The American Freedom Train traveled across all 48 contiguous U.S. states during the Bicentennial.
The train’s route was planned as a nationwide celebration that could reach people who could not travel to major anniversary events. It began in Wilmington, Delaware, in April 1975 and crossed the country in a long, winding itinerary. In 1976, it continued through the Southwest, Texas, the Midwest, the Gulf Coast, and the Atlantic states.
The phrase “48 contiguous states” is important because Alaska and Hawaii were not connected to the continental rail network used by the train. Both states had joined the Union in 1959, but the traveling exhibition’s rail route covered the lower forty-eight only.
The train made 138 city stops and traveled more than 25,000 miles. It ended in Florida in December 1976. The tour is often remembered as one of the largest nationwide public-history projects associated with the United States Bicentennial.