Railroad Time

 
[Marshall Field & Co. clock, Chicago, November 2, 2009; Blvd., Reaumer clock, Paris, April, 2009  /Images &
Artwork: designslinger]

Time was once set by the place you were standing in, and the position of the sun.

 
[Dearborn/Polk Street Station (1883-85), Cyrus L.W. Eidlitz, 47 W. Polk Street, Chicago, November 2, 2009;
Images & Artwork: designslinger]

But on November 18, 1883 Standard Time was inaugurated in the United States by the
nation's railroad companies. This meant that instead of everyone running on their own random reading of the sun, they would all be using the same clock with the same times, as trains traveled across the continent. When construction was starting on Chicago's oldest remaining train terminal in October 1883, delegations from the rail companies were meeting a few blocks away at the General Time Convention, where the date was set for implementation.

 
[Union Station (1925) Daniel Burnham & Co., 225 S. Canal Street, Chicago, November 11, 2009 /Images & Artwork: designslinger]

So, on the 18th, at noon over the 90th meridian, railroad clocks throughout the U.S. were
set according to a designated time zone.

 
[Union Station, Great Hall /Images & Artwork: designslinger]

It wasn't until 1918 however, that the U.S. Congress formally acknowledged the plan by
passing the Standard Time Act.
 
We no longer travel by train in the U.S. The national system known as Amtrak has been on
life support for decades. But, the legacy of the inauguration of Standard Time is so much a part of life today, it seems impossible that we ever lived without it.
 
Posted by designslinger at 11/18/2009 2:15 AM
Categories: Architecture, Ephemera, History
Tags: Union Station Chicago Dearborn Street Station Standard Time
 

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  • 11/18/2009 9:01 AM Ancient Digger wrote:
    Who knew? It seems that time is a subject of great importance these days as I keep running into historical journals that discuss the history of it's evolution. Although, I do love to learn new tidbits as to when it was concretely established as a norm. Great piece.
    1. 11/18/2009 3:39 PM designslinger wrote:
      Thanks!
  • 11/18/2009 12:27 PM Jo Holzer wrote:
    WOW! Thank you for another piece of erudite trivia ... never thought about when/why/how standardized time began. I love it!
    1. 11/18/2009 3:43 PM designslinger wrote:
      Glad you enjoyed it!
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