John Henry

by Alex

This stamp commemorates John Henry. John was born with a hammer in his hand and seemed to be destined to be a steel-driving man. So when he was old enough, he set out to the country in search of his dream.
One day he found a railroad under construction. He walked up to the workers and asked for a job. Since John Henry didn't have any experience, he was turned down. That's when John decided to show the workers. So he got a hammer and asked for a person to hold a spike for him. Only Willie volunteered. Then John swung the hammer and drove the spike into the ground with a single swing. John not only got the job, he also became Willie's best friend. They sung as they worked and enjoyed their job.
One day it was heard that the C&O Railroad was under construction and wanted some help. So John and Willie left to help build the railroad. Then one day a man came with a steam engine and claimed it could beat any man by a mile. But John Henry opposed that and said he could beat the steam engine any time. So they had a contest. The object was the one who hammered the most spikes in a day would win. Well John Henry won but died soon after the contest. After that, John Henry was called the best steel-driving man ever. My stamp shows John Henry hammering spikes with Willie holding the spikes.

by Bixi

This stamp commemorates John Henry. When John Henry was born his parents knew right away that he was born to be a steel driving man because he was born with a hammer in his hand. Right after the two minutes that he was born he ask his mom for food like ham, bread, chicken, and much more. After his gigantic feast he took along nap and when I mean long I mean two weeks long.
When John Henry was a little bit older he started to do things like wrestle with hogs and juggle chickens at the same time. When John Henry was a teenager he set off to find a job. When he found some people hammering iron nails into train tracks he ran down there and started hammering and with no doubt, the boss hired him. John Henry worked on the C&O Railroad and many other ones too. John Henry was the best steel driving man that ever lived.
But one day a man came with a steel driving machine and challenged John Henry to a race to see who could drive more steel. John Henry accepted the challenge. John Henry beat the machine but in a way the machine also beat him. You, see after the race John Henry died. But some people say that he didn't die. Some people say he just is taking along nap.
My stamp shows John Henry being born with a hammer in his hand. The he ask his mom for a gigantic feast. The table is full of food for him to eat.

by Brittany

This stamp commemorates John Henry. In the book we read that John Henry was a steel driver. He was born with a hammer in his hand. He was at his job hammering rails for the C&O railroad.
While he was working someone came to his captain and said, "My machine can beat any steel driven' man."
The captain made a bet that John will race against the machine. The next day he and his friend, Little Willie, got ready to work. Little Willie is John Henry's friend who holds down the nails for him. The captain pulled the trigger, with a gun, shot the race began. John worked as hard as he could.
He asked Little Willie to look and see who was winning and he said, "It looks like we are. They have to put a new engine in it."
Then the machine caught up. After hours of hard work the gun shot again and they stopped working. The crowd got silent. The judges measured how far they had each gotten.
John Henry started to cough. He had dust and dirt all over his face. Everybody crowded around him and Little Willie. They all told him how good he and Little Willie were.
The judges told the captain who won and then they came to the crowd and said, "John Henry I am proud to announce that you are the winner!!!!!!"
John Henry started to cough and he said, " I won this match and I said I was born with a hammer in my hand and now I am going to die with a hammer in my hand."
Then he fell to the ground and closed his eyes and died.
My picture shows when John was racing against the machine.

by Dale

John Henry was born in the south. He was born with a hammer in his hand. He weighed 45 lbs and could talk when he was 2 hours old. John Henry had a 70 pound sledge hammer made for him. He was a confident and trusting man. John and his wife, named Polly Anne, were happy.
John had a friend named Li'l Willie. Li'l Willie held the stakes in place so John could hit them. John had a dream about working on the C&O railroad. John worked so fast that he had some firemen carry buckets of water so his hammers wouldn't catch fire!
One day a city man came and offered a steamdrill to the steel driving captain. He said it could beat any of the steel driving men. Then John said he was a man and no machine could beat a man. So they put on race.
After a long time the race was finally over and the judge came out and said, "JOHN HENRY HAS WON THE RACE."
John came out and soon he laid there and died. Some say he took a long nap. I designed this stamp about John Henry because he believed in himself.
My stamp shows John Henry hammering stakes on his first day at work.

by Esther

This stamp commemorates John Henry. He was a steel driver, and he was born with a hammer in his hand. He started learning how to use the hammer as he grew up. He had a dream about himself working on the C&O railroad. He also had a dream that he would die with a hammer in his hand. He left his parents home and he waved good bye to them.
He became a steel driver and he drove a lot of steel for his boss. He had a friend called Li'Willie. One day a stranger came to John's boss and told him to choose one of your men to compete with the engine that can drive a drill through rock so fast that not even a crew of his best men can keep up with it. The boss told John about the stranger and his engine John said that he was going to compete with the engine.
So the race started John was ahead of the engine but a few seconds later the engine was ahead of him. At last the competition ended and they announced that John Henry was the winner. When John came out he looked tired and John laid down and died. Some people still say that he is not dead he is just having a long nap.

by Kathy

My stamp commemorates John Henry. He was the strongest guy in the world. He beat that big machine in a contest, and that machine was pretty big too. Noone could have done that in a million years. John Henry was born to drive steel. He died because the smoke from the coils went into his lungs. His wife Polly was very sad. She still belives that he is alive. By the way, did you know that she was very pretty? Oh yes you can't forget about Little Willy. He was John's best friend. He also held John's spikes for him to hammer.
My stamp shows when he had a dream about working in the C&O railroad. He wanted to work their more than anything.

by Lauren

This stamp commemorates John Henry. John Henry was a steel driving hammer man. He could drive a hammer so fast you could see the sparks . Anyway when he was born the first thing he picked up was a hammer.
One day John dreamed he was working on a rail road called the C&O. When he got older he wanted to find a job. He went to a steel driving railroad construction site and he asked the manager if he could have a job.
John said, ''Let me show you that I can hammer.''
He asked if anyone would hold his spike. Everyone was thinking, "I don't won't to get my hand slammed."
A boy named Willie said, ''I'll hold it.''
So John proved to them that he could hammer better than anyone else. A couple years later the boss bet with a salesman that John could beat the salesman's steam engine in a race. The day came for the race. The steam engine and John raced all day and night while little Willie sang a song. Soon the gun was shot, which meant the race was over. The Judge went to see who had won. The Judge checked on John. He come out of the tunnel and told the towns people that John had won. They jumped for joy.
When John came out he said, '' I did what I did and I beat the steam engine.''
Then he fell down on the ground and died with a hammer in his hand.

by Paul

This stamp commemorates John Henry. When he was a baby he was born with a hammer in his hand. He loved to hit things like wood with his hammer.
He started to talk when he was two hours old and his first words were, "I'm hurngry."
When he was a teenager he was so big he couldn't fit throught the front door so he moved out of the house. He went to look for a job on the railroad since he was so bit and strong. His dream was to be a steel driving man. He could hammer a peg in the ground as fast a lightning. He found a job on the railroad and he was good. He married a girl named Polly Ann. He died racing a giant steam drill to see who or what would win.
Well, anyway, I wrote about John Henry because he was a good and proud man. My stamp shows John Henry hitting a steel peg.

by Raisa

John Henry was born August 9th. Some people say he was born with a hammer in his hand. John Henry was born to be a steeldriver. He was very tall. Why, he was so tall he had to move out of his own house!
When he was looking for a job why, he would sing with that voice of his. One day John found a good job as a steeldriver. John Henry was a good man. He even fell in love with a girl name PollyAnne. She was very pretty too. John had good experience as a steeldriver. Some people say when John hammered they would see fire comming out of the hammer. Of coruse John had a blacksmith make him two heavy hammers. They were so heavy it took almost 10 workers to lift just one of the hammers.
There was a man who came one day with a machine. He called it the steamdrill. It would do all of the workers work. John said he's not going to let any machine do his work. To solve the problem they had a race. John Henry vs The steamdrill. John won the race but after that he died with his hammers crossed on his heart.
I choose to do this stamp because John Henry has a good heart and soul. My stamp shows John Henry working on the C&O railroad on a bright and sunny day.

by Sidney

This stamp commemorates John Henry. He was said to have been born with a hammer in his hand. He always had liked hammers since he was a baby. John also always knew he wanted to be a steel driver.
He had a friend named Little Wille. He and Little Wille worked together once they met. John always loved to sing while he worked. John always surprised everyone when they had first seen him worked. After a couple years he used a twenty-pound hammer in each hand.
Then one day a stranger came with a steam engine for sale. The guy said said it was faster then anybody. John challenged the engine to a race. The race was a very close one. In the end John Henry won by 4 feet. He died after the race. John Henry may have won the race but in a way the engine also won.
My stamp shows John Henry and Little Wille working.

by Walter

John was born one morning in his house and the first thing he reached for was a hammer. When he was 2hours old he looked like a six year old. When John went to look for a job he needed somebody to hold the spikes for him so he met L'il Willie. L'il Willie and John were great partners in the tracks. Then he met Polly Ann.
John promised to beat the steamdrill. The sales guy said that the steamdrill could beat any man in the world. The day John raced the steamdrill everybody went to the C&O railroad. When the race started there was the sounds of the steamdrill and John. When the race finished John came out of the Big Bend tunnel. That's when John won but he died with a hammer on his hand.