Search
The Rare & Early Newspapers Hobby
Receive the Newsletter
Buy Historic Newspapers
Reflection: George Washington’s Birthday…
February 20, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
My five siblings and I grew up on the “wrong side of the tracks”. There really were tracks… and refineries which lit up the night sky… and rodents running around the neighborhood… and other creepy-crawly things which kept us awake at night. We had little money, but our lives were full, and our parent’s efforts to indulge us on a shoestring (when they could afford them) budget were always met with enthusiasm and thankful hearts. Holidays were the best – always soliciting a high degree of anticipation, for our dad would never fail to bring home a special treat to celebrate the occasion. My personal favorite was Washington’s Birthday – the holiday where I discovered the joys of dark chocolate and sweet cherries – the former birthed by “silver coins” to celebrate his amazing talent of throwing silver dollars across the Potomac River, and the latter through delightful chocolate covered cherries which reminded us to never lie – especially about chopping down trees. I didn’t know much about Washington other than him being our first President, but one thing I knew for certain, he must have been pretty awesome – a truth confirmed with jubilance by my tastebuds.
While I embrace the profound value we all have as a result of being made in God’s image, and appreciate the contribution each president has made to this great nation, I was sad to see Washington’s Birthday downgraded to an “all inclusive/generic” holiday. As one of my favorite authors (David McCullough) once said: “If everyone is special, then no one is. If everyone gets a trophy, trophies become meaningless.”
As time went on and I became a bit more educated, I accepted the reality that Washington didn’t actually chop down a cherry tree (let alone own up to doing so); and, while I’m still a bit uncertain, the realization that he likely found better use for silver dollars settled in.
Still, these annual mini-celebrations, flawed as they were, helped awaken my appreciation for our “Founding Parents” in general, and for George Washington in particular. Is everything I learned about him accurate? Of course not. However, one thing I know for sure, the populace cried deep tears of sorrow when their beloved leader, to the amazement of the world, voluntarily steps aside so “We The People” could select their choice for the next to hold the reigns. Is his birthday still worth celebrating? Maybe so, or maybe not, but as for me, I’m picking up some chocolate covered cherries on the way home today.
In honor of this great leader, the pre-resignation announcement as it appeared in The Supplement To The Federal Gazette dated September 20, 1796, is shown below. A truly historic moment!
Announcing: Catalog #327 for February, 2023 – Rare & Early Newspapers for collectors…
January 30, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
|
February’s catalog (#327) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
|
[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.]
This Day in “News” History (Part II) – January 27th…
January 27, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Earlier this week we featured the post: “This Day in ‘News’ History… January 23…”, along with brief directions as to how you could explore any date. It also featured a link the available newspapers listed on the RareNewspapers.com website which were dated on the 23rd of January (throughout time). We had so much fun pulling these together, we thought we would do this same for today (the 27th of January), but this time, in addition to including a link to the available issues, one of our staff randomly selected a little more than a dozen in a short video. Enjoy.
Link to Available Issues Dated January 27th (through time)
This Day in “News” History… January 23…
January 23, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
There are many internet sources available to explore what happened on a particular day in history. However, as collectors and resellers of “Rare & Early Newspapers”, our curiosity lies in what people were reading in their morning newspaper on specific days in history. In nearly every instance they were discovering what happened the day prior – and if one reaches back into the 1600s, 1700’s, and early 1800s, when news travelled a bit more slowly, they very well could have been (finally) reading about “rumored” and/or anticipated events from days, weeks, or even months prior.
As an example…
What about January 23rd? The following link will take you to all of our available newspapers dated January 23rd:
NEWS REPORTED in NEWSPAPERS on January 23rd (through time)
Enjoy the trek. Oh, and if you want to try other dates, go here and plug in any month/day of interest.
The January (2023) Newsletter from Rare & Early Newspapers…
January 20, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Monthly Newsletter ~ Rare & Early Newspapers
|
|
|
Announcing: Catalog #326 for January, 2023 – Rare & Early Newspapers for collectors…
January 2, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
|
|
[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.]
Printed History: Collecting 3.5M rare newspapers in Central Pa.
December 12, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Approximately 2 months ago The Williamsport Sun-Gazette (PA) wrote an article about a presentation Tim Hughes gave a local historical society. As a follow-up, Joseph W. Smith III, a writer, speaker and teacher in Central PA, wrote an article about Tim’s trek through the hobby. If you ever wondered about “the story” behind “Rare & Early Newspapers“, or were considering jumping in yourself, this could be a great place to begin your adventure. The article may be viewed at:
Printed History: Collecting 3.5M rare newspapers in Central Pa
Announcing: Catalog #325 for December, 2022 – Rare & Early Newspapers for collectors…
December 2, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
|
|
[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.]
Time-Lapse… Frederick Douglass (1834) to Henry Garnett (1865)…
November 24, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
As I continue to slowly devour every word of the autobiography, “The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass”, I was recently moved to as close to tears as I come as I pondered his retelling of the crushing hopelessness he felt after having been beaten to a whisper of death:
“I have often, in the deep stillness of a summer’s Sabbath, stood all alone upon the banks of that noble [Chesapeake] bay, and traced, with saddened heart and tearful eye, the countless number of sails moving off to the mighty ocean. The sight of these always affected me powerfully. My thoughts would compel utterance; and there, with no audience but the Almighty, I would pour out my soul’s complaint in my rude way with an apostrophe to the moving multitude of ships.”
‘You are loosed from your moorings, and free. I am fast in my chains, and am a slave! You move merrily before the gentle gale, and I sadly before the bloody whip. You are freedom’s swift-winged angels, that fly around the world; I am confined in bonds of iron. O, that I were free! O, that I were on one of your gallant decks, and under your protecting wing! Alas! betwixt me and you the turbid waters roll. Go on, go on; O, that I could also go! Could I but swim! If I could fly! O, why was I born a man, of whom to make a brute! The glad ship is gone: she hides in the dim distance. I am left in the hell of unending slavery. O, God, save me! God, deliver me! Let me be free!–Is there any God? Why am I a slave? I will run away. I will not stand it. Get caught or get clear, I’ll try it. I had as well die with ague as with fever. I have only one life to lose. I had as well be killed running as die standing. Only think of it: one hundred miles north, and I am free! Try it? Yes! God helping me, I will. It cannot be that I shall live and die a slave. I will take to the water. This very bay shall yet bear me into freedom. The steamboats steer in a northeast course from North Point; I will do the same; and when I get to the head of the bay, I will turn my canoe adrift, and walk straight through Delaware into Pennsylvania. When I get there, I shall not be required to have a pass: I will travel there without being disturbed. Let but the first opportunity offer, and come what will, I am off. Meanwhile I will try to bear the yoke. I am not the only slave in the world. Why should I fret? I can bear as much as any of them. Besides I am but a boy yet, and all boys are bound out to someone. It may be that my misery in slavery will only increase my happiness when I get free. There is a better day coming.’
I shall never be able to narrate half the mental experience through which it was my lot to pass, during my stay at Covey’s. I was completely wrecked, changed, and bewildered; goaded almost to madness at one time, and at another reconciling myself to my wretched condition.”
All bound by the common thread of having been given the breath of life by the same Creator, how could one “brother” treat a fellow sojourner with such abject cruelty? This goes beyond black and white as the relationship between slave an owner has played out similarly since the dawn of time, however, will it never end? Would ”The Almighty” hear his cry?
Fastforward approximately 30 years. Frederick Douglass is now free, residing in the North, and is living a life of gratitude expressed by his exhaustive efforts for the cause of abolition. Slaves are on the cusp of being emancipated, and for the first time in the history of the United States, a former slave of African descent, Rev. Henry Garnett, was permitted to preach (a common occurrence for whites) at The Capital. The article below regarding this event was printed in the New York Tribune, dated February 13, 1865. There would still be many obstacles to overcome before former slaves (or their descendants) would be viewed as “equal under the law”, and some might (rightfully) argue additional progress still needs to be made, but in this moment in time, with the Frederick Douglass quote fixed firmly in my mind and weighing heavy on my heart, I am grateful for the hope provided by the gains which have been made through time.
Veterans – War’s end is rarely met with the end to their battles…
November 10, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Once the battle is over and the smoke has cleared, the life of a veteran has not always been rosy and gay. Quality healthcare, needed family benefits, receipt of back pay, sufficient re-entry counselling, quality care for wounded warriors, ongoing honor for their service, etc. have often been less than desirable, and far below the need. This isn’t to say strides over time have not been made, but like many societal issues, much work still needs to be done.
One step in the right direction took place in 1942 and was reported in The New York Times for June 23rd. It told of FDR signing the G.I. Bill of Rights and was accompanied by a nice photo of the signing.
Thankfully, the trek did not end here and continues to this day. The following link will take you to a chronological journey through issues with content related to veterans (you may need to select the individual issue’s link to see/read the content):