Pennsylvania Germans near the Conestoga River first made Conestoga wagons around 1750 to haul freight. By the 1810s, improved roads to Pittsburgh and Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) stimulated trade between Philadelphia, Baltimore, and settlers near the Ohio River. Wagoners with horse-drawn C

In these classroom activities developed for the exhibition America on the Move, students will use visual, analytical, and interpretive skills to examine primary sources including historical maps and answer questions about them to learn more about railroads, transportation, raci

In these classroom activities, developed for the exhibition America on the Move, students will use visual, analytical, and interpretive skills to examine primary sources including a historical map and answer questions about them to learn more about global consumption, productio

Railroads have moved people and cargo around America for more than 180 years. By using this OurStory module, children and adults can enjoy exploring the history of trains in America. Focused on actively reading Jingle the Brass, a historical fiction picture book about a ride on a steam l

See one of America's earliest steam locomotives, the John Bull, come to life while riding the rails. Part of an OurStory module entitled All Aboard the Train!, this activity includes strategies that will help adults and children actively view a 4-minute video of the John Bull in

Jingle the Brass is a book about a young boy who learns words used by railroad workers of the steam-engine era while on an exciting train trip. Part of an OurStory module entitled All Aboard the Train!, this activity includes strategies that will help adults and children activel

Playing, singing, and cooking can bring learning about trains to life! Part of an OurStory module entitled All Aboard the Train!, this activity includes tips for incorporating special terms used by railroad workers into playing with trains, cooking a train café car menu, or singing trai

Explore a local train-related site with safety and discussion tips for kids and families. Part of an OurStory module entitled All Aboard the Train!, this activity includes strategies for selecting a train-related field trip in your area (such as train stations, train tracks, or train mus

Students will learn how commerce on the Great Lakes, canals and rivers played an important role in the development of the country in this section of On the Water: Stories from Maritime America, an online exhibition. The country's vast system of rivers and lakes has helped

The AAR Website promotes the utilization of freight rail as a viable, eco-friendly, alternative to trucks when hauling freight across the United States, and all of North America. AAR members include the major freight railroads in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as Amtrak, and are ba