Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry: the Untold Story of an American Legend

225 Pages·2006·4.4 MB·English

by  Scott Reynolds Nelson

STEEL DRIVIN’ MAN
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STEEL DRIVIN’ MAN

JOHN HENRY, THE UNTOLD STORY
OF AN AMERICAN LEGEND

S COTT REYNOLDS NEL SON

2006
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Copyright © 2006 by Scott Reynolds Nelson

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nelson, Scott Reynolds
Steel drivin’ man : John Henry, the untold story of an American legend
/ Scott Reynolds Nelson.
p. cm
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-530010-9
ISBN-10: 0-19-530010-6
1. Henry, John William, 1847?–ca. 1875.
2. African Americans—Biography.
3. Railroad construction workers—United States—Biography.
4. John Henry (Legendary character).
5. African Americans—Music.
6. African American art.
7. Henry, John William, 1847?–ca. 1875—Homes and haunts.
8. Nelson, Scott Reynolds—Travel—Southern States.
9. Southern States—History, Local.
10. Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company—History.
I. Title
E185.97.H455N45 2006
973'.04960730092—dc22 [B] 2006045346

1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To my grandfather, David George Brown.
A big man who died too young.
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CONTENT S

1. The Search for John Henry 1
2. To the White House 21
3. Wiseman’s Grocery 41
4. Ward-Well 59
5. Man Versus Mountain 73
6. The Southern Railway Octopus 93
7. Songs People Have Sung: 1900–1930 119
8. Communist Strongman 143

Coda 169
Notes 175
Acknowledgments 197
Index 201
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STEEL DRIVIN’ MAN