{"id":6536,"date":"2026-08-10T14:41:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T18:41:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chesapeakebeachrailwaymuseum.com\/?p=6536"},"modified":"2026-08-11T10:40:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T14:40:27","slug":"im-sorry-hobos-everywhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chesapeakebeachrailwaymuseum.com\/?p=6536","title":{"rendered":"I’m Sorry…Hobos Everywhere."},"content":{"rendered":"

I owe hobos an apology. I have come to realize that I completely misunderstood what being a hobo meant.<\/p>\n

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Library of Congress image: two hobos walking along the train tracks, undated<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I thought hobos simply rode the trains, from place to place, with no ambition and no real purpose. My mind was changed after stumbling upon an article from 1914 about a Hobo Convention. Yes! A Hobo Convention! I absolutely had to learn more about this convention and of course hobos.<\/p>\n

\"Newspaper<\/a>
The Gazette, Cedar Rapids Iowa, 7\/13\/1900<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

It turns out, that in the mid-to-late 1800s, sixty-three hobos decided to create the Tourist Union #63<\/em> to avoid being prosecuted for vagrancy (pretty clever!). Being a member and carrying a union card for the Tourist Union #63<\/em> made them a legitimate organization and legal\u2026 as long as they were looking for work. The convention met yearly in Britt, Iowa, where dues were collected, new members were signed up, a hobo king and queen were elected, rules were made\u2026etc. The hobos were surprisingly organized\u2026 at least compared to my preconceived notion.<\/p>\n

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source: notesoniowa.com: Sign from National Hobo Convention, early 1900s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

At the hobo convention, a list of rules to live by was created, which to be quite frank, sound pretty good. These rules were basically as follows:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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