Spinning the Yarn: The Power of Newspapers as Primary Sources…

June 21, 2026 by · Leave a Comment 

A collecting friend of ours has published a newspapers-tethered book that might interest many of you. The following summary is provided in case you’d like to take a look:

Spinning the Yarn—written by author Paul M. Bohannon—offers a compelling and original contribution to early baseball history, grounded firmly in the rich evidentiary value of historic newspapers. Drawing extensively from period sources such as Porter’s Spirit of the Times and the Sunday Mercury, the book highlights how contemporary reporting captured not just the scores of early games, but the culture, personalities, and pivotal moments that shaped the sport.

One of the book’s most intriguing revelations centers on an 1855 dinner hosted by Samuel Godwin, president of Brooklyn’s Putnam Base Ball Club. This gathering—held after a decisive victory—brought together players, dignitaries, and crucially, newspaper representatives. As documented in these early publications, the evening marked a turning point: an intentional and strategic outreach to the press that helped ignite sustained baseball coverage. The following year’s reports, including detailed accounts of the Putnam Club’s contests, reveal the emergence of a narrative style that would evolve into modern sports writing.

We extend our thanks (and best wishes for success) to Paul for demonstrating so powerfully how (rare &) early newspapers serve as invaluable primary sources for uncovering and preserving… and in this instance, instrumental on forming the story of America’s past.

[newspapers with baseball content]

 

Filed under: Announcements, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Sports, The Rare Newspapers Community
Tagged:

June 20, 2026 by · Leave a Comment 

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

After two decades, we (Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers), have a brand-new website!

The enhancements are best enjoyed first-hand.

Start your discovery at:

RareNewspapers.com

Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, The Collectible Community, The Rare Newspapers Community
Tagged:

Juneteenth… The Nuances of Slavery’s End…

June 19, 2026 by · Leave a Comment 

The saying, “History is a set of lies agreed upon,” often attributed to Napoleon, reminds us how easily we can simplify the past. A few days ago, I read about the story of General Granger’s landmark announcement in Galveston on June 19, 1865. Today, while digging deeper into the same moment, I came across Colonel G.W. Clark’s follow-up order issued in Houston just three days later. Reading both orders side by side offers a fascinating window into how emancipation actually unfolded on the ground in Texas.
General Granger’s General Order No. 3 was the pivotal statewide declaration that brought the Emancipation Proclamation to the last major Confederate holdout. Addressed to “the people of Texas,” it formally informed roughly 250,000 enslaved people that they were free, stressing “absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property” and transforming the old master-slave relationship into one of “employer and hired labor.” Its importance cannot be overstated: this was the public, official moment that ended legal slavery in Texas and gave birth to Juneteenth as a day of celebration and remembrance.
Colonel Clark’s General Orders No. 3, issued on June 22, 1865, for the Post of Houston, played a more localized but equally necessary role. It provided the practical instructions needed to prevent chaos in a major occupied city, directing freedmen to remain temporarily with former owners while reassuring them that doing so would “forfeit none of their rights of freedom.” Clark added details about upcoming labor contracts and consequences for idleness, showing the administrative work required to turn grand declarations into orderly reality.
Though both orders advanced the same goal of peaceful transition, their tones on freedom differed in telling ways. Granger’s language was bold and expansive, celebrating equality and a clean break with the past. Clark’s was more measured and reassuring, carefully balancing direction with the promise that freedom remained intact. Reading them together reveals how emancipation was not a single dramatic event but a layered process—announced with inspiring clarity in one breath and managed with cautious practicality in the next. In that sense, these two orders from 1865 still rhyme with the challenges of turning high ideals into lived experience.

Filed under: Post Civil War, The Collectible Community
Tagged:

Most Important Election Ever… Washington Takes the Reins…

June 12, 2026 by · Leave a Comment 

In our current culture, with its never-ending news cycles, we often hear the cry: “This is the most important election ever.” We all have our own opinions about each election cycle; however, I could make a strong case for the election of 1789.As America’s first president, George Washington was perfectly suited to serve through a rare blend of leadership, character, and symbolic power. As commander of the Continental Army, he secured independence despite numerous setbacks, earning unmatched national respect and unifying a divided people. His voluntary resignation in 1783 and his reluctance to accept the presidency demonstrated selfless restraint, calming fears of monarchy and establishing the precedent of limited terms.Washington’s moral authority—rooted in integrity, stoicism, and republican virtue—provided essential trust in a fragile new republic. As a Virginia planter with national stature, he bridged regional divides while projecting dignity and calm judgment. Practically speaking, his administrative experience enabled him to form a capable cabinet and set enduring precedents in neutrality, finance, and crisis management.In an experimental nation threatened by debt, factionalism, and foreign powers, Washington’s prestige and wisdom helped launch the Constitution successfully, truly earning him the title “Father of the United States of America.”

Filed under: Announcements, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1700's, The Collectible Community
Tagged: ,

Who’s Who in Newspapers? Moses G. Farmer edition (1879)…

June 8, 2026 by · Leave a Comment 

The 15th installment of: Who’s Who in Newspapers

When it comes to “man on the street” interviews, the lack of knowledgeable responses often received never fails to confound. We enjoy watching these—which is a bit troubling in itself—but if an interviewer asked, “Who invented the light bulb?”, I’d bet 75% would answer correctly, especially with a few “Thom…  Thomas… Thomas Ed…” clues.

However, and to be fair, few of us (myself included) could name the pioneers who paved the way. Enter Moses G. Farmer. Thanks to a January 11, 1879, issue of Scientific American titled “THE FIRST ELECTRIC LAMPS,” I discovered this fascinating inventor who lit his Salem, MA, home in 1859—two decades before Edison’s breakthrough.

Using platinum filaments and batteries he had mounted for the purpose in his cellar, Farmer proved electricity could replace gas. Though the cost of platinum and the lack of a vacuum prevented commercial success, his “parlor lights” were the first to move electric light from the lab into a domestic reality – often enlightening dinner guests with his invention.

Farmer provided the “blueprint of failures” Edison needed. He proved electricity could light a home; Edison simply figured out how to make it last longer than a dinner party.

A modern sketch comparing Farmer’s and Edison’s work is shown below.

I love this collectible – and how it fuels the engine of life-long learning.

Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Post Civil War
Tagged: , , ,

Lead-up to a Nation… as reported in the newspapers of the day (reflecting back on May, 1776)…

June 5, 2026 by · Leave a Comment 

Today we continue our series, “Lead-Up to a Nation… as reported in the newspapers of the day” – the anniversary of the greatest experiment in democracy and self-government.
The following are the installments from last month (May, 2026, which reflected on the events as they were reported approximately 250 years ago – in and around May, 1776:

We hope you are enjoying this year-long trek to the 250th anniversary of The United States through the eyes of those who were fully engaged, first hand. As mentioned previously, all accounts are rooted in what they read in the newspapers of the day.

“History is never more fascinating than when read from the day it was first reported.” (Timothy Hughes, 1975)

Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Revolutionary War, The 1500's - 1700's, The Collectible Community, The Hobby, The Rare Newspapers Community
Tagged: , , , , ,

An intriguing irony of American history, only to be found in a newspaper…

June 1, 2026 by · Leave a Comment 

There are times when we browse through a newspaper and, while looking for something else, come across an unexpected little gem of American history. And from what we are able to determine, this “little gem” has never been reported to this day.

The “Boston Daily Journal” of April 14, 1865 shares the date of the Lincoln assassination, he attending a performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Page 3 of this newspaper has an advertisement for the Boston Theatre, noting: “This (Friday) Evening Benefit and Positively Last Night of EDWIN BOOTH who will appear as Sir Edward Mortimer…To-Morrow (Saturday Afternoon, Farewell Appearance of EDWIN BOOTH, Who will sustain his Great Character of Hamlet…”.
So what did we find? The very evening that famed actor Edwin Booth was performing in a Boston theater, his younger brother was assassinating the President in a theater less than 400 miles away.

This advertisement, logically, would only be found in a Boston newspaper.

This is similar to another of our blog posts, concerning Lincoln attending a Washington, D.C. stage performance of John Wilkes Booth in 1863, the irony being Lincoln’s assumed applause at the conclusion of the performance for the person who would assassinate him less than 2 years later.

Such tidbits of history are fascinating finds, and could only be discovered in newspapers of the day. So look carefully at the issues you purchase. Will you discover a historical gem that the world knew nothing about?

Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, New York City, Noteworthy Issues, Unusual, Fun & Bizarre, Yankee
Tagged: , , ,