On (Virtual) Display at the State Library

Happy June! As we enter the summer months, our minds begin to wander to thoughts of vacations and this month’s featured item is along that same vein. We’re sharing Souvenir of New England's Great Resorts, a souvenir book by George H. Haynes that dates to 1891. Within its pages are images and descriptions of seventeen of the premier resorts found on the northeast coast - including a few in Massachusetts!  

This book of resorts was published during the height of the Gilded Age, a period in American history marked by a high level of opulence and extravagance for the upper class. During this time, the expansion of the railroad system contributed to an increase of industrialization (and the wealth that came with it), and also led to a rise in the summer tourism business. An expanded railroad system allowed people to travel from their homes in the city to lavish resorts located in more rural and tranquil spots. In this book, some of the resort descriptions even include information about how they can be reached via train from Boston or New York. Once guests arrived at the resorts, they were met by grand dining rooms and ballrooms, elegant lobbies, and verandas to relax on. The resorts also offered recreational activities, like croquet, horseback riding, and golf. In sum, these resorts were places for the wealthy to see and be seen. 

Two of the resorts featured in this book were located in Massachusetts: The Hotel Chatham on Cape Cod, and the Hotel Vendome in Boston.    

Like its name suggests, the Hotel Chatham was located on a peninsula in Chatham Port on Cape Cod. The resort opened in July 1889 with seventy rooms and expanded to one hundred rooms the following year. According to its description in this book, “Its magnificent furnishings, spacious piazzas, bowling alleys, billiard rooms, electric lights throughout the house, together with the purest of water, perfect plumbing and drainage, steam-heat and open fires, combines to make this one of the best equipped of modern hotels.” The resort’s remote location on the peninsula allowed for each room to have a water view, but also proved to be part of its downfall. The Hotel Chatham was not accessible by railroad, which made it difficult to get to. The resort’s popularity was also affected by the economic Panic of 1893 and its subsequent depression. The Hotel Chatham was first put up for sale in 1904 and changed hands a few times before it was demolished in 1910. 

The Hotel Vendome was a luxury hotel, but unlike most of the other resorts mentioned in this book, it was located on Commonwealth Avenue in the upscale Back Bay neighborhood of Boston rather than in a rural country or coastal setting. Its neighbors in nearby Copley Square included the Museum of Fine Arts (before it moved to its current Huntington Avenue location), the Boston Public Library, and Trinity Church. The Hotel Vendome opened in 1871 and a large expansion was completed in 1881. In the book, its description mentions Boston attractions but also suggests that the hotel could be used as a home-base for those wishing to tour around New England during the summer. It is described as “very desirable as a summer home and to tourists visiting the seashore or mountain resorts, a delightful place to rest for a few days from the fatigues of traveling.” One of the luxuries that guests of the hotel enjoyed was the assurance that “excursions can easily be made to the neighboring seashore resorts and return to town the same day. Railroad tickets may be procured in the hotel, and all arrangements for baggage, car seats, lunches, etc. will be attended to if desired.” The Hotel Vendome remained in business until it was sold in 1971, and work began to renovate it into condominiums. Tragically, a fire occurred during the renovation, which is described in detail in this article on the Boston Fire Historical Society’s website. After the fire, the renovations were completed, and the Vendome stands today as a luxury condominium building.

Each of the resorts featured in this book have their own fascinating history, and while we can’t go into detail for all of them, we did a little research to see how many are still in existence. Take note if you are planning a vacation, because a surprising number of the resorts featured in this book are still taking reservations! The Ocean House (Newport, RI), The Maplewood (Bethlehem, NH), and The Algonquin (St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick) have all been modernized but retain their original historical charm. The Wentworth, also known as Wentworth by the Sea (New Castle, NH) was vacant for many years but was renovated and reopened as a Marriott resort in 2003. The similarly named Wentworth Hall and Cottages (Jackson, NH) is also still in existence, though it is now known as “The Wentworth: an Elegant Country Inn.” In South Poland, ME the original structure of the Poland Spring House, as well as the buildings it expanded to, burned down in 1975 but there is still a Poland Springs resort in the area. And the structures of two of the resorts remain, though they now serve a different function: The Rockingham (Portsmouth, NH) has been converted to condominiums, and The Hotel Champlain (Plattsburg, NY) is now the Clinton Community College. Unfortunately, the other hotels not listed here were either destroyed in fires, or they changed ownership and management over the years before being demolished. 

Check out all of the resorts featured in this book on DSpace. Read the descriptions of their lavish accommodations and enjoy drawings of their buildings and surrounding the landscapes. And happy vacationing!

Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian

Celebrate Preservation Week with the State Library

Happy Preservation Week! The American Library Association has designated April 25 through May 1 as a time to promote and advocate for preservation work. At the State Library, the work done in our preservation lab helps to maintain the integrity of the collection and ensure that historical resources will be accessible for generations to come. 

Each month, we select one collection item to share in our virtual display case and this month we’re combining that with Preservation Week to feature an item that needs a little bit of work. We’ve been working remotely since March 2020 so hands-on preservation work has been paused until we resume on-site, but one of the last items to be sent to the preservation lab was a small book published around 1774. In its current state, a past librarian made a cover out of regular office paper for this pamphlet, since it had lost its original title page, and the cover and book are stored together in an acid-free envelope. According to the handwritten cover, it is Letters Regarding Affairs in Boston, Mass. From the Point of View of the British Government, 1774. An additional notation reads that pages 1-2 and 119-end are missing. But with the original title page missing, we wanted to try and confirm the actual title of this pamphlet. While working remotely, we were able to use the few images that we had, and the text within those images, to search for and then compare our content with a digital copy of a pamphlet held in the collection of the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. From that comparison, we believe that this pamphlet is Sagittarius's letters and political speculations. Extracted from the Public ledger. Humbly inscribed to the very loyal and truly pious Doctor Samuel Cooper, Pastor of the Congregational Church in Brattle Street by John Mein and Samuel Cooper, printed in Boston “By order of the Select Men and sold at Donation Hall, for the benefit of the distressed patriots.” Historian and author J.L. Bell has written about this collection of letters over on his blog Boston1775. While being an interesting and historically significant item, this pamphlet also highlights the need for preservation work within our library. 

Even though this pamphlet was housed in an acid-free envelope, it is still in poor condition and needs some preservation attention. Within our lab, we have the capabilities to clean, re-house, mend, and restitch items from our collection. If a repair is beyond our scope, we can send items off-site to the Northeast Document Conservation Center for more extensive work. While we will not be able to assess this item and determine its treatment plan until we’re back on-site, we can tell from the images that it is dirty, the edges are ragged, there is adhesive tape from a previous repair effort, there is page loss, and that some of the stitches binding it together are loose.

But what caused this damage in the first place? We can make a guess that general handling and poor storage largely contributed to the deterioration of this pamphlet. Dust, grime, and oil from hands can build-up over time and lead to the discoloration of the pages. Handling it too roughly can cause dog-eared pages and tears, and storing it in an improper enclosure, or without one completely, will expose the item to fluctuations in temperature and humidity, light, and dust. After the item has been repaired, we’ll try to limit any further damage by doing a little bit of preventative preservation. This comes in the form of training our library staff and researchers on the best practices for handling fragile Special Collections materials. And we’ll also try to digitize the pamphlet so that the original can remain safely stored while the content can still be accessed electronically.  

This week we’ll be posting preservation content daily on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We hope that you’ll follow along as we celebrate Preservation Week 2021, and if you have any preservation questions, reach out to us by email or comment on any of our posts! 

Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian

On (Virtual) Display in the State Library

This April we are highlighting one of the many maps found in Special Collections. Over the past few years, we have undertaken a large project to catalog and re-house our map holdings, which has consequently brought many great maps to our attention. One of those is this month’s virtually displayed item, a view of Boston and the surrounding suburbs from 1905.

One of the most notable aspects of this map is its orientation, which has Boston as a center focal point but with the eastern part of the state in the foreground, and the western part of the state extending into the background. From this vantage point, the viewer can easily see all of the Harbor Islands, and the coastline south to Nantasket Beach and Hull and north to Lynn Beach and Nahant. In addition to identifying important landmarks and locations, the map provides a good deal of additional illustrative details. For example, look closely to see a depiction of Boston Light on Little Brewster Island and Fort Warren on Georges Island. What other details can you spot in the harbor?

As the map moves inland, rolling hills, rivers, ponds, and forests are shown, and there is even a tiny Wachusett Mountain in the far reaches. Beyond landforms, the map also highlights the growing populations of Boston’s suburbs, as represented by dense illustrations of buildings. Boston and Cambridge are the most densely populated, but the map shows development in the surrounding towns, out to Braintree, Norwood, Natick, and Concord. Railway lines and major thoroughfares are also shown, illustrating how the towns are linked and emphasizing the ease in which one can get both to and from Boston and around the Commonwealth.

The map was published by George H. Walker & Co., a prolific lithographer based in Boston. Our collection includes several maps published by Walker, dating from the 1880s into the early 1900s and showing Massachusetts towns and other New England states. Be sure to click on the above image to examine all of the careful details included in this map.

This month marks one year of sharing our collection with our readers through our “virtual display case.” We remain grateful for the opportunity to highlight items from our collection even though we continue to work from home. To revisit our past exhibited items, be sure to check out our tags for FY 2021 and FY 2020.

 

Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian

On (Virtual) Display in the State Library

This March, our virtual display case features an item in honor of the anniversary of the Boston Massacre, which occurred on March 5, 1770. We are sharing a pamphlet-style program that dates to 1888 and was published for the dedication ceremony of the monument to Crispus Attucks, Samuel Maverick, James Caldwell, Samuel Gray and Patrick Carr – the five victims of the Boston Massacre. 

The pamphlet, “Exercises at the ceremony of unveiling and dedication of the monument to Crispus Attucks, Samuel Maverick, James Caldwell, Samuel Gray and Patrick Carr,” complements the ceremony that occurred on November 14, 1888 for the dedication of the monument and a procession of government official and invited guests throughout the city. The procession route was from the State House to the site of the monument on Boston Common, then on to the site of the Boston Massacre (in front of the present-day Old State House), before culminating at Faneuil Hall. The pamphlet describes the commemorative events that occurred at the monument and at Faneuil Hall, as well as a physical description of the monument and some historical background into the massacre and aftermath. 

In the years leading up to the Revolutionary War, tensions in Boston were running high. On the night of March 5, a crowd of colonists gathered on King Street (now State Street) and began taunting and throwing snowballs and other items at a British soldier stationed in front of the Customs House. Soldiers from the British 29th Regiment of Foot joined the sentry and during the confrontation that ensued opened fire on the colonists. Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Native American descent, was the first victim. James Caldwell and Samuel Gray were also shot and killed that night, Samuel Maverick died of his injuries the next morning, and Patrick Carr succumbed to injuries two weeks later. Posthumously, the men were treated as heroes and the Boston Massacre itself was a rallying cry throughout the colonies to resist against British rule. When the day of the victims’ funerals and burial arrived, shops throughout the city were closed and bells were ordered to toll a solemn peal. A procession moved from their funeral locations to the Granary Burial Ground, where they were laid to rest. Pictured is an excerpt from the Boston Gazette and Country Journal, part of our Special Collections historical newspaper holdings, which describes the day as well as depicts an image of four coffins (Patrick Carr was buried at a later date).

Over one hundred years later, the victims of the Boston Massacre were honored again with the dedication of the monument, which is also known as the Crispus Attucks Monument and Victory. Erected by the Commonwealth and designed by Robert Kraus, the monument includes a bas-relief depiction of the moment that the British fired shots, with a slain Crispus Attucks in the foreground. Crispus Attucks is widely considered the first victim of both the Boston Massacre and the Revolutionary War and became an icon for the abolitionist movement in the 19th century; in 1858, Boston abolitionist William Cooper Nell established March 5 as Crispus Attucks Day. Attucks’ legacy lived on throughout the 20th century and up to today, as his name and actions were remembered again last summer during Black Lives Matter protests. 

You can read the dedication pamphlet in its entirety on DSpace. And there are countless resources to check out about the Boston Massacre, including the recently published The Boston Massacre: A Family History by Serena Zabin. You can also learn more about Crispus Attucks by visiting Revolutionary Spaces’ virtual exhibit Reflecting Attucks, available on their website.

Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian

On (Virtual) Display in the State Library

This February our virtual display case features a printed copy of the “Address Of William H. Lewis, Assistant Attorney General Of The United States, Before The Massachusetts House Of Representatives, Feb. 12, 1913” (1913 House Bill 1912), which is part of the collection of 1913 House Documents. The address was given by William H. Lewis, who was the country’s first African-American Assistant Attorney General, to the House of Representatives in commemoration of both Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and the 50th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. 

Lewis begins his address by noting that this is not his first time at the House of Representatives. He states, “Twice before have I met this honorable House. I came first as an humble petitioner seeking redress against discrimination on account of color. You then granted my prayer. Some years later, I came as a member of this House, the last representative of my race to sit in this body. You treated me then as a man and an equal. And now the honors of an invited guest I shall cherish as long as memory lasts.” By the time he made this speech in 1913, Lewis already had an impressive and varied resume. He was born in 1868 in Virginia, the son of former slaves. He enrolled at Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute, now Virginia State University, but transferred to Amherst College to complete his undergraduate education. He then attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1895. At both Amherst and Harvard, Lewis played on the football team, rising to the role of captain, and later coached the Harvard team. He is part of the College Football Hall of Fame. 

Lewis was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1899 but served only one term. He is pictured in A Souvenir of Massachusetts Legislators (1902) second from the right in the bottom row of a collage of photographs of members of the Committee of Judiciary. Lewis was the last African-American elected to the Massachusetts General Court until 1947. After leaving Massachusetts politics, he served as Assistant United States Attorney in Boston before he was appointed by President Taft as U.S. Assistant Attorney General. He was confirmed to the position in 1911 despite opposition from Senators from southern states.  In that same year, he was admitted to the American Bar Association, again facing opposition from white members who stated that they would resign if he was a member. At the close of Taft’s presidency in 1913, Lewis turned to private practice in Boston. Having experienced discrimination at nearly every step of his professional career, Lewis was a strong and outspoken advocate for civil rights throughout his life. 

To today’s reader, Lewis’s remarks to the House might not seem the most progressive or radical, but it is important to keep in mind the environment in which he was speaking. The conclusion of the Civil War was not yet fifty years in the past, and Lewis was addressing a House of Representatives that was made up entirely of white men. His message is predominantly hopeful, with a positive look to the future. He extols the virtues of Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, as well as praising the state of Massachusetts for its opportunities and ideals. But Lewis does not turn a blind eye to racial injustice and inequality. He uses this platform to state that the right of the African-American “to free access to all public places and to exact similar treatment therein is not universal in this country. He is segregated by law in some sections; he is segregated by custom in others. He is subjected to many petty annoyances and injustices and ofttimes deep humiliation solely on account of his color.”  Lewis remarks on how far the country has come in the past fifty years, but he also repeatedly stresses the importance of equality and the continued need for it to be universally accepted across all aspects of society. He closes his address by urging the state of Massachusetts to lead the way in granting equality to all people. 

This Black History Month, we remember the trailblazing work of William H. Lewis and honor all that he accomplished. To read his address in its entirety, click here.

Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian

On (Virtual) Display in the State Library

Last January, our library display case featured a selection of almanacs published by Isaiah Thomas. This year, we are continuing our trend of starting the year with a historic almanac by featuring Fleet's Pocket Almanack for the year of our Lord 1789: Being the First after Leap Year and the Thirteenth of American Independence. Though we are not on-site and can’t physically change our display case, we’re happy for the opportunity to virtually share this item from our collection.

As represented in its name, Fleet’s Pocket Almanac was published by brothers Thomas and John Fleet and sold in their shop, The Bible and Heart, in Cornhill, Boston. Thomas and John were also the printers of the Boston Evening-Post, a newspaper that they took over from their father and ran until it ceased publication in April 1775. In The History of Printing in America (originally published in 1810), Isaiah Thomas wrote of the brothers that, “their father gave them a good school education; they were correct printers, very attentive to their concerns, punctual in their dealings, good citizens, and much respected.” They continued printing together until Thomas’ death in 1797. To read even more anecdotes and references to the Fleet brothers, be sure to check out their tag on Boston1775.

Fleet’s Pocket Almanac provides much of the same information that you’d expect to find in an almanac. There are entries on the year’s upcoming eclipses, the roads from Boston, and dates for the four seasons. Each month has a page for its moon phases and weather, along with “remarkable dates” of important anniversaries and holidays, like “Tea destroyed in Boston, 1773” for December 16 and Valentine’s Day on February 14. But there are also a few less traditional dates included, for example, the phrase “the dog days of summer” is commonly known as a way to describe the hottest days of summer, and in the almanac the “dog days” are noted as starting on July 25 and ending on September 3. 

But what is unique about Fleet’s publication is that after the almanac pages is the Massachusetts Register, which was published annually by various Boston printers from 1767 to 1878. It was published under the Fleet name from 1779 to 1800, at which point it was taken over by William Manning and James Loring. The Register was a comprehensive publication, similar in nature to a directory and almanac but also with a plethora of additional information. It would be a lengthy list to include everything found in the publication, but a sampling is that it provided statistics and data on currency, directions for the entrance of Boston Bay and sailing in and out of Plymouth, a tide table, as well as listings of various elected and appointed officials, religious assemblies, schools, attorneys, and sheriffs - it was truly a thorough annual resource.

While just the cover is shown here, you can virtually flip through the whole almanac and Register on DSpace! And click here to revisit our almanac post from last January, about Isaiah Thomas’s New England Almanac. 

Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian

On (Virtual) Display in the State Library

As Thanksgiving ends and we look towards the upcoming holiday season, it’s time to pick a new item for our virtual display! This December, we’re sharing Christmas Eve on Beacon Hill, a small twenty page booklet from our collection that dates to 1918.

Christmas Eve on Beacon Hill was written by Richard Bowland Kimball, a resident of the neighborhood, with drawings done by Maurice Day. Kimball, who was a new arrival to Beacon Hill, writes that he was unaware of Beacon Hill’s Christmas Eve celebrations when he first accepted an invitation from a friend to participate. He describes walking around the neighborhood and seeing “candles beyond counting in the windows. Delia Robbia Madonnas or painted medieval ecclesiastical carvings fastened to the old housewalls, green wreaths on the old white doors, Christmas trees behind the panes; and moving among the groups, church choirs, led by trumpeters, stopping and singing before the houses old carols.” Kimball was experiencing a popular Beacon Hill tradition that had begun almost a decade prior. 

Beacon Hill decorated with candles in the windows and carolers on the streets can be attributed to Elizabeth Cram, wife of architect Ralph Adams Cram. Circa 1907, Elizabeth urged her friends to place candles in their windows on Christmas Eve, and after being well received, the group formed the Chestnut Street Christmas Association. The association began formally organizing Christmas Eve candle and caroling festivities, and it proved to be so popular that people came from around the city to visit Beacon Hill. In the coming years, the tradition of lighting candles even spread elsewhere in the city as well as to cities far and wide. As Kimball writes in 1918, “Last year Christmas Eve was celebrated with candles and carols as far west as San Francisco, as far north as Labrador.” As a fun Christmas addition, you can also click here to see a Cram family Christmas card designed by Ralph Adams Cram and held in Historic New England’s ephemera collection. 

As the preservation librarian, I should also note that this booklet could use a little repair work! Based on the digitized images, it looks like there is a fair amount of non-archival adhesive tape that was used for mending over the years. In the lab, we would try to remove that tape, mend the pages, and perhaps re-do the simple pamphlet stitch that was done as the binding. Some general cleaning would give it a nice fresh look, too! Though we’re not in the lab at the moment, I can flag this item for preservation attention once we’re back on-site, and maybe it will look good as new by the time the holiday season rolls around in 2021! 

We are featuring the cover of this booklet here on the blog, with its ornate font and a beautiful night time illustration looking up Chestnut Street to the golden dome of the State House. The image is flanked by taper candles, similar to the ones that would have been found in the windows of Beacon Hill homes. To see the full booklet, be sure to check it out on DSpace. Take a close look at all of the festive drawings of Beacon Hill windows adorned with wreaths and candles. And regardless of how or if you celebrate the holiday season, we wish everyone a happy and healthy December full of good cheer.

Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian

On (Virtual) Display in the State Library

In honor of Veteran’s Day, this month our virtual display case features four “Welcome Home Day” souvenir programs. Dating to 1919, the programs were printed in conjunction with the Welcome Home Day celebrations that occurred throughout the Commonwealth and the country as soldiers returned to their hometowns from service in World War I. The four programs in our collection are from Somerset, Falmouth, Longmeadow, and Barnstable.

It was spring of 1919 when soldiers began returning home after World War I ended in November of 1918. Large celebrations and parades were held as boats arrived in Boston and other port cities. When soldiers made their way back to their hometowns, Welcome Home Days were organized to honor the service of local sons and daughters. The day was a time for the community to come together to both celebrate the end of the war and soldiers’ return home, and to mourn and honor those that had not come home. Though there was some variation to how each town celebrated a Welcome Home Day, for the most part they included parades, speakers, songs, a presentation of medals, a community meal (sometimes a clambake), and activities like a ball game or tug of war. Some towns used this as an opportunity to unveil an honor roll in the town green, which was frequently also printed within the souvenir program, with a special indication or memorial for those residents who died in service. 

Various towns have uploaded historical images from their own Welcome Home Day celebrations to the Digital Commonwealth. The photographs show parade participants and spectators, buildings draped in patriotic bunting, and signs welcoming home soldiers. You can see these images by visiting the Digital Commonwealth and using “Welcome Home Day” as your keyword search term. 

Veterans Day is celebrated every November 11, and has its origin in World War I. It was originally known as Armistice Day, designated by President Woodrow Wilson on November 11, 1919 as a day to commemorate the formal end of World War I and the soldiers who gave their lives in the war. The federal holiday as we know it now, which has been expanded to honor all those who served in the armed forces, was established as Veterans Day in 1954 and is still celebrated on November 11. Many communities mark the day with a parade, not unlike the parades that were held as part of the Welcome Home Day celebrations.

The souvenir programs have been digitized in their entirety and can be found in DSpace: Somerset, Falmouth, Longmeadow, and Barnstable. Beyond the souvenir programs, the State Library also holds an extensive collection of photographs of World War I soldiers. The Boston Globe donated the collection in 1935, and it includes over 8,000 portrait photographs of soldiers primarily of the 101st Field Artillery, 101st Engineers, 102nd Field Artillery, and 104th Infantry of the 26th (Yankee) Division, in 1935. Also included are some biographical cards that provide basic information about each soldier’s assignment, rank, merit awards, and sometimes a few extra facts from newspaper clippings. The collection is fully digitized and can be searched in DSpace.

The soldier photographs and souvenir programs in the State Library’s holdings serve as an important genealogical and historical resource for the Great War, and also give us a more personal look at the individuals who served. This Veterans Day, commemorate the day by spending some time taking a close look at each in DSpace.

Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian

On (Virtual) Display in the State Library

This October, we’re changing our virtual display case to feature a women’s suffrage pamphlet from the early 1900s. Titled “Why Women Should Vote” the pamphlet was published by the National American Woman Suffrage Association as part of the Political Equality Series. With Election Day only one month away, we thought this was a fitting time to share a suffrage publication! 

This pamphlet was written by Alice Stone Blackwell, a well-known suffragist, feminist, and journalist who spent much of her life in Massachusetts. Blackwell was the daughter of Lucy Stone, an abolitionist and one of the most prominent early advocates for women’s suffrage. Among her many accomplishments and activities, Lucy Stone was the editor of the Woman’s Journal, the periodical of the American Woman Suffrage Association. Alice Stone Blackwell followed in her mother’s footsteps by serving in that same role, and she was also instrumental in facilitating the reunification of two suffrage groups - the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association, which merged into the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the organization that published the Political Equality Series. 

Pamphlets published in the Political Equality Series covered a variety of topics related to women’s suffrage, including “Suffrage for Women Wage Earners” and “Equal Suffrage in Australia,” which was essentially a case-study from a country where women already received the right to vote. When the pamphlet in our collection, “Why Women Should Vote,” was published in 1905, women were still over a decade away from obtaining the right to vote. But this pamphlet lists out sixteen reasons why women should vote alongside men, and gives an explanation for each of those reasons. A selection are included below: 

Because laws unjust to women would be amended more quickly           It cost Massachusetts women 55 years of effort to secure the law making mothers equal guardians of their children with the fathers. In Colorado, after women were enfranchised, the very next Legislature granted it. After more than half a  century of agitation by women for this reform, only 13 out of 45 States now give equal guardianship to mothers.

Because it would help those women who need help the most
Theodore Roosevelt recommended woman suffrage in his message to the New York Legislature. On being asked why, he is reported to have answered that many women have a very hard time, working women especially, and if the ballot would help them, even a little, he was willing to see it tried. Mrs. Maud. Nathan, president of the National Consumers' League, said in an address at the National Suffrage Convention in Washington, in February,. 1904: "My experience in investigating the condition of women wage-earners warrants the assertion that some of the evils from which they suffer would not exist if women had the ballot. In the state where women vote, there is far better enforcement of the laws which protect  working girls. 

Because woman's ballot would make it harder for notoriously bad candidates to be nominated or elected
In the equal suffrage states, both parties have to put up men of respectable character, or lose the women's vote.

Click on the image to see a closer look of page one of the pamphlet and read the full four-page pamphlet on DSpace.

2020 marks one hundred years since the passage of the 19th Amendment, which legally granted women the right to vote. However, some states had discriminatory voting laws in place that kept minority women from exercising their right even after the amendment passed. It is undeniable that the 19th Amendment was a huge accomplishment that was hard fought by many women’s organizations starting in the 1840s, but we must also remember that the struggle to vote continued after 1920. 

As you make your voting plan this November, be sure to visit the Massachusetts Elections Division website for answers to any questions you may have, as well as a number of other useful voting resources.

Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian

On (Virtual) Display in the State Library

A new month means that it is time for a new item in our virtual display case! This September we’re sharing one of the many bird’s-eye view maps that is found within our Special Collections holdings. Featuring a view from Boston all the way to Provincetown, this map highlights the ins and outs of Massachusetts’ southern coastline and the islands that fill its harbor.

The map, titled “Bird’s eye view of Boston Harbor along the South Shore to Provincetown,” was published in 1920 by the Union News Co. in Boston and printed and engraved by the Federal Engraving and Publishing Co., also in Boston.  Bird’s-eye view maps rose to prominence in the mid-1800s, and as their name suggests, they depict towns and landscapes as if seen from above. Though they do show roads, boundary lines, and in this case, shipping routes, bird’s-eye views differ from more technical wayfinding maps because they also include some artistic details and distinguishable features of a location’s built environment. If you look closely at this map, you’ll see miniature representations of lighthouses and boats, and in the bottom center of the map you can even see the golden dome of the State House. Bird’s-eye view maps are also an important resource because they provide a glimpse into what a location looked like at a specific time in history, since they often depict local industries and factories and the size of various towns as they spread into the surrounding open space.  

The key at the bottom of this map provides helpful assistance with locating landmarks found within it. Many of the locations are picturesque sites that can still be visited today, like Fort Warren on George’s Island (10) and Race Point Light in Provincetown (23). But the map also depicts locations that were prominent enough in 1920 to be included but are no longer in existence, like the grand Pemberton Hotel (13) which was located at the very end of Nantasket Beach in Hull. The hotel was demolished in the 1950s, but an image of it that dates to the same year as this map can be found in the Boston Public Library’s Leon Abdalian Collection and accessed through the Digital Commonwealth. One other interesting item to note is the New Custom House (B). The tower of the Custom House is an iconic part of Boston’s skyline, but the structure as we know it today was relatively new to viewers in 1920. The 496 foot tower was added to the existing building on State Street between 1913 and 1915. This map is dated, but if it were undated, then the inclusion of “new” in front of Custom House could have helped to give it a circa 1915 date. 

These are just a few of the many intricate details in this map. To give it a close examination, check it out on DSpace. And while you’re in DSpace, be sure to peruse our large collection of digitized bird’s-eye view maps. Maybe you’ll find one from your own town! 

Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian

On (Virtual) Display in the State Library

This month our virtual display case features an account of expenses for Truro Lighthouse - a fitting item since August 7 is National Lighthouse Day! The expense sheet is part of the Alexander Parris Papers, and dates to May 23, 1840. 

Truro Lighthouse is more familiarly known as Highland Light, and is located in Truro, Cape Cod. It was originally built as a wooden structure in 1797, but was replaced with a brick structure in 1833. In 1840, the lighthouse received a new lighting apparatus. This expense report, which dates to the same year, documents the cost for castings of a lantern, chandelier, deck, staircase, furnace, and door - totaling $2,377.98. An addendum to the expense sheet also lists the cost of a variety of sizes of lamps and reflectors for the new lighting apparatus. In 1857, the lighthouse was demolished and replaced by the brick structure that remains in use today. However, the current lighthouse is not in the same location as the original. Due to beach erosion, Highland Light was moved 450 feet to the west in 1996.

This account of expenses for Truro Light is just one of many items in the Alexander Parris Papers that relates to the construction and maintenance of lighthouses. Parris (1780-1852) was a prominent architect and engineer in the early to mid-1800s and was responsible for many notable buildings, including Quincy Market in Boston and Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth. Later in his career, his focus shifted away from commercial and residential design and towards projects for the federal government. Among those was the design of a number of lighthouses located up and down the northeastern coastline as part of the nation’s Lighthouse Service. The collection of papers at the State Library dates from 1823 through 1851 and focuses primarily on the engineering work that Parris did for the United States Navy. It consists of correspondence, financial records, and professional and legal documents. A finding aid to the collection can be found here and digitized items from the collection can be viewed on DSpace. To see all of the items related to Parris’ work on lighthouses, select “search within the collection” and use “lighthouse” as your keyword term. And for a closer look at our featured document, click on the image above or this link. 

 

Highland Light in Truro, Cape Cod, 2019

In New England, every day is a good day to celebrate a lighthouse! But according to the American Lighthouse Foundation, August 7 was designated by Congress as National Lighthouse Day in 1989. This was done in honor of the 200th anniversary of the signing of an act for the establishment and support of lighthouses, beacons, buoys, and public piers. Learn more about National Lighthouse Day and read the text of the original act on the ALF website. 

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian

On (Virtual) Display in the State Library

This July our virtual display case features an 1891 photograph of the State House, part of our Special Collections holdings. The photograph depicts the building when it was adorned with bunting for a Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) reunion. The G.A.R. was a fraternal organization of Union veterans of the Civil War, with posts (or chapters) located throughout the country. 

If you look closely at the image you can see that in addition to bunting, there are also placards reading Fort Sumter / 1861 / 1865 / Appomattox. These two battles and accompanying dates represent the first and one of the last battles of the Civil War. In the years after the war, the G.A.R. functioned in large part as a means for Union veterans to gather with others who would understand the ongoing trauma of having served in the Civil War. The G.A.R. was also politically active, and listed among its causes advocating for soldier’s pensions, expanding voting rights for black veterans, and the establishment of “Decoration Day” on May 30 - which we know of today as Memorial Day. 

Since some veterans moved south and further west after the war, there were G.A.R. posts located throughout the country. Though some of the posts were segregated, a good number were integrated groups of both black and white veterans. In 1890, around the time of this photograph, membership numbers reached a high of 410,000. The G.A.R. held an annual national encampment, or reunion, each summer for veterans from various posts to meet together in one location. The encampments would often include related groups, such as the Women’s Relief Corp, and the Sons of Veterans. The multi-day event would include parades, “camp-fire” chats, excursions to local sites, and formal dinners. Similar to today’s conferences and conventions, the G.A.R. would produce badges, directories, and programs in conjunction with the encampment. Some of these publications can now be found in library and archival collections throughout the country, including some in the State Library, the Library of Congress, various state historical societies and libraries, and universities. A program for the 1890 Boston encampment is held at Harvard’s Widener Library and can be accessed through Google Books.

We’ll end with a note about the State House, which looks like a smaller version of itself in this photograph. That’s because it is missing its east and west wings! Those additions, designed by architects Sturgis, Bryant, Chapman & Andrews, were not completed until 1917. This photograph has a date written on the back, but in the event that it was undated, architectural features and neighborhood details can serve as a clue to help provide an approximate or circa date for photographs. Researching when the G.A.R. national encampment occurred in Boston would also help us to date this photograph. 

To take a closer look at this photograph, click on the above image or view it on DSpace. There is much more to read about the G.A.R. but if you’re looking for a book to start with, check out The Won Cause: Black and White Comradeship in the Grand Army of the Republic by Barbara Gannon. 

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian