Pullman National Historical Park

Pullman is an industrial district on Chicago's South Side that was built in the late 1880s as a self-contained factory town for railroad car manufacturing. The area contains preserved worker housing, factory buildings, an administrative complex, and public spaces that show the complete layout of such a community.

The site was founded in 1880 and became the center of a major railroad strike in 1894 that caused nationwide disruptions and military intervention. This conflict marked a turning point in American labor relations and transformed the location into a symbol of worker struggle.

The community reflects the lives of railroad workers, particularly African American sleeping car porters who organized their union here. The preserved homes and streets show how people built social bonds within this company town.

The visitor center is located at the edge of the district and offers exhibits and guided tours through the grounds. It helps to start with a guided tour to better understand how the buildings were arranged and what they were used for.

The site was designed as a completely controlled company town where management deliberately combined housing, work, and leisure in one system. This corporate experiment was revolutionary for its era but also revealed tensions between worker autonomy and employer control that led to growing conflict.