Today in History: Rails & Robbers
Today in History–October 6–the Library of Congress features the robbery of an eastbound Ohio & Mississippi Railroad passenger train near Seymour, Indiana on this day in 1866. Fortunately, detectives from the Pinkerton National Detective Agency quickly identified the criminals. Learn more about train robberies in the Today in History section then click the links below to access loads of train and railroad resources.
The First Known Train Robbery in the U.S. from America’s Library
The great train robbery, film by Thomas Edison
American life histories mentioning train robbers
Train robber historical newspaper coverage
Railroad robbery historical newspaper coverage
“The Train Robber: A Farce in One Act” by Herbert C. Nash 1895
The Red-Blooded by Edgar Beecher Bronson includes the story “The Evolution of a Train Robber” 1910
Today in History: Detective Allan Pinkerton
A Sleeping Car Porter’s Experience
American life histories mentioning railroads
Lincoln era railroad text correspondence & reports
Train song recordings & oral histories
Library blog posts
- The Buildings That Linked the Nation: New Book on Railroad Stations Picture This
- The Folklore and Folksong of Trains in America, Part One Folklife Today
- The Folklore and Folksong of Trains in America, Part Two Folklife Today