Category Archives: 150 Years Ago This Week

News from 150 years ago

let the good time roll

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

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Dedicated

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 … Continue reading

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Battle in New Orleans

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 … Continue reading

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Columbia’s champs

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 … Continue reading

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Spirit in St. Louis

July 4, 1874 was a big day in the St. Louis area. People celebrated the official opening of a new bridge that connected Missouri and Illinois. The Eads Bridge was the first bridge to span the Mississippi River after its … Continue reading

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“feeling of friendly union”

According to a northern newspaper 150 years ago, that year’s Memorial Day was going to be more inclusive – Confederate dead would be honored along with those who fought for the Union. The paper saw a similar spirit in a … Continue reading

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Staunch in the Senate

150 years ago today U.S. Senator Charles Sumner died in his Washington, D.C. home. He had represented Massachusetts in the Senate since 1851. In its March 28, 1874 issue Harper’s Weekly praised Mr. Sumner for his strong anti-slavery leadership: CHARLES … Continue reading

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new governor

It was a new year with a new governor for Virginia. 150 years ago a Richmond newspaper looked back with appreciation on the exiting governor – even though he was a northerner – and looked forward to the incoming governor … Continue reading

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tea time

150 years ago this week people commemorated the centennial of the Boston Tea Party. According to the January 3, 1874 issue of Harper’s Weekly, one of the celebrations incorporated a contemporary political issue – women’s rights: THE BOSTON TEA-PARTY. On … Continue reading

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gradual recovery

President Ulysses S. Grant’s fifth presidential Thanksgiving proclamation per Pilgrim Hall Museum: BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – A PROCLAMATION The approaching close of another year brings with it the occasion for renewed thanksgiving and acknowledgment … Continue reading

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