A small group of black railroad workers at the Pitts Camp near Marlinton, West Virginia. These young men were employed by the C&O Railroad to work on the crew constructing the Greenbrier Railway line. The photograph was taken on March 7, 1900. Much has been written about black railroad jobs following the Civil War. According to the Southern Railway Museum “Southern railroads were eager to hire black workers after the war because they could pay them far less than white employees.” And from the National Park Service, “African Americans made up the majority of workers whose sweat, muscle, and blood carved the C&O Railway, its branch lines, and other railroads through the mountainous landscapes.” (Pocahontas County Historical Society Collection; ID: PHS002092)
Black History Month was first celebrated in 1970 at Kent State University. In 1976, President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month during the United States Bicentennial celebration. He urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history”.
Photographs in the “Preserving Pocahontas” Digital Library may be found at www.pocahontaspreservation.org or www.preservingpocahontas.org
If you have photographs or documents to be scanned for the county Historical Archive contact Preservation Officer B. J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreservation.org Prints of photographs from the archives are available.
