Category Archives: 150 Years Ago

three parties … two candidates

1872 was another presidential election year in the United States. Would the Republican incumbent, General Ulysses S. Grant be reelected? President Grant was popular, even though his Administration was involved in several scandals. One possible impediment to Grant’s reelection was … Continue reading

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hot time

150 years ago this summer New York City suffered some very hot weather. From the July 27, 1872 issue of Harper’s Weekly: THE HEATED TERM. THE heated term which ended on the 6th inst, was not only the most protracted, … Continue reading

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preacher woman

From the March 2, 1872 issue of Harper’s Weekly: A WOMAN IN THE PULPIT. THE good Presbytery of Brooklyn have been greatly scandalized of late by the appearance of Miss SARAH F. SMILEY, a Quakeress preacher, in the pulpit of … Continue reading

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street murder

150 years ago last month a white man shot and killed a black man in public on Election Day in Philadelphia. In it’s October 28th Harper’s Weekly summarized the murder. In an editorial a week later the paper seemed to … Continue reading

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sound retreat

From the March 18, 1871 issue of Harper’s Weekly: THE SOLDIERS’ HOME. ON one of the most beautiful sites in the neighborhood of Washington stands an edifice of singular attractiveness, known as “The Soldiers’ Home,” of which we give a … Continue reading

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up in the air

A duck, a sheep, and a rooster take off in a hot air balloon. … Already heard this one? … No? Well, actually, according to the Château de Versailles, this isn’t a joke. In 1782 the Montgolfier brothers, Joseph and … Continue reading

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a death on campus

It was a damp, chilly afternoon in Lexington, Virginia. A heavy rain set in that eventually resulted in some severe flooding. September 28, 1870 was a long day for Robert E. Lee, the president of Washington College. According to Colonel … Continue reading

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reading the reasons

On July 2, 1776 the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia voted for independence from Great Britain. On July 4th the Congress agreed to the words in the written Declaration. July 8th was a “great day of celebration” in Philadelphia as … Continue reading

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virtual vacation

Apparently some people weren’t venturing too far from home 150 years ago. What they might have been missing: I’m so old I sort of remember when they turned off the American Falls when I was going to school. As it … Continue reading

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lapping it up

Here’s a man that might have fit right in with Stonewall Jackson’s foot cavalry – except that he hailed from north of Mason-Dixon. From Harper’s Weekly June 11, 1870: WESTON, THE PEDESTRIAN. WE give on this page a portrait of … Continue reading

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