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Hidden gems – Searching for coverage of an 1850 shipwreck…
November 22, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Yesterday I went on a hunt for a report on the death of Margarette Fuller whose life was unexpectedly cut short in a shipwreck off the shores of Long Beach Island, New York. The wreck occurred on July 19, 1850, so I naturally started reading through our newspapers from the following day. My first stop was an issue of The Boston Museum. While it did not have coverage of the tragedy, it did have a few other gems: A report on the death of President Zachary Taylor, a balloon ascension, a detailed report on the gold in and dangers of California (nice for 1850), a poem which encouraged me to count each day as precious, and perhaps the most interesting of all, what appears to be a bit of sarcasm related to the transcendental views of Ralph Waldo Emerson – all amongst additional poems, a sheet of music, excerpts from a selection of contemporary literary items, and general news of the day. I love this collectible!
History Surrounds Us… The Underground Railroad…
November 18, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
I am sure every area of the country entices people in different ways – beautiful weather, stunning scenery, an abundance of activities
, and more. Some even have multiple highlights, and the citizens of that region feel especially blessed. My community brings several of the above-mentioned highlights along with another some may not typically consider: rich history.
Living in North-Central Pennsylvania tucked in among the Alleghany Mountains brings a sense of peace, and yet still gives easy access to some of the earliest sites related to U.S. history. From Philadelphia to Boston, Williamsburg to Gettysburg, we are surrounded by fascinating historical locations to visit and imagine what life was like for those early settlers and founders. In fact, the old barn which was once across the street from my house (now gone) was part of the Underground Railroad – and linked up to “Freedom Road”. Sadly, a considerable amount of newspaper content deals with slave ads, so, when I come across articles like the one found in the Oct. 6, 1854 issue of THE NEW YORK TRIBUNE,, my interest is piqued. When I read,
“Four fugitives from slavery arrived in this place on Thursday…by the underground railroad. They were kindly cared for by the inhabitants, and sufficient funds furnished them to pursue their journey to the land of freedom, and long ere this they are beyond the reach of a law abominable to all.”,
I am captivated with thoughts of where these sojourners for freedom stopped before they reached New York (perhaps the barn which was once a stones-throw from my house?), along with those who risked much to help them along their trek. It is a blessing to be surrounded by areas which are a constant reminder of the bravery and selflessness some people find within themselves when a moment of crisis arises. May we all be our best selves when faced with similar moments.
The reason I collected it: The Spy…
November 14, 2024 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Sometimes newspapers are just so odd that they defy description, and when we encounter such, they were added to the private collection.
One such title is “The Spy” (see below), or as noted inside “The Village Spy”. The masthead does not include a city or state of publication, other than: “Printed In Recluse” and the date: May 13, 1824. Printed on page two the title is actually: “The Village Spy” noting the publication place as: “City of Mud” along with the date.
This is the volume 1, number 7 issue, about which we can find nothing online. Noted in the masthead: “Edited by Gen. Consequence, and His Associates”.
This would appear to be an early comic or satirical newspaper. All of the front page is a play: “…to be performed soon at some place in the city of Mud.” Other odd notes take up pages 2, 3 and 4 including two poems.
We offer this post to allow others to do a bit of investigation if they find this intriguing, or perhaps someone already knows of this newspaper?
There Are Not Enough Words to Say Thank You… Veteran’s Day
November 11, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
“In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in World War I, then known as “the Great War.”
Commemorated in many countries as Armistice Day the following year, November 11th became a federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became known as Veterans Day.” (History.com)
Those are the facts however, there is a much deeper truth… Where would we be without all the brave men and women, living and gone, who risked everything so we might all say with confidence, “I live in the freest nation on Earth”. There are magnificent places across this stunning World we live on however, none of these places, outside of the United States of America, have a people who can boast of a Constitution and Bill of Rights which protects our rights of Freedom of Speech, to worship as we please, to choose our friends and associates and to bear arms… which keep our Federal Government at bay and in check. So, with this in mind I would like to say to all of our soldiers of the past and present who have put country and her people before themselves, You have my heartfelt thanks and eternal gratitude! May we all be even a fraction as brave as you and love our country with as much passion.
I hear dead people. Seriously, I really do!
November 8, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Spoiler Alert: If someone came up to those of us who were born between 1960 and 1980 and said, ” I see dead people!”, most would reply with something similar to: “I saw that movie too. It was awesome”. However, if someone came up to us and announced, “I hear dead people almost daily”, we would all think they were either joking or insane. Yet, each one of us can make this declaration with 100% legitimacy.
How? An issue of Scientific American dated November 17, 1877 was the first to announces the development of a process in which voices of the living could be captured and then replayed (and therefore heard), even after the one whose voice was recorded was dead, on a device recently created by the renowned electrician from New Jersey named Thomas Edison. At the time of the article the apparatus was called a “talking telephone”, but the name would eventually be changed to a “phonograph”.
While we cannot prove this with 100% confidence, a PBS special states that this appearance was the first such announcement in a nationally distributed publication. This special can be viewed at: The American Experience: The Phonograph (season 27, episode 3).
As Halloween approaches – “The Lady in the Furnace”. Yikes!
October 28, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Reality can often be stranger than fiction. Such is the case with “The Lady in the Furnace”. This true-life horror story (actual event) was first brought to my attention through a collector’s request: “Do you have any newspaper headlines on the Lake Bluff village hall furnace mystery burning of Elfredia Knaack on Oct.30, 1928?” My initial thought was this was going to be an off the grid event in a small town in the middle of nowhere, and our investigative efforts within our archives would be turn up empty. However, as I gathered information about the story so as to be an informed explorer, I was fascinated by what I learned. A severely burned young lady, unrequited love, a furnace, the mysterious imprint of a hand, a small town with its roots in the camp meeting movement of the late 1800’s, an actor with the last name of Hitchcock, spiritualism, secret “rendezvous”, the suggestion of ghosts, an unsolved mystery… What a weird story!
It didn’t take long before our staff realized this event had also captured the interest of those living at the time as we quickly found two issues with front-page reports – one from the city which has grown to nearly encompass this small town. Below please find a set of photos which include snapshots of some of the coverage found within the two issues (the Chicago Daily Tribune and The Day, from New London, CT – both dated on Halloween, October 31, 1928.
Whereas both issues have already been acquired by the one who sent us on this journey, interested individuals can learn more about this event by searching for Knaak Furnace 1928. And who knows, by the time this post “goes live”, we may have unearthed additional issues with coverage of this strange, but true event.
Journalists at Their Gritty Best…
October 25, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Fair or not, the journalists of today have taken a substantial hit in terms of credibility. However, at least for some, the cred-deficit has been well-earned. We have to look far and wide to find an “old school”, gritty, gutsy reporter who pounds the sidewalks and knocks on doors to get the scoop. Nowadays it is easier to visualize them lounging at a Starbucks with their laptop, a latte and headphones blocking out the public noise, hoping to discover an early mention of an event through the news sources which match their societal bent. Unfortunately, this taints the reputations of those who take the road less travelled. However, “back in the day”, those who went the extra mile and physically climbed up hills and down dales was more the norm. Case in point (from during the Civil War): The journalists of THE MEMPHIS DAILY APPEAL from Jackson, Mississippi.
Below Wikipedia gives an interesting look at this historic paper’s origin story.
“The Commercial Appeal traces its heritage to the 1839 publication, The Western World & Memphis Banner of the Constitution. Bought by Col. Henry Van Pelt in 1840, it was renamed The Memphis Appeal. During the American Civil War, the Appeal was one of the major newspapers serving the Southern cause. On June 6, 1862, the presses and plates were loaded into a boxcar and published from Grenada, Mississippi. The Appeal later journeyed on to Jackson, Mississippi, Meridian, Mississippi, Atlanta, Georgia, Montgomery, Alabama and finally Columbus, Georgia, where the plates were destroyed on April 16, 1865, temporarily halting publication days before the Confederate surrender. The press was hidden and saved, and publication resumed in Memphis, using it, on November 5, 1865.” ~ WIKI
Now that’s what I call gritty, gutsy journalism.
The Calm Before the Storm… Treaties of Mankind
October 21, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Treaties are a vital part of history and the survival of the human race. From the Thirty Years’ Peace between Athens & Sparta, The Treaty of Versailles, The Treaty of Ghent to the Camp David Accords in 1978, some treaties are successful from the day they were signed while others start strong but denigrate over time. Other treaties are proposed but never passed and the war which follows can be devastating to all while still producing a victor. Such is the case with the Conciliatory Resolution, proposed by Parliament in January of 1775 and later rejected by The Continental Congress on July 31, 1775, thus failing to stop the impending Revolutionary War. While many collectors are drawn to war content across histories timeline, a closer look at humanities treaties may give deeper insight into our thought processes and condition.
The October (2024) Newsletter from Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers…
October 18, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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Welcome to the October newsletter from the Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers’ family. Autumn is here – with winter soon to follow. It won’t be long before most of us will consider grabbing an old newspaper and cozying up to a warm fire. In the meantime, perhaps a little bit of storing up future reading material is in order. 🙂
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The reason I collected it: a movement that went nowhere…
October 11, 2024 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
I remember when I first encountered this newspaper I thought it was in a foreign language. But it wasn’t in a language we typically encounter. Then I took a more careful look.
The title of the newspaper is the: “AI ANGLO SACSUN” and is dated May 29, 1847. This is the volume 1, number 11 issue of an attempt to exploit a movement to spell words phonetically, just as they sounded. So their motto in the dateline is: “Devoted Tu Ai Difyushun ov Nolej and Nuz, Tru Ai Medium of Fonotipi, or the Tru System ov Spelin Wurdz As Iz, Just Az ae are Pronnst.” (difficult to translate as they use some characters not in the traditional alphabet. Their alphabet is found on page 3).
The entire issue has various articles spelled phonetically, which takes some getting used to. But within a few minutes, it’s easy to fall into the rhythm of reading phonetically. Otherwise the layout is much like other newspapers of the era, with a very decorative masthead.
This was obviously a movement that never caught on, but it did leave behind this interesting curiosity to delight collectors close to 200 years later.