The 1947 Freedom Train

The Freedom Train, Hepburn Street Williamsport Pa

(Sun Gazette Building on the right)
November 12th 1947

Touring the National Archives shortly after World War II, William Coblenz viewed documents such as the German Surrender document, among many other historic exhibits.  He was struck by the idea that so many would never get the opportunity to travel to these items and see them for themselves.  Coblenz, an assistant director in the Department of Justice, suggested that perhaps the items could be assembled in a traveling display.  Coblenz's idea was passed along until it reached President Harry S. Truman, who gave the project his "strongest endorsement".

The train was to be a 2000 horsepower Alco  diesel locomotive, named The Spirit of 1776, which would pull seven cars, including a baggage car, 3 exhibit cars, and three pullman cars to accommodate 41 staff members.

The project was funded by a combination of private, corporate  and government contributions. " He [Attorney General Tom Clark] sensed the boost in patriotism was beginning to subside, so he joined the American Ad Council, Paramount Pictures, various civic groups – and America’s railroads – to make a “Freedom Train” a reality."

Initially named The Liberty Train, the name was changed to Freedom Train before the official launch.

The Freedom Train left from Philadelphia on September 17, 1947 to begin a year-long, 33,000 mile journey to every state in the Union. 

On Thursday November  13th 1947, the train was in Wilkes Barre Pa.  On Friday the 14th "Several residents of Riverside caught a fleeting glimpse of the Freedom Train as it passed through South Danville on the Pennsylvania Railroad enroute to Williamsport." 
It also passed through  Sunbury that night and it passed through Sunbury again on Saturday the 15th, as it headed to Altoona.

Miss Ida R Heller, a faculty member t Stevens Junior High School, was recognized for her part in bringing the Freedom Train to Williamsport.

It carried 127 historical documents, including the Magna Carta, the Gettysburg Address, Francis Scott Key’s Manuscript of the “Star Spangled Banner,” the Emancipation Proclamation, German surrender documents, and the Declaration of
Independence.

" The goal of the tour was to inspire patriotism and instill citizenship after the difficulties of the Great Depression and World War II; the motto of the Freedom Train was “Freedom is everybody’s job!” "

Be A Good Citizen Book

Milton schools closed at 9:30am on Friday morning, "to afford pupils the opportunity to visit" the display in Williamsport.

The price of admission was $2 for adults, $1 for children 3-12, and $1 for those over age 65.  $1 in 1947 is roughly the equivalent of $15 in 2026.

(Location for this photo is unknown)

The Daily Item reported that less than half the children from Sunbury who went to Williamsport actually got to see the exhibits. 

 "By official count, 10,702 persons visited the train during it's Williamsport stopover.  The crowd came from a 100 mile area and a long line of people five abreast, was waiting when the exhibit closed.  Less than half the people who visited the city were able to get into the train."

"The trouble seems to have been that all the schools converged on Williamsport before 10 o'clock, the hour the exhibit opened.  Two hours later, there was no trouble. 

"A local visitor, Barton Scott, leaving a state highway project at Montoursville at the noon hour, went to the train, viewed the exhibit, and got back at work at one.  He made the trip particularly to see a picture of Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation and was highly pleased to note that it is identical with a picture in his famous collection of old photographs."

Map of the Pennsylvania Railroad lines, 1930

Another article explained that knowing the route of the train would need to take it through Sunbury, twice, the Mayor Nesbit had sought to have it stop in Sunbury.  But by the time the route was known and the request made, it was too late to add another stop.

The 500,000 visitor through the Freedom Train was Mrs Clyde E. Allen, at Williamsport.

The train was given the same protections given to a Presidential Train, and as such, an exact schedule was never released - there was no way to be certain when the train would pass through the towns it was not stopping in.

It was the first train of any kind to travel the entire breadth of the continental United States and make a stop in all forty-eight states. It did so with the full cooperation of fifty-two independent railroad lines, and was the longest train tour in American history.

 

Photograph of Sally Fickland Viewing the Emancipation Proclamation on the Freedom Train

The Freedom Train's tour officially ended at the end of Inauguration Week. On January 24, 1949, the National Archives removed the precious documents. 

This is a photograph of a display case containing three signature scrolls signed by visitors to the Freedom Train during its exhibition journey across the United States in 1947-1949. The scrolls were displayed in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building.

The 80 steel display cases from the Freedom Train were presented to the National Archives and used to show many historical treasures. The train cars were renovated back into passenger cars and returned to their respective parent companies.

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THE FREEDOM TRAIN PORTFOLIO

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A popular souvenir was a portfolio containing reproductions of documents that appeared on the Freedom Train

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Memorabilia from the 1947 Freedom Train includes:
Posters
Post cards
Comic Books
The Freedom Train Musical Score

• Documents of The Freedom Train
• The Freedom Train Musical Score
• Be A Good Citizen Book

Headed by a brand new Alco PA-1 diesel, the train consisted of seven cars - AT&SF baggage 1896, three PRR P70R coaches converted to display cars (the windows were plated over) and three Pullman sleepers to house the staff and Marines assigned to protect the train's contents. The train was assembled at Pennsylvania Railroad's Wilmington, DE, shops. 
The locomotive was one of the first Alco PA1's built, and was on loan from Alco. The A unit, powered by a 2000 hp 16-cylinder engine, pulled 7 heavyweight cars and had no B unit. The cars were loaned by the railroads from which they came. First was ATSF Baggage Car #1896. The following 3 cars were Pennsy P70R coaches #3465, 3489 and 3510 with their windows plated over. These were the historic document display cars. The next two cars were Pullman 6-compartment/ 3-double bedroom sleepers "Glen Fee" and "Penn Square". The last car was the Pullman 3-compartment 2-drawing room/ observation/lounge "Central Plains". The Pullmans were used to carry and house the Marine Corps guards and the site managers who accompanied the train. A golden eagle and the words FREEDOM TRAIN alternated on successive cars, except for the large seals on the lead baggage car and the last Pullman. The eagle on the PA1 was removed partway through the tour due to concerns that it looked like a symbol found in Nazi Germany. In fact it was an art deco eagle typical of the time.
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The Freedom Train arrived from Baltimore on Washington Union Station’s track 4, on November 27, 1947, Thanksgiving Day. After a brief ceremony led by Speaker of the House Joseph W. Martin, visitors—who had lined up very early in the morning—began to enter the train cars. The exhibit remained open for 12 hours on both Thanksgiving and the following day. 
During Thanksgiving Day, the Armed Forces were well represented—the U.S. Marine Band, the Army Band, the Air Forces Band, the Navy Band, in addition to Washington’s Police Band, all held concerts. That day, nearly 10,500 visitors came to see the 127 historic documents on display, including the Bill of Rights and George Washington’s annotated draft of the Constitution, both on loan from the National Archives. 
The following day, President Harry Truman, his cabinet, and Justices from the United States Supreme Court, visited the train. After a 30-minute tour, Truman gave a brief public statement, remarking “I sincerely wish that every person in this country, and in every country, for that matter, could see those documents and appreciate just what they stand for—freedom of the individual and liberty to live as that individual sees fit, as long as he lives in harmony with his neighbors.”
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The Freedom Train began as a concept formulated by government officials in early 1946.
Strongly supported by the Archivist of the United States and later President Harry S.
Truman, the train would display documents demonstrating celebrating American liberty.
After the American Heritage Foundation was formed to oversee the financial and
operational logistics of the project, the Freedom Train left from Philadelphia on
September 17, 1947 to begin a year-long, 33,000 mile journey to every state in the Union.
The train carried 127 historical documents, including the Magna Carta, the Gettysburg
Address, Francis Scott Key’s Manuscript of the “Star Spangled Banner,” the
Emancipation Proclamation, German surrender documents, and the Declaration of
Independence. The goal of the tour was to inspire patriotism and instill citizenship after
the difficulties of the Great Depression and World War II; the motto of the Freedom
Train was “Freedom is everybody’s job!” 

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