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The traveler… a presidential proclamation… some things never change…
July 16, 2012 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today I traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, through The Weekly Register of July 18, 1812. There I found President James Madison had issued “A Proclamation” to the people of The United States for a day of Humiliation and Prayer for “… their common vows and adorations to Almighty God, on this solemn occasion produced by the war… that turning the hearts of our enemies from the violence and injustice which sway their councils against us, he would hasten a restoration of the blessings of peace…”.
The very last item in this issue (see below) dealt with the newspaper receiving complaints on the irregularity in which it has been received. They were assuring the people that all the newspapers were being “…put into the post office at this place on the day of publication…” and that “.. The delays are upon the road… It is however, due to our excellent post office establishment to say that there are fewer complaints than were anticipated.” Some things apparently have not changed in 200 years…
~The Traveler
Constitution for the “Philadelphia Dueling Club”…
July 13, 2012 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
“The Courier” newspaper of Norwich, Connecticut has in its July 2, 1800 edition an apparently tongue-in-cheek report detailing the constitution for the “Philadelphia Dueling Club”. The fact that it was approved on May 32, 1800, and signed by “William Blood, President’ and “Charles Bullet, Secretary” seems to render this less than real, the content is nonetheless interesting reading.
Its preamble notes that dueling has become: “…the fashion to the infinite satisfaction of all men of true honor, & whereas the opinion that this practice is improper & Immoral being only held by old women, or men who ought to wear petticoats…” with more. See the photo for the full 1st article… and the link above for the full text.
Wyoming’s first newspapers…
July 9, 2012 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
Wyoming has the interesting distinction of having once been part of four principal annexations: the Louisiana Purchase, the Oregon Territory, the Mexican Cession and Texas Annexation. It became a territory in July, 1868 and gained statehood on July 10, 1890.
The “Leader” was the first newspaper in Wyoming, begun on September 19, 1867, the same year that the first settlement had been created at Cheyenne. The newspaper was begun by Nathan Baker and J.E. Gates. Baker gained his printing experience in Colorado, working at the “Rocky Mountain Herald” and the the “Rocky Mountain News”. He went one to establish two other newspapers in Wyoming, the Laramie “Sentinel” on May 1, 1869, and the South Pass “News“. See the hyperlink for the interesting history of this town.
Also begun in Cheyenne in 1867 were the “Daily Argus” in October, and the “Star” in December, but neither one lasted beyond two years. Other early newspapers in Wyoming were the “Sweetwater Miner” at Fort Bridge in February, 1868, a vehicle to promote immigration, and a few months later the “News” at South Pass, noted above.
One of the more interesting newspapers from the West was the “Frontier Index” which began at Fort Sanders and moved along with the Union Pacific railroad going to Benton then to Bryan and then to Bear River City where it was completely destroyed by a mob. And no mention of Wyoming’s newspaper history should fail to mention the “Boomerang” (named for the editor’s mule), founded at Laramie on March 11, 1881 by Bill Nye. Subscribers were found in every state and some foreign countries. When Nye retired from the paper he became one of America’s best known humorists.
Civil War Era Newspapers on Pinterest…
June 29, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
We at Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers have made a brief attempt at providing an overview of the Civil War via images of historic newspapers. These images may be viewed at: Rare Newspapers on Pinterest. We invite you to join with us in telling the story by going to www.rarenewspapers.com to find additional issues you believe should be added to “the story”. Feel free to provide us with the item number(s) of any you would like to have added. You may contact us by responding to this post or by e-mail (guy@rarenewspapers.com).
The Traveler… war declared…
June 18, 2012 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today I journeyed to Baltimore, Maryland, through The Weekly Register dated June 20, 1812. Within this issue is the announcement of the Declaration of War “between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland… and the United States of America and their territories”, signed by JAMES MADISON, June 18, 1812. The final passage vote of the act in the Senate was 19 to 13 and in the House was 79 to 49. This article entitled “Declaration of War” is approximately 5 1/2 pages in length.
With news like this being reported, nothing more needs to be said… and likely little else was read… as life was about to drastically change.
~The Traveler
Hatfields & McCoys…The media drives interest in historical newspapers…
June 14, 2012 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
There is no question that media events affect our hobby. Although there was always collector interest in the sinking of the Titanic, it wasn’t until the James Cameron movie was released in 1997 that interest exploded. It was amazing to experience the dramatic increase in calls & requests at our office concerning newspapers reporting the Titanic disaster . The movie release preceded the eBay craze so it was only by individual quotes & listings in our catalog that we could keep up with the demand. Prices did increase dramatically.
The “Amistad” slave ship movie had a similar reaction. Few people even knew of the event before the Stephen Spielberg movie, but upon its release we sold dozens of notable issues of the event & subsequent trial at prices which far exceeded those possible before the movie.
Other historically-themed events in American or world history, whether they happened on the big screen or television, have had similar effect on the rare newspaper hobby. The most recent “event” is the Hatfield-McCoy feud, spurred on by the recent History Channel mini-series.
Thought by some to be nothing more then legend and not an historical event, the Hatfield McCoy feud was, indeed, very real. We find it interesting the degree to which coverage of the feud appeared in newspapers of the era. We are fortunate to have newspapers from West Virginia (example) in 1889 (the feud happened at the Kentucky-West Virginia border) which have extensive articles on the feud, and our listings on eBay have created a following which far exceeds those listed prior to the mini-series. And many of those following our offerings–and buying them–are new hobbyists who likely never purchased an historical newspaper before.
All this is of benefit to the hobby. Although much criticism has been levied against what is seen on television and in movie theaters today, occasionally quality productions which are based on historical fact have increased interest not only in America history but also appreciation for genuine newspapers which report those events at the time they happened. This can only be good for the hobby.
Washington’s first newspaper…
June 11, 2012 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Interest by historians in Washington’s first newspaper may well be eclipsed by the press upon which it was printed, as it had a fascinating history.
The “Ramage Press” was well traveled. It originated in Boston, was sold to a printer in Hawaii only to never be used as the printer purchased another press before its arrival, then was sold to California where it was transported to Monterey to Sonoma and then back to Monterey where it printed California’s first newspaper, the “Californian”, on Aug. 15, 1846. Both the press and the newspaper moved to Yerba Buena where the newspaper continued printing, moved then to Sacramento City where it printed the first issue of the “Placer Times” in 1849. It then moved to San Francisco, then to Stockton, then to Sonora, eventually becoming the first press on which printing was done in Oregon, and then the same for the state of Washington.
During the 1850’s Washington was part of the Oregon Territory. The old Ramage press made its way to Olympia and on September 11, 1852 the first issue of the “Columbian” was printed, Washington’s very first newspaper. Just six months later in 1853 the Washington Territory was created causing the printers, James Wiley and Thorton McElroy, to change the name of their newspaper to the “Washington Pioneer”. After another name change the paper continued until 1861.
The second newspaper in Washington was the “Puget Sound Courier” which began on May 19, 1855 at Steilacoom but the newspaper lasted for just a year. Steilacoom was the location of Washington’s third newspaper, done by Charles Prosch and titled the “Puget Sound Express”, which began on March 12, 1858.
Frederic Remington Prints on Pinterest…
May 25, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Frederic Remington is known for his work depicting the American Wild West. Many of his prints made their way onto the pages of Harper’s Weekly, the premier illustrated newspaper of the 19th and early 20th centuries, along with a handful of other publications of the period. Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers has posted several of these on Pinterest for everyone to enjoy. They may be found at: Frederic Remington Prints – Harper’s Weekly
The Traveler… a presidential nomination… a bit buggy…
May 21, 2012 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today’s travels took me to Baltimore, Maryland, through The Weekly Register (Niles”) of May 23, 1812. There I found the “Presidential Nomination” had occurred “…For JAMES MADISON, 82 — No other person being voted for… On motion of Mr. Campbell of Ten. it was then Resolved, As the sense of this meeting, that JAMES MADISON, of the state of Virginia, be recommended as a proper person to fill the office of President, for four years from the third day of March next:…”. Additional information is within that article as well as additional articles pertaining to “The Nomination” and “Presidential Election”.
“The Locusts of Africa” article is interesting as it states that that “…when they visit a country it behooves every individual to lay in a provision against a famine; for they are said to stay three, five, or seven years…”. I can’t begin to image dealing with those bugs for a portion of a day let alone for years!
~The Traveler
Newsies… a tough life…
May 11, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
While movies and stage shows such as Newsies show the life of a 19th century newsboy to be a difficult one, we still walk away with a somewhat romanticized view of their daily struggle. In contrast, the following article from The New York Times, September 1, 1868, helps us to better understand the conditions under which many of these young boys (barely) survived. As an integral part of the subculture of nearly every major city of the period, it is interesting to see a contemporary glimpse of the conditions under which they existed. To better grasp the perils under which they lived, click on the link any of the links to view both “The Newsboys Lodging House” and “A Sheep in Wolves Clothing” .