comin’ to town?

Posted on December 24, 2024 by SUMPTER

It wasn’t exactly a diptych. The plates were separated by a couple pages of text. But in its December 26, 1874 issue Harper’s Weekly did publish two full-page images on a related theme: would Santa Claus, née Saint Nicholas, arrive with his sleigh full of gifts on the night before Christmas?

child’s faith

he’s on the way

_______________________

Harper’s Weekly published a poem to accompany the second picture. Father Time would win the long drawn out war of advancing age, “But Santa Claus is king to-night.” At Christmas, Father Time should “Ring out the angels’ song again Of ‘peace on earth, good-will to men!'” So it appears that the child’s wait was worth it. And the same probably could be said for youngsters in Richmond, Virginia. In its December 25, 1874 issue the Daily Dispatch published a piece from one of its readers regarding the night after Christmas. The report must have been about an earlier year, but I’m going to assume that if Santa made it to Richmond in 1873, he’d probably return in ’74. To summarize the clipping – it seems that the children overindulged in the sugar plums and other sweets.

the night after

Father Time stymied

Ethiopian Orthodox diptych

dreams can true

Another Night After Christmas poem is at Project Gutenberg – “The Night Before Christmas and Other Popular Stories For Children” – a doctor tended to the sick kids. The December 26, 1874 issue of Harper’s Weekly is at HathiTrust along with the rest of the year. From the Library of Congress: the December 25, 1874 issue of Richmond’s Daily Dispatch – image 4 contains “The Night after Christmas;” the c1897 stereo “Dreaming of Santa Claus”; the image of Santa Claus and kids from the December 2, 1903 issue of Puck. From Wikipedia: a real diptych: “Ethiopian Orthodox wooden diptych of St. Mary and the infant Jesus with archangels above them. St. George appears on a white horse on the left. (Late 16th-early 17th century)”

they are believers

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Month, American Culture | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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 that it is time to pause in our daily avocations and offer thanks to Almighty God for the mercies and abundance of the year which is drawing to a close. The blessings of free government continue to be vouchsafed to us; the earth has responded to the labor of the husbandman; the land has been free from pestilence; internal order is being maintained, and peace with other powers has prevailed.

It is fitting that at stated periods we should cease from our accustomed pursuits and from the turmoil of our daily lives and unite in thankfulness for the blessings of the past and in the cultivation of kindly feelings toward each other.

Now, therefore, recognizing these considerations, I, Ulysses S. Grant, President of the United States, do recommend to all citizens to assemble in their respective places of worship on Thursday, the 26th day of November next, and express their thanks for the mercy and favor of Almighty God, and, laying aside all political contentions and all secular occupations, to observe such day as a day of rest, thanksgiving, and praise.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this 27th day of October, A.D. 1874, and of the Independence of the United States of America the ninety-ninth.
U.S. GRANT

In its 1874 Thanksgiving Day issue The New York Herald seemed to be calling for a less formally religious Thanksgiving:

New York Herald November 26, 1874

If the turkey gobblers that regulate the domestic economy of every turkey household in the land, even where the female suffragists claim equal rights on the highest roosts, had much to say about what presidents and governors should and should not do, the American people would certainly never hear of a proclamation for a national Thanksgiving; but it so happens that as yet universal suffrage has not been made to apply to all the animal creation, and to-day, therefore, the big politicians can enjoy their Thanksgiving dinner without fear of being defeated at the next election by the solid turkey vote of the rural districts. In fact, to-day will be a day of much feasting and probably of some praying throughout the length and breadth of the Union; for it is undeniable that of late years Thanksgiving Day has come to be looked upon by the people generally as

A HOLIDAY OF MERRYMAKING

rather than a holy day set apart for the exclusive benefit of long-winded preachers who while delivering their sermons are all the time wondering within themselves whether the turkey is being overdone at home, and who once upon a time considered the day and all its appurtenances as a sort of special property of their own.

In the long ago New England alone celebrated a specified day in the year as a day of general thanksgiving, the people of the other States not considering it worth their while to go to church for any particular purpose more than once a week, but during the past few years Thanksgiving Day has become, next to New Year’s Day, the greatest and the most generally observed holiday of the whole year. Its religious character in the days of the Puritans made it as sacred in the eyes of the God-fearing followers of Bradford and his successors as Christmas Day has always been with the Catholics, and, indeed, if the statements of some chroniclers of the “truth and nothing but the truth” can be relied upon, one of the chief motives, if not the principal motive, which led to the establishment of the day as a religious holiday by the Puritans was to “deter the unwary from falling into the superstitious practices of the Papists,” one of which was the observance of the 25th of December as the day when the Saviour was born into the world. Be that as it may, Thanksgiving Day has a history peculiarly its own, and it may surprise

THE STRAIGHT LACED NEW ENGLANDERS

who may regard the merrymakings now deemed inseparable from a proper celebration of the day as so many unpardonable crimes, and who may cling to the notion that it should be a day of extra religious practices alone, to learn that the very first Thanksgiving Day in New England, of which there is record, was celebrated with all sorts of merrymakings – that in fact it took the celebrators over three days to get through with their jollifications. This thanksgiving took place, of course, in Massachusetts, when Bradford was the governor. It was in 1621. He and his had suffered much, and had worked hard in the fields and had prayed as hard as they had worked, and as a result they were blessed with a good harvest. So one day four men, by order of the Governor, were sent out on a shooting expedition, “so that after a special manner” they “might rejoice together” after they “had gathered of their labors.” In those days there must have been splendid shooting, for the four sportsmen succeeded in bagging enough game to last Bradford’s company almost a week.

It is true that it is recorded as historical fact that there was “a little help aside,” besides the game secured by the huntsmen, but as to whether this consisted of pâtés de foie gras venison steaks or quail on toast, the veracious historian preserves a most ominous silence, and this silence is all the more to be deplored in view of the circumstance which he relates that while the Governor and his friends were enjoying the feast they were visited by King Massasoit and ninety of his men, whom they entertained for three mortal days. The inevitable conclusion is that either the four men must have been Irish riflemen of some ancient Rigby school or the Indians had

VERY POOR APPETITES.

A bilious historian of the present day has cruelly suggested that “the little help aside” was a big demijohn of whiskey, but every one who knows anything knows that Massasoit was a Good Templar in his way and a member in good standing of the church, and that Bradford had no stomach for evil sports of any kind. Three years after this little festivity of the Bradford company their Thanksgiving occurred. It was unlike the first in many respects, for there is no mention made by the faithful chronicler, Winslow, of any extra religious services having been held by the company, whereas on the second occasion there was quite a revival. Instead of making too merry from the start the Governor issued a proclamation that the people should humble themselves before the Lord “by fasting and prayer.” This, by the way, was considered necessary, as the crops had been poor and a drought had prevailed. The fasting and praying had a good effect, it is said, and when the showers of rain came, as an answer from on high, the Governor appointed the day following the general wetting as a day of thanksgiving, when they “returned

GLORY, HONOR AND PRAISE,

with all thankfulness to God, who had dealt so graciously with them,” and feasted splendidly afterward.

It will thus be seen that the idea of some people now-a-days, that Thanksgiving Day, if observed strictly in accordance with the old time customs, ought to be a day of fasting and prayer to the exclusion of feasting is an erroneous one, and that the originators of the Thanksgiving Day practice took good care that there should be merrymaking and general jollification, even if they had to set a special day for it after the prayer and fasting was at an end. From Bradford’s time down the idea of one day in the year being designated as a day of thanksgiving was faithfully adhered to in New England, and gradually, in years, it became the custom of the governors of States, outside of New England, to call on the people of their respective States to meet in their cuurches [sic] on a certain fixed day and return thanks to God for His blessings during the year. It often happened, however, that the day was not the same in the various States, and, indeed, some States never knew what it was to have a Thanksgiving Day at all. But the war of the rebellion, which brought about so many changes, brought about a change in this particular, and since the year when President Lincoln issued his proclamation fixing a day which the people of “all the States” were requested to observe as a day of thanksgiving, the Governors, even of the New England States, have come to regard it as a national holiday instead of a local one, and only issue their proclamations after the President has issued his fixing upon the day to be observed.

As has already been said, Thanksgiving Day is now, with but one probable exception, the best observed holiday in the Union. This certainly not because of its religious character, for apart from the morning services held in the churches, as a matter of form more than anything else, it cannot be considered a religious day; but the secret of its universal observance lies in the fact that as year succeeds year it becomes more and more sacred in the eyes of the people as

A FAMILY FESTIVAL.

family festival 1845

What had been but the practice on Thanksgiving Day of a few families whose members were scattered during the greater part of the year, has become the practice of every family in the land – a day of reunion, when the grandfather and grandmother and their children and their children’s children meet under the same roof, and sit at the same table, and gather about the same fireside and thank God that He has allowed them, after the dreary separation of a long year, to gaze upon one another’s faces once again and to find that the love which bound them all so closely together in the long ago, when some were mere children, has only been made all the stronger and deeper by the separation itself. It is this feature of the day that makes it a holy one in the eyes of the great majority of the people, and it is this that makes the old and the young look forward to its coming every year with the longing of the child who, after being far away from home at school, sees the vacation draw within a few days of being at hand. And if there was nothing else that stamps the day with a holy impress, this custom of the gathering together of the family every year is of itself sufficient to make it a sacred day in the annals of the nation. Could anything be more beautiful, more wholesome in its effects than this yearly family reunion? We are but a nation of

RESPECTABLE VAGABONDS

at the best, and the ties of home bind us none too …

[… I can’t read the next few lines and I’m also jumping ahead]

… A custom, then, like this good one of the gathering together of all the family is a holy one, and the hold it has of late years taken upon

THE POPULAR HEART

must continue to grow stronger rather than weaker through the course of the time to come. To-day everywhere, from out the family reunions which will take place (and where will they not take place?), where the very old and the very young will meet for the first time; where the sons and daughters and grandchildren will assemble from far and near about the family table once more, there will go up from loving hearts thanks, sweeter in the sight of God than all the formal services of all the ministers in all the churches put together – the thanks of the young and aged in thousands of families blended in one unspoken prayer. …

The article goes on to mention that there will be “Dark Shadow” in homes where an empty chair signifies the death of a family member during the year, and the very poor will have nothing to be thankful for unless some of the rich help them out. Several charities will be working throughout the day to help those in need. There were many Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish services scheduled.

Home to Thanksgiving (by Currier & Ives, c.1867; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/2002695889/)

home for the holiday

The next day the Herald reviewed Thanksgiving in Gotham and surrounding areas (pages 6 and 7). There was plenty of family dinners with turkey. “In fact, the observance of the festivity was more general among all classes than ever before.” The paper reviewed the kindness at the charitable institutions and the sermons at many of the churches. Just like New York State’s Thanksgiving Day in 1860 Henry Ward Beecher conducted services at Plymouth Church in Brooklyn: “Mr. Beecher preached one of his characteristic discourses, in which comments on religion, politics and social life were so happily blended as to call forth demonstrative approval, that took the shape of applause and cheers from the audience.” There were also parades and merrymaking.
Apparently President Grant’s proclamation didn’t fall on deaf ears in Richmond, Virginia, even though Grant was one of the main actors coercing the rebel states back into the Union during the Civil War. According to the Daily Dispatch in its November 27, 1874 issue banks were closed, the Post Office had reduced hours, and there were several church services. The editors weren’t big fans of the holiday.

from page 1 Daily Dispatch 11-27-1874

from page 2 Daily Dispatch 11-27-1874

Edward Winslow’s 1624 Good Newes from New England (at Project Gutenberg) mentions the 1623 drought, the day of fasting and prayer, the rain afterwards, and the day of thanksgiving, but not a feast. The Herald wondered how the Pilgrims could feed so many Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians for so long. Pilgrim Hall Museum quotes Edward Winslow from Mourt’s Relation about a possible explanation: “king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others.” The Irish riflemen and the Rigby referenced an international shooting match between Ireland and the U.S. in September 1874.
In a blog post at the Library of Congress Monica Smith writes that there were several European thanksgiving celebrations in North America before the Pilgrims got here, but agrees with the Herald that the 1621 Pilgrim celebration was not religious: “The Pilgrims actually rejected the idea of public religious displays. Not only did they host a non-religious Thanksgiving feast (aside from saying grace), but records also indicate they spent three days with their Wampanoag visitors playing games, feasting on a wide range of food, and, yes, even drinking beer.”
I’m not from New England and I’m not a Puritan, at least I don’t think I am, but I found myself interested in an 1816 Thanksgiving Proclamation at the Library of Congress. It was called for the state of New Hampshire well before President Lincoln effectively nationalized the holiday. Governor William Plumer noted that there was a lot to be thankful but suggested that the 1916 harvest wasn’t as abundant as the year before because might have been trying to get New Hampshirites’ attention. He also wanted to make sure the people prayed for the general government – President, Congress, and all officers.

Good Newes from New England

William Plumer, 1806

“humble ourselves for our transgressions”

From the Library of Congress: Home to Thanksgiving by Currier & Ives c1867; Lydia Maria Child’s Thanksgiving song – read the rest of the song here; William Plumer, 1806; his 1816 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, American Culture, American Society, Postbellum Society, The Grant Administration | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

blue, gray, khaki

Posted on November 11, 2024 by SUMPTER

Camp Hancock

After the United States entered World War I in 1917, Camp Hancock was built near Augusta, Georgia as a training site for U.S. troops. Camp Hancock was named after Civil War general and native Pennsylvanian Winfield Scott Hancock. According to Veteran Voices Military Research, “Camp Hancock was established in July 1917 to serve as a training camp for the Pennsylvania National Guard units who would comprise the 28th “Keystone” Infantry Division, which occupied the camp from August 1917 – May 1918. After the 28th Division embarked for Europe the camp established a machine gun training center. It served as a demobilization center from December 1918 – March 1919 when it was closed.”

About 53 years after the end of the Civil War and a few weeks after the armistice ending World War I, a meeting was held near or at the camp that honored Civil War veterans and current doughboys. From the December 11, 1918 issue of Trench and Camp:

Trench and Camp December 11, 1918

Colonel I. C. Wade, a distinguished member of the G. A. R. and Captain J. Rice Smith, equally distinguished as a cavalry officer in the Confederate army, were the chief speakers at the Y. M. C. A. meeting held in the Liberty Theater last Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock. Colonel B. H. Teague, of Aiken, S.C was chairman, and performed his duties with rare charm. On the platform were thirty Confederate and a few Grand army veterans. Colonel Brandt, Major Scott and several other officers of the camp, together with a few chaplins [sic] and Y. M.C. A. officials. Madam Backlor, the soloist, sang “Consider and Hear Me,” beautifully, receiving marked applause. The Headquarters M. G. T. C. Band, Joseph Marra, leader, rendered excellent service.

Colonel Wade, who enlisted in the Union army as a drummer boy when only 13 years of age and who is now on the military staff of General Watson at whom he shot sixteen times in one battle in the Civil War, gave several personal anecdotes, some of which were quite startling, and declared his belief that chivalry had reached its climax of perpection [sic] in General Lee (Confederate), and General Howard (Federal).

Captain J. Rice Smith thrilled his audience with an address which in every respect measured up to a high oratorical standard. The beauty of rhetoric and passion of delivery enforced the noble thought that “God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform.” God, he said, was against slavery and in favor of the Union, and all the old Confederate soldiers can now welcome the Northern soldiers in love, glad that the war ended as it did.

Captain Smith said that his grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War, his father in the Mexican war, he himself in the Civil War, but that his son now in France, was in the biggest and the best war ever fought on this earth.

AJ Twiggs

The most dramatic event of the meeting was when Brigadier General A.J. Twiggs marshalled the old Confederate soldiers in solid array on the platform of the theater and had these veterans of the Civil War give the military salute to the young soldiers composing the audience.

Hardly had this been done when Colonel Brandt strode to the front and gave the order: “Attention!” “Salute!” The entire audience arose and saluted the old veterans while cheers and occasional “rebel yell’ showed their appreciation of this courtesy.

A flashlight photograph of the audience and platform was taken at the moment of salute.

At the conclusion of the meeting Mr. Ralph A. Tracy, the camp secretary, stated that other meetings of equal interest and value, might be expected every Sunday afternoon, to which the soldiers of Camp Hancock were invited. A 20-minute “drop-in” Bible class led by Dr. Camden M. Cobern, the camp religious work director, will hereafter follow each afternoon program.

living machine gun insignia

December 10, 1918 at Camp Hancock

YMCA Hut not at Camp Hancock

According to a Youtube video by the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum, Dr. Benjamin H. Teague joined Hampton’s Legion in 1863 when he was 17 years old. He participated in the war through Appomattox. He returned home ragged and emaciated at less 100 pounds. He worked as a dentist for 48 years in Aiken, South Carolina. He was very involved with the United Confederate Veterans as served for a time as the Commander. He was always a private in the Confederate army, so he would have been a colonel in the UCV per the article from Trench and Camp. He collected Civil War artifacts, many of which are at the SCCRRMM. The relic room also has other artifacts, including a piece of wood from the Merrimac and a ribbon of the “Girls of the 60’s,” an organization made up of Confederate women who supported South Carolina soldiers in World War I. Also, if you search for teague at The American Civil War Museum, you can find three relevant photographs.
One place you can read about the YMCA is Roads to the Great War, including an article about Dr. James Naismith’s work as a YMCA chaplain “over there.” More information about Camp Hancock is available at Augusta Magazine and

unidentified black troops World War I era

Father and son from Mississippi

GAR veteran and U.S. sailor

From the Library of Congress: Camp Hancock, c1918; the December 11, 1918 issue of Trench and Camp – more about the newspaper, Camp Hancock, and the Spanish flu outbreak at the camp here; the photograph of AJ Twiggs said to be between 1905 and 1945- I don’t know his role in the Civil War, but a document at facingsouth.org lists him as GEN. A.J. TWIGGS Com. East Ga. Brigade, U.C.V Augusta, Ga. – the document from about 1922 is concerned with the truth of history textbooks; YMCA Hut, Columbus Barracks between ca. 1915 and ca. 1920; Confederate veteran and son , “Photograph shows portrait of Confederate veteran James Monroe Fears with his son, Arch Franklin Fears, in uniform.”; the GAR veteran and American sailor unidentified in the photo – “Photograph shows portrait of Union veteran in G.A.R. uniform with medals and World War I sailor, probably grandfather and grandson.”; unidentified African American soldiersthe November 11, 1920 issue of the Grand Forks Herald;
From Wikipedia: living machine gun insignia at Camp Hancock on December 10, 1918
With gratitude and respect for veterans

commemoration 1920

Posted in Veterans, World War I | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

technoween

Posted on October 31, 2024 by SUMPTER

early adopter?

According to the Library of Congress, the above picture was created/published in 1909 or 1910. Since the Wright brothers’ first 59 second flight at Kitty Hawk occurred in December 1903, I’d call that witch an early adopter, at least by my standards. It seems I usually have to drag myself kicking and screaming to use new technology.
One of the mistakes I’ve made in my life was not taking the typing course available in high school. It wasn’t that I was rejecting new technology, I just didn’t think I’d ever need to type. Within a couple years I learned how foolish that idea was as I learned a lot about gobs and gobs of white-out and retyping whole pages or nearly full pages. Everyone makes mistakes, but I probably would have been more efficient if I had taken the typing course.
Besides, typewriters were not exactly new technology at the time. According to an article by Nick Yetto in Smithsonian (September/October 2023 page 34), typewriters first became available in the marketplace about one hundred years before I was in high school. In the late 1860’s Christopher Lathan Sholes and Carlos Glidden, (along with temporarily involved S.W. Soulé) began working on a machine to print numbers and letters on paper in Milwaukee. “The Sholes and Glidden typewriter came to market in 1874, manufactured by E. Remington & Sons, which was then expanding its offerings after a lucrative spell manufacturing firearms for the Union. Sold as the ‘Remington No. 1,’ it became the first commercially successful typewriter and influenced nearly every subsequent design.” That first model featured the QWERTY keyboard, which is still widely used.

“Sholes And Glidden Machine, 1873.
This Was the Model Shown by Densmore to the Remingtons Which Resulted in the Historic Typewriter Contract “

in Milwaukee

“First Typewriter”

Charles Vonley Oden explains in Evolution of the Typewriter (1917) that inventors had been working on possible typewriters for quite a while. In fact, in 1714 Englishman Henry Mill patented a writing machine but there aren’t any details of how it was engineered. During the first part of the 19th century inventors came up with features that were useful, but none of the machines were practical. In 1868 Sholes, Glidden, and Soulé were granted patent papers that caught the attention of inventor James Densmore, who invested in the company. Soon after this Glidden, and Soulé dropped out of the business. Densmore stressed the importance of testing the machines and seeking feedback from “interested outsiders.” Poor manufacturing facilities resulted in very crude machines. Around 1870 G.W.N. Yost became involved with the project. He stressed the importance of skilled manufacturing if the typewriter would ever be profitable. Their group sought and received the attention of the Remington company, which was well-known as a skilled manufacturer of firearms during the Civil War. Remington contracted to make 1,000 Sholes & Glidden typewriters. Remington “later secured control of the machine” and named it ‘Remington.'”
Mr. Oden goes on to write that in 1874 the Remington No. 1 was put in the marketplace. Although 400 were sold, many were returned “not only on account of imperfections they developed, but because the business world had not yet given the typewriter serious consideration.” “A typewritten letter often offended the recipient, who seemed to feel it was a reflection upon his intelligence and ability to read pen writing.” Efforts were made to popularize the typewriter including a “sham battle” between inventors to increase public consciousness of the machine. The sales agents also placed the typewriters with prominent firms and individuals, who were taught how to use the machines and try them out. The sales agents publicized endorsements from those who had been using the typewriters. For example, in March 1875 Mark Twain wrote something like an anti-endorsement – recipients of his typewritten letters always wrote back asking for details about the “curiosity-breeding little joker” he owned. In 1882 the firm Wyckoff, Seamans, & Benedict was formed for the purpose of selling the Remington typewriters. In 1886 the Remington company sold its typewriter business to the sales firm. “Thus the typewriter became an independent enterprise and its success assured.”

“THE FIRST COMMERCIAL TYPEWRITER
Model 1 Remington, Shop No. 1. “

“Keyboard Diagram—From the First Typewriter Catalogue”

“One of the Earliest Typewriter Advertisements.”

At Robert Messenger’s ozTypewriter you can read a whole lot about typewriters. A post about Jefferson Moody Clough, The Unsung “Typewriter Maker of Ilion,” “the man who deserves as much credit as anyone for the successful launch of the typewriter on July 1, 1874. It was under Clough’s supervision that E. Remington & Sons of Ilion, New York, was able to mass produce a marketable machine from the crudely-made early versions of the Sholes & Glidden.” As I’ve been learning about typewriters “collaboration” is a word that comes to mind. For example, in The Story of the Typewriter, 1873-1923, by the Herkimer County Historical Society, William K. Jenne is identified as another important at the Remington factory: “But the most notable personage among these men was William K. Jenne, and at this time the mantle passes from Sholes to Jenne, who became for many years the central figure in the history of the development of the typewriter on its mechanical side.”

Harper’s Weekly October 24, 1874

Harper’s Weekly June 26, 1875

Harper’s Weekly August 14, 1875

According to Consider the Source New York, “Remington’s [Civil] war contracts resulted in the production of 250,000 rifles, carbines, and revolvers. This rivaled Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company factory for the most arms produced for the Union war effort. However, when the fighting ended in 1865, so did the government contracts.” Remington’s sewing machine business influenced the design of the first typewriter.

three Remington revolvers

You can read a blog post by Ellen Terrell about “that almost sentient mechanism” at the Library of Congress. Another informative blog is Type-Writer.org.
From the Library of Congress: Halloween ancient and modern from 1909 or 1910; Charles Vonley Oden’s Evolution of the Typewriter, 1917, the information above comes from page 8 and pages 19-26; First typewriter, between ca. 1915 and ca. 1920, the image does pretty much resemble the typewriter in the Smithsonian article; Union cavalryman A. J. Blue with the Remington revolvers.
I got volume 19 of Harper’s Weekly (1875) from HathiTrust. The 1874 Harper’s Weekly is also from HathiTrust here. From Project Gutenberg: Herkimer County Historical Society’s The Story of the Typewriter, 1873-1923, 1923, this includes the images of the 1873 machine, the first commercial model, the keyboard, and the advertisement- the ad sells the typewriter as a way for poor women to get good paying job, the book has much more information about Mark Twain’s adoption of the typewriter; the image of the kids with their Jack-o’-lanterns comes from 1919’s The Book of Hallowe’en by Ruth Edna Kelley (page 178)
From Wikipedia: Copyright © 2005 Sulfur’s photo of the Milwaukee County historical marker, which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license – no changes made; the Sholes and Glidden typewriter‘ E. Remington and Sons

simpler technology

Posted in 150 Years Ago, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dedicated

Posted on October 15, 2024 by SUMPTER

After Abraham Lincoln was assassinated his body was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. 150 years ago today a large monument at the Lincoln grave site was dedicated. In its October 24, 1874 issue Harper’s Weekly described the monument:

THE LINCOIN MONUMENT
AT SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

Harper’s Weekly October 24, 1874 p990

WE give on this page an illustration of the monument erected at Springfield, Illinois, in honor of President LINCOLN, which includes a bronze statue of the President modeled by Mr. LARKIN G. MEAD. The statue was put in its place on the 3d inst., and was formally unveiled on the 15th in the presence of a vast assemblage of people from all parts of the country. It stands on the south side and in front of the shaft, about thirty feet above the ground. President GRANT and many other distinguished guests, both civil and military, were present at the ceremony. The statue is an excellent and characteristic likeness of Mr. LINCOLN. The figure is represented as dressed in the double-breasted long frock-coat and the loose pantaloons which were the fashion ten or twelve years ago, and consequently make the form appear somewhat more full and robust than Mr. LINCOLN really was. The portraiture of the statue is realistic in its fidelity. The rather stooping shoulders, the forward inclination of the head, manner of wearing the hair, the protruding eyebrows, the nose, the mouth, with the prominent and slightly drooping lower lip, the mole on his left cheek, the eyes sitting far back in his head, the calm, earnest, half-sorrowful expression of the face, all recall to the minds of his old friends and neighbors the simple-mannered, unaffected man who lived among them until he was called away to enter upon the duties of Chief Magistrate of the nation.

As will be seen from our engraving, Mr. LINCOLN is represented with his left hand resting upon fasces, around which are gracefully folded the Stars and Stripes. Mr. LINCOLN is represented as having just signed the Proclamation of Emancipation, and in his left hand he holds a scroll marked “Proclamation;” in the right hand he holds a pen. The coat of arms upon the face of the pedestal on which the statue stands represents the American eagle standing upon a shield partly draped by the flag, with one foot upon a broken shackle, and in his beak the fragments of a chain which he has just broken to pieces.

The monument is constructed in the most substantial manner of Quincy granite. In the base are two chambers. The one shown in our engraving is called Memorial Hall, and contains some interesting relics of the late President. The other, on the north side, contains the caskets inclosing the remains of Mr. LINCOLN and his little son “Tad.” The opening above Memorial Hall is the entrance to the winding stairs leading to the top of the monument. The several subordinate groups of figures shown in our engraving are not yet placed in position. Each group is intended to represent a branch of the service of the United States.

The monument was erected under the superintendence of Mr. W.D. RICHARDSON, from the design of Mr. LARKIN G. MEAD. The base is seventy-four feet on each side and twenty high, the total height to the top of the shaft being one hundred and twenty feet. The structure cost $250,000.

In its October 16, 1874 issue The Chicago Daily Tribune covered the dedication ceremony. It was a major event with thousands in attendance. Even the generally quiet Ulysses S. Grant spoke a few prepared words. From page 2 of the newspaper:

SPEECH OF GEN. GRANT.

Gen. Grant was loudly called for and read the following address:

never revengeful

MR. CHAIRMAN, LADIES, AND GENTLEMEN: On an occasion like the present, I feel it a duty on my part to bear testimony to the great and good qualities of the patriotic man whose earthly remains now rest beneath this dedicated monument. It was not my fortune to make the acquaintance of Mr. Lincoln until the beginning of the last year of the great struggle for national existence. During those years of doubting and despondency among the many patriotic men of the country, Abraham Lincoln never for a moment doubted but that the final result would be in favor of peace, union, and freedom to every race in this broad land. His faith in an all-wide Providence directing our arms in this final result was the faith of the Christian that his Redeemer liveth. Amidst obloquy, personal abuse, and hate undisguised, and which was given vent to without restraint through the press, upon the stump, and in private circles, he remained the same staunch, unyielding servant of the people, never exhibiting a revengeful feeling towards his traducers, but he rather pitied them, and hoped, for their own sake and the good name of their posterity, that they might desist. For a single moment it did not occur to him that the man Lincoln was being assailed, but that a treasonable spirit, one willing to destroy the freest Government the sun ever shone upon, was giving vent to itself upon him as the Chief Executive of the nation, only because he was such Executive. As a lawyer in your midst, he would have avoided all this slander, for his life was a pure and simple one, and no doubt he would have been a much happier man; but who can tell what might have been the fate of the nation but for the pure, unselfish, and wise administration of a Lincoln? From March, 1864, to the day when the hand of an assassin opened a grave for Mr. Lincoln, then President of the United States, my personal relations with him were as close and intimate as the nature of our respective duties would permit. To know him personally was to love and respect him for his great qualities of heart and head, and for his patience and patriotism. With all his disappointments from failures on the part of those to whom he had intrusted command, and treachery on the part of those who had gained his confidence but to betray it, I never heard him utter a complaint, nor cast a censure for bad conduct or bad faith. It was his nature to find excuses for his adversaries. In his death, the nation lost its greatest hero. In his death, the South lost its most just friend.

The Chicago Daily Tribune October 16, 1874 page 1

1883, from Northeast

attempted theft of Lincoln’s remains in 1876

Larkin G. Meade

1883, from South side

last group (Cavalry) put in place March 1883

The Daily Tribune report included several notes from famous people who regretted not being able to attend the monument dedication. Many of these fought in the Civil War. For example, James Longstreet wrote from New Orleans, and Ambrose Burnside wrote from Chicago on October 14th – he was actually on his way to the ceremony when he found out he had to head back East right away.

__________

150 years ago there was talk of President Grant possibly running for a third team in 1876. The cover of the Harper’s Weekly October 24 issue featured a cartoon by Thomas Nast that suggested Grant might not be too pleased by the prospect. Columbia can’t bear to watch the president’s struggles.

Harper’s Weekly 10-24-1874

circa 1865

2005

The October 24, 1874 issue of Harper’s Weekly is at HathiTrust. David Jones 2005 photograph of Lincoln’s tomb is licensedunder the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license. I didn’t make any changes.
From the Library of Congress: The October 16, 1874 issue of The Chicago Daily Tribune; a portrait of President Lincoln – “Published in: Lincoln’s photographs: a complete album / by Lloyd Ostendorf. Dayton, OH: Rockywood Press, 1998, p. 160., “A crafty and determined president photographed by Lewis E. Walker, Washington, D.C., about 1863. Observe the almost casual attire, with the unbuttoned coat and the familiar watch chain hanging from the side pocket instead of the vest. The only personal ornament worn by Lincoln in any photograph is a watch chain. This heavy chain of hair-thin braided gold was presented to him in 1863 by a California delegation.”, “(Source: Ostendorf, p. 160)” I think the photographer is Lewis Emory Walker. There is a Lewis E. Walker from Western New York who owned a bookstore store and published stereographs; tomb 1883 from northeast with description; Larkin G. Meade; tomb 1883 from South with more detailed description than the Harper’s Weekly piece; James Longstreet; Ambrose E. Burnside Lincoln’s tomb, circa 1865.
Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Aftermath, Postbellum Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fall River Fire

Posted on September 30, 2024 by SUMPTER

On September 19, 1874 a very destructive fire at a mill in Fall River, Massachusetts killed or injured many of the employees. In its October 10, 1874 issue Harper’s Weekly analyzed the fire and highlighted the heroism of a young man (page 835):

THE FALL RIVER DISASTER.

Harper’s Weekly October 10, 1874

THE full accounts of the burning of the Granite Mill at Fall River, of which we give several illustrations on page 841, show that the means of escape provided were entirely inadequate to the emergency. The mill was a large structure, 328 feet long, 70 feet wide, and six stories in height. Over 330 persons were employed on the premises, of whom 87 were on the fifth and sixth floors and 36 on the fourth floor, where the fire originated in the machinery. The ordinary means of exit were a stone tower in the middle and outside of the building, with a wooden stairway connecting with each floor, and an elevator running from the basement to the upper story. There were besides several fire-escape iron ladders fixed on the walls, and communicating with the floors at the windows. It was doubtless thought that these means were ample, and that had there been no panic all the operatives might have escaped in safety. But there was a panic, as there always must be at such a time, and means of escape can not be considered ample that do not provide for such an emergency. If people threatened by death in one of its most horrible forms could keep cool and collected, they could make use of the means provided for their safety; but as a matter of fact they do not keep cool, they always grow frantic and lose their senses, and this is just what must be provided for. In the case of the Fall River disaster, the flames almost immediately spread to the wooden stairway in the tower and cut off that means of escape. Then the machinery was stopped, and the elevator was rendered useless. There remained only the iron fire escapes. To descend from the top of a lofty building by a perpendicular ladder is not an easy matter for a woman or child at any time; it is preposterous to suppose that they could save themselves in this way with the building filled with blinding, suffocating smoke, the flames bursting through every floor, and every window crowded with frantic people. Panic and confusion were inevitable. Women and children threw themselves from the windows, and were dashed to pieces on the ground. Even the fire-escapes were soon rendered inaccessible by the progress of the flames, and had there been no panic would have been useless. One brave and collected man, JOHN N. BOSWORTH, a sailor, who had just reached Fall River in search of work, rescued two persons from the flames at the risk of his own life. He gained the roof of the mill, made a strong rope fast, and by this means descended to the ground, carrying a woman on his back. Ascending again by climbing the rope, he rescued a boy in the same manner. The progress of the fire prevented another return. He subsequently recovered nine bodies from the still burning mill, venturing in so reckless of his own safety that his clothing several times took fire. We give his portrait from a photograph taken immediately after the disaster.

Both The Chicago Daily Tribune and The New York Herald reported the fire in their September 20th issues. The Herald mentioned Bosworth’s bravery, but the details were different than Harper’s: “The hero of the calamity is a young fellow named Bosworth, who lowered one woman on the end of a rope and then took another in his arms and descended safely with her down the same rope to the ground. A moment later and the flames had burned the upper end of the rope so that it was no longer available.” In its September 21, 1874 issue (page 3) the Worcester Daily Press said “The Truth Worse Than the First Reports.”

Tribune from page 1

Herald from page 5

page 5 on Bosworth

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Month, Technology | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Battle in New Orleans

Posted on September 14, 2024 by SUMPTER

Harper’s Weekly October 3, 1874

According to Eric Foner in Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877, every election in Louisiana “between 1868 and 1876 was marked by rampant violence and pervasive fraud.” The results of the 1872 Louisiana gubernatorial election were highly disputed. Both carpetbagger Republican William P. Kellogg and Democrat John McEnery initially claimed victory. Eventually the federal government certified Kellogg as the winner of the election, but the Democrats were bitter about the situation. McEnery still believed he was the rightful governor. He organized his own militia, which in March 1873 attempted but was unable to take control of New Orleans police stations. During the Colfax Massacre in April 1873, “An estimated 62–153 Black militia men were murdered while surrendering to a mob of former Confederate soldiers and members of the Ku Klux Klan. Three White men also died during the confrontation.”

In 1874 the White League was formed. The League was “openly dedicated to the violent restoration of white supremacy. It targeted local Republican officeholders for assassination, disrupted court sessions, and drove black laborers from their homes.” In August the League killed six Republican officials in Red River Parish. The next month the White League started an insurrection in New Orleans with the goal of installing McEnery as governor. On September 14th, “3,500 leaguers, mostly Civil War veterans, overwhelmed an equal number of black militiamen and Metropolitan Police under the command of Confederate Gen. James Longstreet, and occupied the city hall, statehouse, and arsenal.” The insurrection ended when President Grant sent in more federal troops.

Harper’s Weekly provided some coverage about the Battle of Canal Street (or the Battle of Liberty Place) in each of its October 1874 issues. Here’s a summary of events from the October 3rd paper:

cast of characters

DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE.

On September 14 a mass-meeting of the citizens of New Orleans was called to protest against the recent seizure of arms intended for the White League. A large concourse of men gathered in Canal Street, and adopted resolutions calling upon Governor Kellogg to “abdicate.” The Governor refused to accede to the demand. Mr. D.B. Penn, who had been Democratic candidate for Lieutenant-Governor at the last State election in Louisiana, then issued a proclamation, in which he charged Kellogg with having usurped the government, and called upon “the militia of the State, embracing all males between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years, without regard to color or previous condition, to arm and assemble under their respective officers for the purpose of driving the usurpers from power.” In response to this appeal crowds of armed men took possession of the city, erected barricades, defeated and dispersed the Metropolitan Police under General Longstreet, and compelled Governor Kellogg to seek the protection of the United States troops stationed at the Custom-house. Six or eight of the insurgent citizens and twenty or thirty of the police were killed during the fighting, and quite a large number were wounded on both sides. General Badger was severely wounded. Immediately on receiving official intelligence of this outrage, President Grant issued a proclamation, September 16, commanding the disturbers of the peace to disperse within five days. A concentration of United States troops at New Orleans was also ordered, under General Emory, commanding at that place. The firm attitude of the general government had its effect on the White Leaguers. They knew they had to deal with a man of stern resolution, and on the 18th, two days after the issue of the President’s proclamation, General Emory reported to Governor Kellogg the surrender of the insurgents and the re-establishment of order. There was no conflict between the insurgents and the United States troops.

another Fort Sumter? (Harper’s Weekly October 3, 1874)

Harper’s Weekly October 17, 1874

Harper’s Weekly October 3, 1874

“A Day of Riot and Blood”

There is a lot of information about the battle available. For example, the September 15, 1874 issues of the New Orleans Republican and The Chicago Daily Tribune are available at the Library of Congress. Also at the Library is the September 15th issue of The New Orleans Bulletin, which seems to take a more pro-White League position but is hard to read.
In an editorial in its September 16, 1874 issue, the Richmond Daily Dispatch said that the White Leaguers should have realized that the federal government would step in to support Governor Kellogg and his administration because the federals recognized Kellogg as the winner of the election. The federal army kept the “usurper” Kellogg, “a man who ought to be hung, a villain, a traitor to his State, his country, and his race,” in office – the same thing could happen in Virginia. “The people of Louisiana could easily get rid of Kellogg if the President would keep his bands off.” States were losing their rights and becoming mere “satrapies” under the government in Washington, D.C.
In its October 3, 1874 issue Harper’s Weekly agreed that William Kellogg was a usurper, thought the federal government should have done more to try to remedy the situation before the insurrection, and wanted the U.S. to put down the uprising promptly.

The Chicago Daily Tribune September 15, 1874

Daily Dispatch September 16, 1874

Harper’s Weekly October 3, 1874

I hadn’t heard about the Battle of Liberty Place (or Battle of Canal Street) until I read Allen C. Guelzo’s review of Elizabath R. Varon’s Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South (National Review January 2024 page 54):
… Longstreet’s embrace of Reconstruction policies from 1867 to 1875 earned him abuse that he braved with soldierly steadfastness, and it even involved commanding a multi-race Louisiana militia in a pitched battle against the White League in the Canal Street coup of 1874. But it also earned him state and federal patronage appointments, and there were wide suspicions that patronage, not principle, was his guiding star. When Reconstruction in Louisiana was overthrown, Longstreet relocated to northern Georgia, but he still fished energetically for Republican favors. …
You can read a good summary of the battle at Boston Rare Maps and, at this time, see a map of the battle. More information is available at The Law Library of Louisiana and The Reconstruction Era
I googled/wikipediaed some of the participants in the battle and aftermath. In addition to Longstreet, McEnery and Penn served in the Confederate army; Kellogg, Badger, and Emory served in the Union army during the Civil War.

Canal Street c1891

Three of the quotes in the top two paragraphs in this post are from Eric Foner, [Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877. New York: HarperPerenial ModernClassics, 2014. Page 550-551.]. Most of the other information is from the same place. Boston Rare Maps says, Kellogg was “awarded victory by a Federal court.”
All the October 1874 Harper’s Weekly content is at HathiTrust.
From the Library of Congress: the September 16, 1874 issue of the Richmond Daily Dispatch – the editorial is on page 2, the reporting from New Orleans is on page 3; the September 15, 1874 issue of The Chicago Daily Tribune; the September 15, 1874 issues of the New Orleans Republican and The New Orleans Bulletin; Canal Street, c1891 and 1943; Carol M. Highsmith’s photograph of Canal Street between 1980 and 2006.

Canal Street 1943

Canal Street between 1980 and 2006

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Postbellum Society, Reconstruction, The Grant Administration | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 Superior, Wisconsin, the Twin Ports, way out at the end of the Great Lakes system. I remember reading about Samuel Gompers in high school social studies (I think) – the first president of the American Federation of Labor was featured in several stories in the newspaper.

The Worker

It was a big newspaper for a big Labor Day. Most issues of The Labor World were six pages at the time. The September 3rd issue was thirty-six pages full of articles, cartoons, and advertisements. A couple topics were the large number of unemployed World War I veterans and the paper’s opposition to open shops. The opinion page included a history of the holiday (image 36 at the Library of Congress) – Labor had to labor to get the holiday:

History of Labor Day

Labor Day, 1921, is the twenty-seventh annual celebration of Labor Day as a legal national holiday.
The history of Labor Day is significant of the increasing strength and progress or [sic] organized labor.
Labor Day evolved from the aspiration of the labor movement; it was-not handed down as a present. Its recognition as a legal holiday was won by labor; it was not given to labor.
The united voluntary efforts of the workers themselves established Labor Day as a national holiday long before any state legislature or the national legislature enacted the custom into statute law.
But the history of the statute law is in itself significant; it indicates the ever-increasing influence of the economic organizations of labor over the deliberations of law-makers.
The Labor Day idea was originated by P. J. McGuire, for many years first vice-president of the American Federation of Labor.
At a meeting of the New York City central labor union, held on May 8, 1882, McGuire urged the propriety of setting aside one day in the year as a general holiday for the laboring people. He suggested that it be called “Labor Day.”
The idea was adopted by the central labor union, and it staged a Labor Day parade and festival on the first Monday in September, 1882.
The A. F. of L. endorsed the national Labor Day holiday at its 1884 convention, held at Chicago.
The convention unanimously adopted the following resolution, introduced by A. C. Cameron, delegate from the Chicago trades and labor allianace [sic]:
“Resolved, That the first Monday in September of each year be set apart as a laborers’ national holiday, and that we recommend its observance by all wage workers, irrespective of sex, calling, or nationality.”
Through the activity of the state federations of labor and the central labor bodies the Labor Day demand spread from city to city and state to state.
Many municipal councils and state legislatures made it a legal holiday.
Oregon was the first state to accede to labor’s demand that Labor Day be made a state holiday. The Oregon Labor Day law was signed by the governor on February 21, 1887. The legislatures of Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York also made Labor Day a state holiday in 1887. Connecticut, Nebraska and Pennsylvania followed in 1889; Iowa and Ohio in 1890; Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington in 1891; Alabama, Louisiana, Utah and Virginia, in 1892, and California, Delaware, Florida, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Texas and Wisconsin in 1893.
In the meantime A. F. of L. officials sought congressional legislation to make Labor Day a legal holiday, in conformity with the resolution of the 1884 convention. The bill became a law ten years later. It passed congress on June 28, 1894.
On June 29,1893 [sic], President Cleveland signed the Labor Day law in the presence of Amps [Amos?] J. Cummings, representtive [sic] in congerss [sic] from
New York city. Mr. Cummings presented the pen and penholder used by President Cleveland to President Gompers.
In his annual report to the 1894 A. F. of L. convention President Gompers said:
“National Labor Day—It affords me pleasure to be able to report that the demand by the A. F. of L. for making the first Monday in Septemper [sic] of each year a legal holiday passed congress and was made a law on June 29,1894.”

Peter J. McGuire

Samuel Gompers

Amos Cummings

Here are a few clippings from the same issue of the newspaper:

closed shop secures pie

out of balance

progressive and practical labor movement

“Duluth’s oldest union man”

whole world in Labor’s hand

at Duluth’s Labor Day

According to Wikipedia, Amos J. Cummings served in the Civil War as a “sergeant major in the 26th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He earned the Medal of Honor on May 4, 1863, at Salem Heights, Virginia. His official citation reads: “Rendered great assistance in the heat of the action in rescuing a part of the field batteries from an extremely dangerous and exposed position.” His medal was not awarded until several decades later, on March 28, 1894. He was mustered out in June 1863.” According to Wikipedia, the 26th New Jersey fought in the Second Brigade, Second Division, Sixth Corps in the Army of the Potomac during the Battle of Chancellorsville. He served as a Congressman from the New York City area.
In its biography of Samuel Gompers, the AFL-CIO stressed that his racial attitudes are not accepted today: “Samuel Gompers stood for white workers of his time, often pitting them against black and Chinese workers. Under his leadership, the AFL actually reversed its position on race, disallowing black members, despite explicitly pledging to welcome them at its founding.”
I found out at the National Park Service that there is an actual “The Worker” sculpture in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Duluth’s Labor World Newspaper still exists. There was a picnic this year, too! You can read a history of The Labor World at the Library of Congress.

Samuel Gompers memorial in Washington, D.C.

From the Library of Congress: Samuel Gompers; the c1915 Bird’s-eye-view of the Twin Ports, a “Perspective map not drawn to scale”.
From Wikimedia: Peter J. McGuire and Amos J. Cummings; Bestbudbrian’s 9 May 2015 photograph of the Gompers’ memorial is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license, no changes made – here’s more about the memorial.
All the [sic]s in the article about Labor Day history above are from me.

the western end of Lake Superior

Posted in American Society, Veterans, World War I | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GAR reunion

Posted on July 31, 2024 by SUMPTER

reunion site

Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson founded the Grand Army of the Republic on April 6, 1866 in Decatur Illinois. The GAR was a fraternal organization for Union soldiers, sailors, and marines who served during the Civil War. Its guiding principles were “Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty.” Many local posts were opened throughout the former Union states. On July 22, 1874 a GAR reunion was held in Paterson, New Jersey. Harper’s Weekly covered the big event in its August 8, 1874 issue:

REUNION OF VETERANS.

THE reunion of the Grand Army of the Republic took place, July 22, at Paterson, New Jersey. President GRANT, Secretary ROBESON, Governor PARKER, the Hon. W. W. PHELPS, Mayor TOWNSEND, and many other prominent public officers took part in the exercises. There were 50,000 visitors in the city, and the enthusiasm of both guests and residents was very great. There was a procession of the militia, which was lengthened by the carriages containing invited guests; 10,000 men were in line. In the afternoon there was a banquet, at which Governor PARKER, President GRANT, the Hon. W. W. PHELPS, and others made addresses, and in the evening there was a pleasant reception at Washington Hall. Our illustration on this page will give the reader a graphic idea of the procession as it passed through the principal streets of the city.

Harper’s Weekly August 8, 1874

Other newspapers acknowledged that President Grant attended the reunion and said a few words – a very few words, but other politicians took up the slack. It was intrastate trip for the president, as he arrived in Paterson from his summer retreat in Long Branch. He headed back to Long Branch the next day for a meeting with Treasury Secretary Benjamin Bristow. [August 3, 2024: I realized a couple days ago the trip wasn’t all intrastate – it was reported that President Grant stopped in New York City on the way to Paterson]

Richmond’s Daily Dispatch July 23, 1874

Worcester Daily Spy July 23, 1874

Worcester Daily Spy July 23, 1874

New Jersey railroads c1869

relaxing at Long Branch c1872

Long Branch beach ca. 1865

The paragraph and image from the August 8, 1874 issues of Harper’s Weekly comes from HathiTrust. FirozAnsari’s July 30, 2016 photograph of the Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license
From the Library of Congress: Bird’s-eye view of Paterson, New Jersey in 1880; the July 23, 1874 issues of Richmond’s Daily Dispatch (page 1) and the Worcester Daily Spy (pages 1 and 2);New Jersey railroad map c1869 – I circled Long Branch and Paterson; part of the first family at Long Branch cottage by G. W. Pach, c1872; the surf at Long Branch, N.J. by George Stacy, ca. 1865.

The Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Month, Veterans | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Columbia’s champs

Posted on July 20, 2024 by SUMPTER

race venue

Columbia College was in the news 150 years ago this summer as its varsity rowing team won its race at an intercollegiate regatta on Saratoga Lake in New York state. The race had to be postponed twice because of choppy waters, but third time was a charm – at least the race was successfully completed, but, as Harper’s Weekly explained in its August 1, 1874 issue, the number of spectators was much smaller for the third try:

THE COLLEGE REGATTA.

THE pleasure of the Inter-collegiate Regatta this year was marred by two disappointments, one of which might have been prevented by proper management on the part of the committee. The afternoon of July 16 was the time chosen for the grand race, and long before the hour appointed for the start the shores of the lake were thronged by thousands of enthusiastic spectators, who waited impatiently for the boom of the signal-gun. Every vehicle in Saratoga and the surrounding country was pressed into service, and the hack-men and farmers made the most of their opportunity. But as the hour named for the start drew near the wind became fresh, and so roughened the surface of the lake that it was considered imprudent for the light shells to venture out. After waiting until long beyond the starting hour, the race was reluctantly postponed until the following day. The committee made the mistake of fixing upon the same hour in the afternoon, instead of choosing an hour in the forenoon, when the lake is almost always as smooth as glass. The consequence was another postponement, on account of rough weather, until darkness put an end to all possibility of a race. Warned by two failures, the committee fixed upon ten o’clock Saturday morning as the hour for starting.

a big draw

In consequence of these two postponements, there was very little interest manifested in the race on Saturday; and although the day was fair, and the lake smooth as a mirror, there were not more than fifteen thousand people present to witness the contest, and the shores of the lake wore a comparatively deserted appearance. A fair start was made at forty-six minutes after ten o’clock, all the boats getting off in good form; and after a most gallant and exciting race, Columbia came in the winner in 16 minutes 42 seconds. Close behind came the Wesleyans, in 16.50; the other boats in the order indicated in the map on the next page. There was an unfortunate collision between the Yale and the Harvard boats, in which the former lost her rudder and broke an oar. It is yet undecided where the blame lies; but the bitter feeling manifested by both crews can not be too strongly regretted. By this accident Yale was thrown out of the race. The excitement of the crowd as the winning boat crossed the line was indescribable.

The whole concourse of spectators rose on tiptoe, and cheer upon cheer went up, while the fellow-collegians and the backers of the winning crew manifested their delight by flinging up their hats, waving handkerchiefs, and cheering. The names of the winning crew are as follows:
Stroke. — B.F. REES, New York city; age, 20; height, 5 feet 8½ inches; weight, 153 pounds.
2. R.C. CORNELL, New York; age, 21; height, 5 feet 9 inches; weight, 171 pounds.
3. EDWARD S. RAPALLO, New York; age, 21; height, 6 feet; weight, 158 pounds.
4. G. GRISWOLD, New York; age, 18; height, 6 feet; weight, 158 pounds.
5. J.T. GOODWIN, New York; age, 24; height, 5 feet 11 inches; weight, 157 pounds.
Bow. — P. TIMPSON, New York; age, 22; height, 5 feet 11½ inches; weight, 158 pounds.
Averages. — Of weight, 159 pounds; of height, 5 feet 10⅔ inches; of age, 21.
Columbia’s boat is newly built, by FEARON; 49½ feet long, 21 inches wide; weighs 145 pounds. The racing dress consists of blue tights and white handkerchiefs. …
[ On July 15th Princeton beat Yale and Brown in the freshman race, and then Ansley Wilcox from Yale won the single sculls race against one Cornell oarsman and one from Harvard.]

at the finish line

In its August 8, 1874 issue Harper’s Weekly reported on a big celebration greeting the victors on their return to New York City:
THE COLUMBIA. BOYS.

Columbia champs

The Columbia boys met with an enthusiastic reception at the railway dépôt on their return from Saratoga. Crowds of eager Columbians and sympathetic friends were gathered to bid them welcome. The favorite colors, blue and white, were worn by two-thirds of the people present. When the train steamed into the dépôt the cheers of the students and their friends pealed forth in ringing tones, and the college cry, C-O-L-U-M-B-I-A, came in at the close with resonant emphasis. After the first hearty greetings and hand-shakings, a procession was formed, headed by a band of music.

The crew carried their oars aloft, each man’s name appearing on the blade of the trusty weapon which he had borne so well in the late struggle. The absent oarsman, Mr. GRISWOLD, who remained at Saratoga, was not forgotten, and his oar, garlanded with the victor blue and white, was carried along with the rest. Outside the dépôt the crew took their seats in President BARNARD’s carriage, which was waiting to receive them. It was their triumphal car, and they themselves were the heroes of the hour. Yet they bore their honors with becoming modesty, even if they were secretly proud of the ovation tendered them. The procession took its way up Forty-second Street amidst the plaudits of the spectators and the answering cheers of the Columbia boys. When near Fifth Avenue the horses were unhitched from the carriage, ropes were attached, and the eager students drew their victorious mates in triumph to the college. From the balcony President BARNARD bade the young victors an earnest welcome. Here the demonstrations were most emphatic. The college was decorated with the Columbia colors, and flags of blue and white were displayed from all the private residences in the vicinity.

After this ceremony the procession re-formed and proceeded to the Windsor Hotel, where a very pleasant reception was held. A social evening closed the triumphant festivities of the day, the various scenes of which are depicted by our artist in the illustration on the preceding page.

the preceding page

The 1874 regatta is included in A history of American College Regattas at the Library of Congress. Concerns about Saratoga being a bad choice for the regatta because of “its bad moral influence and its extravagant gaiety” were frivolous.

field expanded

course mapped

Harper’s Weekly also covered a nascent professional sport during the summer of 1874. The paper’s July 25th issue noted that two of the most successful teams from the first fully professional baseball league – the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players – would be heading to England to take on some of the best players over there. The American teams were from Boston and Philadelphia. The thumbnail below includes the base-ball paragraph and a description of Saratoga. Actually, it seems the two teams played against each other on at least one occasion in England.

Harper’s Weekly July 25, 1874

Boston champs

Athletic of Philadelphia

According to Wikipedia: 1) Rowing “is the oldest intercollegiate sport in the United States.” 2) Columbia was called King’s College from its founding in 1754 until 1784, and the college became a university in 1896. 3) Intercollegiate sports at Columbia “date to the foundation of the baseball team in 1867. Men’s association football (i.e. soccer) followed in 1870, and men’s crew in 1873. Men’s Crew was one of Columbia’s best early sports, and in 1878 the Columbia College Boat Club was the first foreign crew to win a race at the Henley Royal Regatta—considered to be Columbia’s greatest athletic achievement.” (“Columbia won the Visitors’ Challenge Cup, becoming the first foreign winners of a Henley trophy”)
From the Library of Congress: bird’s-eye view, which was used in the July 25, 1874 issue of Harper’s Weekly. I got all the other 1874 Harper’s Weekly content for this post from HathiTrust.

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, American Culture, Postbellum Society | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment