Category Archives: American Society

celebration preparation

Posted on March 1, 2026 by SUMPTER

In its February 19, 1876 issue Harper’s Weekly published some artist’s sketches from the grounds of the U.S. Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia as the May 10th opening approached: CENTENNIAL SKETCHES. We give on page 149 a few choice sketches from … Continue reading →

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let the good time roll

Posted on November 28, 2024 by SUMPTER

Are you ready for some jollification? President Ulysses S. Grant’s sixth Thanksgiving Day proclamation (from Pilgrim Hall Museum): THANKSGIVING DAY 1874 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – A PROCLAMATION We are reminded by the changing seasons … Continue reading →

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no gift

Posted on September 2, 2024 by SUMPTER

Recently, when I was searching the Library of Congress for “Labor Day,” the September 3, 1921 issue of The Labor World caught my attention. The paper headlined the ‘greatest Labor Day in history;’ and the masthead mentioned Duluth, Minnesota and … Continue reading →

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bicentennial

Posted on December 23, 2023 by SUMPTER

“A Visit from from St. Nicholas” was first published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel on Dec. 23, 1823. The poem was later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore and has become more widely known as “The Night Before Christmas.” According to … Continue reading →

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Thanksgiving, federal style

Posted on November 23, 2023 by SUMPTER

When the Civil War started, Thanksgiving was not a national holiday. There seemed to be a tradition of Thanksgiving with turkey in November. Sometimes states (and possibly also localities) declared Thanksgiving Days for a variety of reasons. According to Pilgrim … Continue reading →

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buried?

Posted on May 30, 2023 by SUMPTER

150 years ago a Southern newspaper found something to like in a Northern observance of Decoration Day. From The Daily Phoenix (Columbia, South Carolina) June 12, 1873: KIND WORDS FOR OUR SOUTHERN DEAD. Dr. Lillienthal, the well known Jewish pastor … Continue reading →

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pleasant surprise

Posted on December 25, 2022 by SUMPTER

Sir Isaac Newton isn’t usually the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about Christmas. From The Daily Phoenix, Columbia, South Carolina, December 25, 1872: Christmas. The learned have long been divided in opinion as to the … Continue reading →

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the three exemptions

Posted on November 26, 2020 by SUMPTER

Apparently 150 years ago the United States was free from pestilence and civil strife: BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A PROCLAMATION. Whereas it behooves a people sensible of their dependence on the Almighty publicly and collectively … Continue reading →

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virtual vacation

Posted on June 29, 2020 by SUMPTER

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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floral tributes

Posted on May 30, 2020 by SUMPTER

From the May 31, 1870 issue of The New-York Times. Except the day on which is celebrated the independence of these United States, there is no day that calls out the patriotic feelings of our people more than “Memorial Day.” … Continue reading →

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