Strip District in Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Railroad Strike of 1877

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, March 13, 2011

1. Railroad Strike Of 1877 Marker

Inscription. In July, unrest hit U.S. rail lines. Pennsylvania Railroad workers struck to resist wage and job cuts. Here, on July 21, militia fatally shot some 26 people. A battle followed; rail property was burned. The strike was finally broken by U.S. troops.

Erected 1997 by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Labor Unions • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) series list.

Location. 40° 27.369′ N, 79° 58.498′ W. Marker is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in Allegheny County. It is in the Strip District. It is at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and 28th Street, on the right when traveling east on Liberty Avenue. Located in a traffic island at Liberty Ave & 28th St in the Strip District of Pittsburgh. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pittsburgh PA 15222, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in the Ohio River Valley,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Seige at the 26th Street Roundhouse (approx. 0.2 miles away); Westinghouse Railroad Air Brake (approx. 0.3 miles away); Immaculate Heart of Mary R.C. Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Greenlee Field

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(approx. 0.4 miles away); Polish Hill War Monument (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Polish Hill War Monument (approx. 0.4 miles away); Charles Martin Hall (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Menace of the Iron Horse (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pittsburgh.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Twenty Murdered and a City Rises Up (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Railroad Strike of 1877 - Behind the Marker. Explore PA History website entry (Submitted on March 15, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, March 13, 2011

2. Railroad Strike Of 1877 Marker

Looking west on Liberty Avenue

The Great [railroad] Strike [Pittsburgh, Pa. 1877]: image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Unknown (wood engraving), 1877

3. The Great [railroad] Strike [Pittsburgh, Pa. 1877]:

Burning of offices and machine shops, PRR; Burning and sacking freight trains, PRR; and mob outside James Bown & Son gunworks [composite of 3 scenes on single page]
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Ruins of the Shops at 27th Street following the railroad strike riots in Pittsburgh. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Unknown, July 1877

4. Ruins of the Shops at 27th Street following the railroad strike riots in Pittsburgh.

Stereocard view. Courtesy: Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania

Credits. This page was last revised on May 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 14, 2011, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 2,191 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 14, 2011, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 3. submitted on November 29, 2011, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 4. submitted on April 29, 2011, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.