came alongside men like Frederick Douglas, ship caulker.

Irish Themes

Baltimore's Early Irish: Dissenters, Educators and Lifesavers

What does it mean to be Irish? How have others defined that over the years? Let's explore the early generations in Baltimore and how they came to each others' rescue during tumultuous days...and still gather at the tri-color flag today.

Working Men and Women

Lamplighters and Bigger Stories

You would think that the Lamplighter profession would be fairly straightforward, but even this modest work had a few political twists and turns. Let's talk about how working for a simple public utility involved knowing the right people.

Working Men and Women

Masons and Their Stepping Stones (Part 2)

Accomplished brick masons had something beautiful to look at after their working days, and left remarkable structures and pieces for future generations. They often established villages, neighborhoods and families that continued this important trade, much to the benefit of our historic city and region.

Working Men and Women

Masons and Their Stepping Stones (Part 1)

Immigrant Irish arrived with limited skills and education, and most men entered the working world as common laborers. They worked under others who were skilled tradesmen and learned as they went, eventually becoming accomplished in various trades themselves. This was the stepping stone for many Irish into the middle class. One prominent group who did just this was those who worked in the brick and block trade.

Working Men and Women

A Tenderness Recalled: Remembering Celeste Revillon Winans

We thank Museum friend Steven G. W. Walk for sharing this remembrance of a young woman who had a heart for the struggling Irish and others who knew hunger intimately. She gave of herself in remarkable ways.

Working Men and Women

Workingmen's Stories

We are the most fortunate museum, as our visitors and friends each walk into the Museum with a story, and a reason to be there. They and we are enriched by our time together, and we emerge with a deeper understanding about the flow of time that led to our meeting. Here's some recent discoveries; how about sharing your stories with us?

Irish Themes

One of the Greater Gifts: Caregivers Within Families

Family research can be a difficult experience for us in modern times. It seems like there was death everywhere, and young mothers and children left far too soon. Yet there was hope for those left behind in the form of caregivers within the extended family. Today we will learn about some who assumed vital roles, and gave of themselves so that future generations would be possible. Among those who cared for the motherless were Bettie Agnes Kenney Burgan and her daughter Annie Jane Burgan Bamburger, of northeast Baltimore (pictured).

Churches/Parishes

Among Their Own: Stories of Irish Compassion

The compassion shown by communities and parishes was especially valued in the days prior to social programs run by local, state and national government. Neighbors, extended family and women religious were the heroes of that day, and private institutions, such as pictured Bon Secours Hospital, played essential roles for the hurting.

Irish Themes

Baltimore's Early Irish Fiddlers do Battle

Two generations of fiddlers were front and center in the efforts to perpetuate Irish culture and traditions in the Baltimore area. Both were also central in the community's desire to maintain a flourishing dance tradition among the immigrant Irish and the generations to follow. Let's learn about Larry Ward and Mathew J. White.

Churches/Parishes

Sound and Proclamation (Part 3): Henry McShane's Bells, and Some Bats in Monongahela

America's early towns and cities were vibrant places, and churches asserted their presence with the pealing of bells. Among these were towns along major rivers like the Monongahela.

Working Men and Women

Sound and Proclamation (Part 2): Learning about Henry McShane and His Bells

The safe arrival of each of our forebears from distant lands is remarkable. Some truly amaze us at all they accomplished in their new lives. Such a man was bell foundryman Henry McShane.

Churches/Parishes

Sound and Proclamation (Part 1): Learning about Henry McShane and his Bells

This is a first in a series of three articles that tell us about the tremendous accomplishments of a modest fella from Dundalk, Ireland. His work was a godsend to immigrant peoples who could not practice their faith openly in their home country, and particularly in Ireland.

Railroaders

Railroad Workers as Heroes: Building Mountains and Going to War

The men working at the Mount Clare Shops in West Baltimore didn't wear capes, or disappear into phone booths and save the day, like some other heroes. And yet they performed their own sort of miracles to preserve a nation.

Working Men and Women

Living Among Abundance: Reflecting on Hollins Market

Baltimore's public markets were the center of life for many immigrant neighborhoods. These included West Baltimore's Hollins Market.

Railroaders

Legends Among Rowhouses: Learning about William Galloway

Early railroaders are remembered in many ways by their families and associates. They lived fairly simple lives, but were part of bigger themes such as how nations were built. One such man had a locomotive named after him.

Railroaders

"Getting Crazy" on the Fourth: Celebrating the Beginnings of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

The world was changing, and Baltimore didn't want to lose its place as a major shipping center. Other cities were building canals westward to bring people and products to developing communities well off the Atlantic Coast. What did Baltimore's leadership come up with to compete with them, and how did they celebrate a new beginning?

Working Men and Women

Outrage, and Then a Rest: Learning about John R. Kenly, U.S.A.

Today we consider one of Baltimore's favorite sons of the Civil War period and beyond. He had an Irish heritage, and considerable leadership skills.

Working Men and Women

Railroaders and Fascination: Remembering The Gandy Dancers

Even the simplest railroading work has a fascination for many of us, and some even name their place of business after them. Such is the charm of the Gandy Dancer.

Working Men and Women

A Mix of Toughness and Reverence: John J. Matey, Bell Installer

Our Museum is particularly blessed by being part of an engaged community that shares information about their ancestors and their role in the development of a young nation. One compelling photograph led to significant research on our part, both in Baltimore and in a distant town where this photo was taken.

Working Men and Women

Young Irish Women and Their Vocations: Religious and Secular

Irish families just might have been perplexed with what to do with daughters who had so many limitations set upon them during the days of the Penal Laws, and beyond. There were few options for those born into poor Catholic families in the West of Ireland. America was different, but not immediately so. It took Irish leaders to move these young women towards their full potential.

Shamrock Legacy

Our Shamrock Legacy Series Premiere Issue: Patrick and Julia A. Connolly

Our Shamrock Legacy series of articles includes stories of remarkable Irish who began anew in America, leading what would seem to be modest lives among their own. Many developed into persons of accomplishment, and established families that would make significant contributions to a young America. Such was the experience of Patrick and Julia A. Connolly.

The Passage

Remembrance Room: Lazaretto Point Lighthouse

So many of us have a casual knowledge of the realities of Irish immigration, and that far off. New York's story, with Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty in the forefront, is something we point at, and contemplate. Few know of the dramatic arrival of thousands in Baltimore, where expatriates and a shining light welcomed them.

All Sample 2

The Dublin Sisters Come to Town

Remembering the Talented Women of the Holbein Family

Hammer and Anvil, Wooden Wheels and Iron Tires: The Blacksmiths and Wheelwrights of Baltimore

Ambition, Academics and Athleticism: A Story of Father and Son

Solving a Mystery: Excavating the Stories of 910 Lemmon Street

Learning about Anna Leahy Kenney: Survivor and Transformative Family Matriarch

Neighborhood as Crucible

Learning about Murphy's Corner Market

A Panoply of the Ambitious: Railroaders Big and Small

Young Women, Education and Railroading

The Fighting Irish: Pugilists and Patriots

Respecting the Working Man

Immigrant Irish Women: Trackside and Otherwise

Irish Poverty, Irish Prosperity

Early Irish, Modest Work and an Enslaved Man Named Frederick

Baltimore's Early Irish: Dissenters, Educators and Lifesavers

Lamplighters and Bigger Stories

Masons and Their Stepping Stones (Part 2)

Masons and Their Stepping Stones (Part 1)

A Tenderness Recalled: Remembering Celeste Revillon Winans

Workingmen's Stories

One of the Greater Gifts: Caregivers Within Families

Among Their Own: Stories of Irish Compassion

Baltimore's Early Irish Fiddlers do Battle

Sound and Proclamation (Part 3): Henry McShane's Bells, and Some Bats in Monongahela

Sound and Proclamation (Part 2): Learning about Henry McShane and His Bells

Sound and Proclamation (Part 1): Learning about Henry McShane and his Bells

Railroad Workers as Heroes: Building Mountains and Going to War

Living Among Abundance: Reflecting on Hollins Market

Legends Among Rowhouses: Learning about William Galloway

"Getting Crazy" on the Fourth: Celebrating the Beginnings of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

Outrage, and Then a Rest: Learning about John R. Kenly, U.S.A.

Railroaders and Fascination: Remembering The Gandy Dancers

A Mix of Toughness and Reverence: John J. Matey, Bell Installer

Young Irish Women and Their Vocations: Religious and Secular

Our Shamrock Legacy Series Premiere Issue: Patrick and Julia A. Connolly

Remembrance Room: Lazaretto Point Lighthouse

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