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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.
Deciding which newspapers to offer – Bond Hall Explosion edition…
July 26, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
We are often asked how we decide which newspapers from our archives to collect and/or offer to other collectors. The answer is quite involved. Is it rare, and if so, is it desirable? Is it historic? A large portion of collectible issues relate to the plethora of events we all learned about in grade school. Does it tell of a sports or political milestone… a broken record… a tragedy… a discovery… an invention? Does it have content related to another collectible (ex., model train enthusiasts love to add newspapers featuring coverage of the development of the railroad). If the answer to any of these questions (and similar) is yes, chances are the newspaper will have value to a collector of historic newspapers. Requests from collectors are also a great way to discover new issues to offer, as are movie releases, current events which relate to the past, and new books (both non- and historical fiction).
One of my favorite “reasons” for exploring our archives in the hopes of finding something new to collect and/or to offer to others is the latter: historical fiction. I think part of the fun for me is discovering whether or not a particular event I read about is more “historical” or more “fiction”.
This trek was recently inspired when I became aware of author Michelle Collins Anderson’s new novel, “The Flower Sisters”.
A review by journalist James Gardener included in part: ““The Flower Sisters” is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of history, memory, and storytelling. Join Daisy Flowers on her quest for truth and justice”.
The outcome? The photo below from an issue of the Kansas City Journal for April 15, 1928 reveals what I surmised by a brief internet search. How horrible. Unfortunately, the cause still remains a mystery.
Note: What’s a Zizzer? A town can often be defined by a single sensational event – be it tragic (in this instance), historical (Williamsburg, VA), spectacular (Aspen, Colorado), etc. It is easy to forget that these locations have much more to explore than these single moments in time. While the Bond Dance Hall was truly horrific, there is no doubt those who have lived there over time see much more. Feel free to learn more about West Plains, Missouri at: West Plains. Perhaps “Zizzer” will become part of your vocabulary. Randon thought: I wonder if Dick Van Dyke ever had a local Zizzer?
The reason I collected it: Predicting the 21st century from a perch in 1929…
June 12, 2023 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Who hasn’t given some thought to what life would be like in 50 years, or 75 years. A few enterprising newspaper publishers have as well, and the Daily Mail of London, January 1, 2000 is a great–and quite rare–example.
You see, this is actually a newspaper published in 1928. This is a futurist newspaper. We’ve handled a few, but they are exceedingly scarce. It was printed based on their perception of what life, news, entertainment, politics, and culture would be like 72 years in the future. What is most intriguing is that this future date is already in our distant past, so it is interesting to see what people in 1928 thought life would be like in 2000. In general, their hopes would prove to be disappointing to any reader who might have lived until 2000.
From beginning to end, this 24-page tabloid-size newspaper is all about the future. It had to be an exhausting project, but it certainly resulted in a most intriguing addition to any newspaper collection. 
Snapshot 1928… A couple in London is spotted in New York just a few seconds later…
May 24, 2021 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Impossible you say? I’ll let Wikipedia do the talking:
“On February 9th, 1928, Hartsdale became the birthplace of the American “Couch Potato” when the Scottish inventor John Logie Baird (1888-1946) transmitted the world’s first inter-continental short-wave television signal from a transmitter (call sign 2KZ) in Coulsdon, Surrey (a suburb of London, England) to his colleague O.G. Hutchinson in the cellar of Robert M. Hart, an Amateur Radio Operator (call sign 2CVJ) in Hartsdale, New York.”
And what was transmitted? A man and a woman… well, at least a “live” image of them, making them the first couple to been seen in two places at once. Most newspapers of the day reported this historic event, including the Chicago Daily Tribune shown to the right.
Snapshot 1928… If only they new of the pending storm???
December 10, 2018 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The following snapshot comes from The Chicago Daily Tribune dated November 21, 1928. If only they knew what was to come in less than a year, perhaps many would not have counted their chickens before they hatched.