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West Virginia’s first newspapers…
January 28, 2013 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The history of West Virginia newspapers dates some 70 years before West Virginia became a state. Statehood came late to West Virginia, carved from Virginia in the midst of the Civil War, happening officially on June 20, 1863. But its first newspaper began in 1790 when Nathaniel Willis began his “Potowmac Guardian & Berkeley Advertiser” at Shepherd’s-Town, near Harper’s Ferry. Less than two years later Willis moved the newspaper to Martinsburg.
The second newspaper was the “Shepherd’s Town, Charles-Town and County Advertiser” begun by Philip Rootes and Charles Blagrove on June 28, 1797. No copies beyond October 11, 1797 have been located. The third newspaper was the “Berkeley Intelligencer” done at Martinsburg on April 3, 1799 by John Alburtis. Many followed, including what is shown in the image, “The Observer, and Western Advertiser”, Lewisburg, [West] Virgina, 1884.
The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln… one the the very best…
January 18, 2013 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The April 22, 1865 issue of the National Police Gazette, New York, printed what many consider to be the best illustrated newspaper related to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Judge for yourself. Regardless of your final analysis, please enjoy the images from this incredible authentic newspaper compliments of Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers… History’s Newsstand… via Pinterest:
A gem in the American Antiquarian Society… Charleston Mercury Extra…
January 14, 2013 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
In celebration of its 20oth anniversary the American Antiquarian Society published a beautiful exhibition catalog titled “In Pursuit Of A Vision – Two Centuries of Collecting at the American Antiquarian Society”. Featured are a fascinating array of books, documents, maps & other paper ephemera, as well as several very rare & unusual newspapers we felt worthy of sharing with our Rare & Early Newspapers’ collectors (with permission from the A.A.S.).
“Charleston Mercury Extra“, December 20, 1860
The divisive political events of the 1850s had pitted North against South on numerous issues, including the expansion of slavery into the western territories, tariffs on goods such as cotton, and broader concepts of states’ rights vs. federal law. Political compromises made throughout the decade in an attempt to keep the nation together effectively collapsed with the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860. South Carolina, heir to the legacy of states’ rights lion John C. Calhoun, was the first to address the possibility of leaving the Union. On November 10, 1860, four days after the presidential election, South Carolina brought the issue to a head by calling a secession convention for the following month.
Considered by virtue of timing to be the first Confederate imprint, this broadside announced to the public the convention’s declaration, on December 20, 1860, that South Carolina would secede from the United States. This sheet was removed from a wall in Charleston by the Boston-born author Caroline Howard Gilman (1794-1888), who had moved permanently to Charleston following her marriage to the Rev. Samuel Gilman. Gilman mailed the broadside to her daughter Eliza in Salem, Massachusetts. Eliza in turn presented the document to AAS member Nathaniel Paine who, heeding the Society’s call to preserve all printed material relating to the unsettling national events, passed the broadside along to AAS.
A high-resolution image of this issue is viewable at: American Antiquarian Society, #47
Wisconsin’s first newspapers…
January 13, 2013 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The state of Wisconsin was under several governances before coming onto its own with statehood in 1848. It began as part of the Indiana territory, then part of the Illinois territory, then part of the Michigan territory, then detached as the Wisconsin territory in 1836.
Printing began in the territory in 1827, and it was on December 11, 1833 that Wisconsin had its first newspaper titled the “Green-Bay Intelligencer“, done by Albert Ellis and John Suydam. The city was actually listed as Navarino, which today is a small suburb of Green Bay, population at the 2000 census listed as 442. Ellis was also the very first printer in Wisconsin, printing lottery tickets in 1827 and an almanac in the Chippewa language.
The second newspaper in Wisconsin was actually created as a vehicle to support the candidacy of Morgan Martin for territorial delegate to Congress. He employed William Stevenson and Joseph Dickinson to produced the “Wisconsin Free Press” at Green Bay in August of 1835. But it lasted for less than a year with the printing equipment sold to the “Intelligencer“.
Two more newspapers were created in the 1830’s, they being the “Wisconsin Enquirer” in November of 1838 at Madison, the newly created capital of the territory, and then the “Milwaukee Advertiser” on July 14, 1836. During the 1840’s many newspapers were created as Wisconsin worked towards statehood.
A New Year’s Retrospective thru Historic Newspapers…
December 31, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
A New Year’s-themed Pinterest pin-board has just been created through Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers… History’s Newsstand which we think you will enjoy. Happy New Year!
Pinterest: A New Year’s Retrospective thru Historic Newspapers…
Historic newspapers make current headlines… an interview on CNN…
December 14, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
A little more than a month ago we introduced Reporting the Revolutionary War: Before It Was History, It Was News, a new book by a collector friend Todd Andrlik. His endeavor, which tells the story of the American Revolution through the eyes of Rare Newspapers, received national recognition through a recent interview on CNN. Please enjoy: History As It Happened
Alister & Paine Magazine visits Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers…
December 10, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
A few weeks ago the staff of Alister & Paine Magazine came to South Williamsport, PA to visit our historic newspapers archives and to interview Tim for the purpose of introducing their readership to the world of Rare & Early Newspapers. It was fun getting to know such well-traveled individuals – introducing them to the hobby and hearing of their varied experiences. Sharing the love for collecting historic newspapers is always a pleasure… and based upon their reactions, “History continues to never be more fascinating than when read from the day it was first reported. The feature story may be viewed at:
Alister & Paine Magazine
Thanks Jenna, Brian, and Kaitlin
From a collector of rare newspapers… The Pennsylvania Railroad…
December 7, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
From time to time we receive notes from our members which clearly communicate their passion for the collectible. While the issue being discussed did not come from us, we still thought you might enjoy his enthusiasm. We did.
Dear [Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers],
I received my latest order of folders last Friday…as always, thank you so much. The largest (20×14) folder is for a rather interesting publication – Colliers Weekly – that I thought you’d enjoy seeing…
As with similar magazines, i.e. Harper’s, I never imagined finding a “one-of-a-kind” article on New York’s Pennsylvania Station inside, but – sure enough – I did in this 1903 edition [see below]…
Magazines, such as these, are intriguing…somewhat in a class by themselves. This – and other “competing” titles – bore Saturday cover dates, and were – I imagine – intended to be read on Saturday evenings! I could just “picture” that being some sort of ritual “way back when”. I remember – as a child – seeing my father in our living room on a Saturday evening reading some sort of journal or magazine…he was not a Sunday morning newspaper man!
Hope this note finds you and your staff well. Thanks, again, for your service…
Details of a slave auction…
November 26, 2012 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Mentions in pre-Civil War newspapers of slave auctions are not uncommon, and those which mention prices fetched for various slaves are somewhat more rare. But it is very difficult to find period articles which offers detail as to how an auction is conducted, how the slaves are examined, and comments on the slaves’ reaction to their sale.
The “New York Tribune” issue of April 28, 1860 includes an article titled: “The Negro Market In Savannah” which has such detail. It offers an interesting perspective on this institution which seems so barbaric today, but which was an accepted part of business in the pre-war South. A snippet of the text is found below, with the text in it’s entirety, along with a report of a fugitive slave case, is found at: “The Negro Market In Savannah“.
Reflecting on a Day of Thanksgiving & Prayer from 1776…
November 22, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
On this (American) day of thanksgiving, it seems appropriate to reflect on such a day from the past through the eyes of those who were embarking on what may have been the most historic event in U.S. history – July 4, 1776. A special thanks is in order for our friends in Scotland who captured this significant moment on the pages of the Edinburgh Evening Courant, dated September 2, 1776. Please enjoy: