Next Meeting
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Election of Board & Trustees

                Nominees for the Board & Trustees presented by the nominating committee for the year 2006*:

Mr. Mark Gaver                                                                                    President
Mr. Doug Dill                                                                                       Vice President
Mrs. May Engle                                                                                    Secretary
Mr. Thomas Teets                                                                                Treasurer

Mrs. Anne Mayer          Trustee for a three year term 2006, 2007 & 2008
Mr. Chris Callison         Trustee for a three year term 2006, 2007 & 2008
Mr. Joe Rizzutti             Trustee for a three year term 2006, 2007 & 2008

* There are nine trustees, three elected each year for a term of three years.

Trustees with two years remaining 2006 & 2007:

Mrs. Barbara Sour
Mr. Charles Emory
Ms. Margaret Fetz

Trustees with one year remaining 2006:

Mrs. Gloria Malone
Mr. Howard Brust
Mr. Jerry Teets

Submitted by the nominating committee Chairman:

Mr. Dick Evans

Dues are payable January 1rst, 2006

If your newsletter address label reads 2005, the dues are payable.

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                                                  Recent Acquisitions

          Jim and Georgia Helfrick donated a collection of Christmas cards advertising Park Place Service, a business owned by the McCaffrey brothers who were considered the premier mechanics of the time. Although no longer in existence, Park Place Service once stood on the corner of Fyffe and Laurel Oak Streets.

          The Helfricks also donated a number of envelopes  -- envelopes lined with colorful paper  --  that were typical of the 1920's. The Helfrick's donation inspired the following " Historical Tidbits ".

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                                                      Historical Tidbits

            Writing and sending letters was a far more complicated procedure for our ancestors than it is for us today. Letters were written in longhand on one or possibly two sheets of paper, then folded over and sealed with wax. There were no envelopes and there were no stamps. Postage was based on the number of sheets of paper and the distance the letter was traveling. The amount of postage was written on the face of the letter. Although postage occasionally was prepaid, it ordinarily was collected from the person to whom it was addressed. Sometimes a " postmark " indicating the place and date of posting was applied with an inked cork but this was relatively rare.

             The concept of " a cover " for a letter originated in France and it was not until later that the idea appealed to Americans. When the idea did take effect, people, of necessity, created and folded their own envelopes, often turning them inside out in order to reuse them. The first ready - made envelopes were manufactured in New York in 1839.

              Because of the Revolutionary War and the shortages incurred by the war, paper - makers by 1779 were running out of rags with which to produce paper. They were forced to grind up old printed paper, adding bluing to hide the inky gray color. The resulting paper had a blue case.

              Our ingenious ancestors often wrote their letters on squares of wallpaper or on pages torn from books. They also made their own ink. Oak galls, hardened " blisters " that form an oak trees as a result of wasp damage, were know to contain up to 60%  tannin. The galls were boiled and the extract made into ink. Another recipe called for the bark from maple trees. The bark was boiled then strained, and mixed with a lump of copperas and a little bit of sugar. It produced a fine black color and the sugar gave a pleasing gloss to the writing. However, one had to be careful not to add too much sugar or the sheets of paper would stick together.

               About 1835, there was a dramatic change in the styles of pens. Although many individuals continued to prefer quill pens because of their elasticity, there were fervent arguments for the new steel pens that lasted longer. As a compromise, nibs of steel and gold often were used with the quill pens.

               Mail carriers, called postriders, carried the mail in two leather saddlebags slung behind the saddle across the back of a horse. One pouch held letters for people along the postrider's route; the other held mail with addresses farther away. It frequently required months before a letter finally reached its destination.

               Some postriders, as they neared the delivery point, would blow on a horn to announce their arrival. If the mail was dropped off at an inn or a tavern, which was quite common , the letters simply were laid on a table and anyone who wished could look them over, take those addressed to them and pay the postage. According to instruction, postriders were to arrive and tarry just long enough to exchange mails.

               Despite orders, postriders were not always careful about maintaining the privacy of the mails. It frequently was reported that the postrider amused himself by going over the contents of the letters in his saddlebag. Many people did not use sealing wax and this was before envelopes came into use.

               Postriders were expected to observe and report the condition of all ferries, fords, and roads along their route. To help alleviate the monotony of their trip they occasionally undertook other odd jobs. A postrider in Virginia, for example, once led a cow to the next town on his route. Occasionally, a traveler, especially women journeying alone, deliberately would seek the mail carrier's company. On most trips, however, he rode alone. One rider whiled away the time by knitting stockings and mittens that he sold to customers.

              The postrider's trip not only could be lonely but also difficult. Inclement weather and flooded rivers were the most frequent hazards. A mailman in the Mid West was observed tying the mailbags around his neck and then forcing his horse into the swollen river. They swam across and although thoroughly wet, plodded on down the road.

              In 1806, the postal rates were fixed: 6 cents for 36 miles, 10 cents for 80 miles, 12.5 cents to 25.5 cents for over 150 miles depending on distance and letter weight. Adhesive postage stamps became available in 1847 and in 1852 stamped envelopes were available. In 1872 one cent post cards were issued.

             As the nation expanded and roads improved, mail in many areas was delivered by way of the great lumbering stagecoaches. In 1860, the Pony Express mail service left on its first run. One of their help ads read: " WANTED - Young skinny wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. WAGES $ 25 per week. " Faster than a stagecoach, the service lasted a scant nineteen months.

Researched and written by Barbara E. Sour, Trustee / Editor