Reflecting back on December, 1773… The Boston Tea Party…

December 19, 2022 by · Leave a Comment 

As we come to the end of 2022 and consider both the good and the bad… the peaceful and the tumultuous… the triumphant and the tragic, we may be harboring some of the same thoughts and sentiments as many of our fellow “Americans” from 1773.

As they gathered around their fireplaces at the close of the year, and read an article in the CONNECTICUT JOURNAL & NEW HAVEN POST-BOY for the day datelined December 23rd, there is no doubt their reflections took them back to the dark and cold night of December 16, 1773, while snow lay round about, of the match which ignited a powder keg lighting up the entire world – what we now refer to as the Boston Tea Party. Tumultuous may be an understatement for their year-end ponderings.

Perhaps not the same thoughts, but “felt” oppression from those in position of power are rarely long endured.

They put it in print… Fairfax County, Virginia reacts to The Intolerable Acts…

October 11, 2018 by · Leave a Comment 

How did Fairfax County, Virginia, the home of George Washington, react to The Intolerable Acts? Thanks to The Virginia Gazette dated August 4, 1774, we don’t need to guess – after all, they put it in print:

Thanks to the Virginia Gazette dated May 5, 1774 for putting the following in print in print.

They put it in print… The Boston Tea Party – now they’re really in trouble…

October 8, 2018 by · 1 Comment 

It’s one thing to infuriate the British. It’s an entirely different matter to agitate local merchants. Yet, I can only imagine the trouble that would have ensued had PETA been around at the time of the Boston Tea Party.

Thanks to the Virginia Gazette dated May 5, 1774 for putting the following in print in print.

The Traveler… an honorable military by George Washington… snow-canoeing, where???

February 20, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

Today’s travels brought me to the Boston Gazette of February 20, 1812 where I found a continuing discussion about Captain Henry Purkitt and his removal from an official position. This lead to the inclusion of his honorable discharge which was signed by “G. Washington” for his seven years and one month of faithful service. In doing some internet researching, I found that he was one of the youth that was a participant in the Boston Tea Party!

A report of Georgia receiving twelve inches of snow in one day was quite interesting! “…To diversify the amusement, a large canoe was attached to a pair of horses, and with a full complement men, and with colours flying, went with considerable rapidity cruising up an down the streets, affording an excellent representations of a gunboat under way… but like a gun-boat she seemed destined to be unfortunate… we learn that she was upset and every soul on board precipitated into the melting snow and dirt…” There was also mention of snowballs being thrown as well. I guess snow-canoeing never really took off though as it hasn’t made it into the Winter Olympics… yet!

~The Traveler

The “top ten”: 18th century…

December 14, 2009 by · 9 Comments 

Continuing with our “top ten events to be found in newspapers” for various periods of time, today we consider the 18th century.

What an event-filled one hundred years it was. As you can tell by the list my focal point is on the American Revolution, but there are other events or specific newspapers which made it into my top ten.

Again I offer apologies to our non-American friends as this list has  a decidedly American bias, primarily because the vast majority of those who purchase from us are American.

Here we go, starting with number ten:

George-Washington-death10) Death of George Washington, 1799 (Front page, preferably in a Virginia Gazette)

9) Hanging of Captain Kidd, 1701 (Just can’t resist a great pirate hanging, he being perhaps the most famous of all time)

8.) Any newspaper with the first installment of Paine’s “The Crisis” (“These are the times that try men’s souls…” has to be one of the more famous beginnings of all time)

7) Full text of the Stamp Act (Certainly a trigger event that would lead to the Revolution)

6) Boston Tea Party (In a Boston newspaper. An event every school kid knows about)

5) The Pennsylvania Journal, Nov. 1, 1765 “skull & crossbones” engraving (Replaced its normal masthead on this date: seen in most history books)

Constitution_PA_Packet4) Battle of Lexington & Concord with mention of Paul Revere’s ride (The beginning of the Revolutionary War. I had one once with mention of Revere–exceedingly rare–great to have in a Boston area newspaper)

3) The Boston News-Letter, 1704 (Great to have issue #1 of America’s first successful newspaper, but any issue from 1704 would do)

2) The Pennsylvania Packet, Sept. 19, 1787 (First newspaper to print the Constitution, & done in broadside format. Need I say more?)

1) The Declaration of Independence, 1776 (Ideally the Pennsylvania Evening Post, July 6, 1776, but the Packet of July  8 would work too as it contains the Declaration entirely on the front page: better for display).