Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Powell, George May (1835-1905) Sunday Railway & Str. Travel or traffic

High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00687.199 Author/Creator: Powell, George May (1835-1905) Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph manuscript Date: no date Pagination: 22 p. : envelope ; 22 x 12.3 cm. Order a Copy

He discusses the secular and ethical nature of the topic that Sunday traffic does not pay. He includes the testimonies of various railroad men who agree that working on Sunday is reckless and not economically profitable. He uses historical, literary, and political proponents of the Sabbath, including Lincoln and Webster. "The Sabbath is the great bulwark to protect both our financial and our political economic interests."

Powell was a Lincoln supporter and served as a statistician in the Treasury Department during the Civil War. Active in religious work as a young man, he was the secretary and manager of the Evangelistic Press Association and led a topographical corps through Egypt and North Africa to create Sunday School maps of Palestine and the Holy Land. Powell participated in the American Forestry Commission, the Grange and Patrons of Husbandry, the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, and the National Geographic Society. He was active in Sabbath reform work.

Powell, George May, 1835-1905

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources