Relic on the Lethe

Despite Winchester having a fairly sizable proportion of Irish settlers, Saint Patrick's Day has generally been a low-key affair for the town. Before Celtic Fest became an annual downtown event, organized St. Patrick's Day celebrations were more informal affairs. The earliest mention I was able to find (so far) even mentioning the day in a local publication was in the Winchester Republican , March 29, 1834: At the celebration of St. Patrick’s day, in N. York, by the society of the “ Friendly Sons of St. Patrick ,” Mr. Power, the comedian, was toasted as "the Irish ambassador." In reply, he delivered a neat and pertinent speech, and offered the following sentiment, which was warmly applauded: “The Shamrock—to whatever soil transplanted— and may the hearts of Ireland’s sons continue as fresh as its leaf, and the union be as indissoluble.”  As you can see, it wasn't even for a local commemoration. That took until the early 1900s, with a (perhaps anticlimactic) mentio...

This short story, aimed at young readers, appeared in the West Virginia Argus on February 27, 1885 . The credit line attributes this tale to Frances B. Currie, and the story was reprinted from the N. Y. Examiner. She appears to have been a frequent contributor to Frank Leslie's publications , but unlike J. L. Harbour, no biography has been found yet to shed more light on her life and output.  Since this story should also be out of copyright in the US, we have reprinted the entire story for your enjoyment. A PEACE-OFFERING.  A Valentine Story with a Moral, for Young Readers.  Margery Wright was not a beauty. Even the most charitable person in the world could not admit that she had the smallest claim to such a title. The boys in the Delving Seminary said that Margery had a "squat” figure and a “pug" nose. They also alluded to her mouth in a way that brought angry tears into her eyes. They said it opened like a pair of oyster-tongs. These young gentlemen had lived for twelve...

This story appeared in the Charlotte Gazette, Feb. 28, 1895 after being picked up from the New York Ledger (at a time when comic valentines were common but beginning to wane). The author, J.L. Harbour, appears to be a prolific late 19th century to early 20th century writer. By one account , he had written over 600 short stories by 1902. A sketch of his life written the same year states, "He began to send original stories, such as brought to view and tended to correct life's inharmonies, lapses and weaknesses, to eastern journals, and among others to the Youth's Companion , whose editors recognized his gift even in its immaturity."  This short work appears to have been written before he became widely known for "Papa and the Boy" and "The Mourning Veil," but it provides a glimpse of his writing style and sensibilities in humor and character studies. Like many other authors we have investigated here, his work has generally been forgotten by today...

In 1851, shortly after Esther Howland began making Valentines commercially in America, a writer for the Alexandria Gazette opined, "St Valentine’s Day has sadly degenerated in these latter days. The delicate compliments of old times, are superseded by guady[sic] presents, or hideous caricatures. The fashion of 'Valentines' will soon go out of vogue."  The Daily Dispatch , writing about Valentine's Day four years later, sheds a little more insight on this "playful waggery" tarnishing a holiday for sweethearts. The Valentine industrial complex employed artists to create "caricatures and satirical verses. . . . Some of them are very good—some are abominably vulgar." The writer indicates there have been some reports of cruelty behind sending such Valentines, "but it is to be hoped they are rare, especially with regard to the fair sex. Of the other we need not have so much care, particularly the old bachelors, whom we readily consign to the m...

I was invited to speak at the event unveiling a new historical plaque concerning the Conrad House and the door at the Joint Judicial Center on Friday (part of why the blog has been fairly quiet recently). The presentation will be printed in an upcoming version of the Journal. As usual, I took some questions from the audience at the end of my lecture. That's always a good way to see what I might have overlooked in my first pass through a topic. While I don't know if anyone at the presentation who asked questions will follow up with my blog, here are a few answers to their questions (and others).  Due to the more recent nature of many of the questions and heavy reliance on the Winchester Star, you may need to have your Handley Regional Library card barcode handy and create a free account at newspaperarchive.com to access the full articles linked here. The Property Layout: The property consisted of four lots in total originally: two faced Cameron Street, and two faced Kent Street,...

Mea culpa, most of November and December passed with crafts and writing that was not suitable for the blog, as well as other real-life obligations. The hiatus was not intentional, but it was needed.  As a small gesture to make up for my radio silence, please enjoy selections from a story recounted in the Clarke Courier on December 31, 1959 . The full story is available for free through the link, and is also filled with amazing Mid Century clip art for Christmas and New Years (although they are not yet in the public domain, they are extremely tempting and it's work paging through the newspaper if you enjoy that era's graphic design). . . . A few years ago I wrote a column on resolutions that I would make. I passed the usual, the trivial, and suggested that perhaps it would be a wise idea to try to improve my character. My first thought was that I could be a little more kind. A friend of mine who edits a newspaper in another town wrote that I could have stopped right there and th...