1964 receipt for my grandmother's Olympia SM3 typewriter

When Mom, Adriane and I moved from Florida into my great-grandmother's and grandmother's house on Oak Crest Lane in Wallingford in 1986, the upstairs room that had been used for storage and my grandmother's desk/office supplies was converted into my bedroom. It was absolutely filled with office supplies at first: pens, pencils, paperclips, tape dispensers, notepads, gummed reinforcements, staplers and much more. I still have a stapler and tape dispenser from that bedroom. Probably one or two other things, too.

There was also the typewriter that belonged to my grandmother, Helen Chandler Adams Ingham (1919-2003), and today's post features the receipt for when she originally purchased it. It was an Olympia SM3 and it cost $65 in 1964, which is the equivalent of a whopping $677 today! I remember using it for some schoolwork and hobby stuff, although at some point I would have fully converted to my Commodore 64's dot-matrix printer. Later, I had a lightweight electric typewriter that I took with me to Penn State and that I used for the final Steve Jeltz Fan Club newsletter. (And, yes, I STILL need to do the damn post on the history of the Jeltz Fan Club.)

The typewriter was purchased at Central Typewriter Exchange on 3433 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. I can't find anything specifically about that business, but maybe someone who knows something will see this post and leave a comment. I have to think this is one of its few receipts still in existence. The purchase came with a guarantee for one year on shop parts and labor, according to the cursive note added to the receipt. 

There is a lot of information about Olympia SM3 typewriters online. On Paper Blogging, Michelle Geffken writes of "the gorgeous lines of a stylish typewriter body, with the heavy-duty work capacity that is true of all machines in the German Olympia line, the Olympia SM3." Geffken adds that Olympia SM stands for Schreibmaschine Mittelgroß or Medium-sized Typewriter, and that 800,000 were made between 1953 and 1957. It was apparently a favored typewriter of the likes of Harlan Ellison, John Updike and Patricia Highsmith. Geffken has a whole subsection called the Typewriter Diaries that you'll definitely want to check out if that's your jam.

Meanwhile, on Typewriter Review, Daniel Marleau describes the Olympia SM3 as "a reliable workhorse, from a solid body construction to keys that provide good response and feedback. When you first sit at this thing, you marvel at the beauty and how it exudes a certain egalitarian work ethic. These machines were meant for typing — lots of typing. Rolling paper in for the first time, a reassuring clicking sound is made, like loading a weapon for words. The platen moves with rigid precision."

I'm sure I have a photo of Beembom's Olympia SM3 somewhere in the family photos, but that would involve a search and will have to be a post for another day. 

From the readers: The Golden Institute, 'Bridge Babies' and more

Let's take our minds off the rapidly unfolding events in the Middle East for a few minutes with a roundup of recent reader comments...

Ads from a 1983 Marvel comic: RJSMACHINE writes: "Just came across this ad in a reread of New Mutants 3 from 1983. Don't know why it stood out but, yep, I too was curious about The Golden Institute. My search led me here. That's it, lol."

And Dustin adds: "I was also led here by an ad in a 1983 Hercules comic book I just received."

All roads from 1983 comics lead to The Golden Institute ... and Papergreat. But the answers may remain forever a mystery. I did a new search and didn't come up with anything about the $4 cures for loneliness, either.

1938 receipt from Albert Brothers Steam Bakery: Nancy Hayes writes: "Actually, the founder of Albert Brothers was my grandfather, Stanley Albert. He and his brother Henry founded the business. Stanley Albert died in the early 1960s. His wife was Gertrude Albert, nee Steiner, and they lived across the street from the bakery on Railroad Avenue." 

Thanks for sharing this information, Nancy! We now have a more complete and accurate record of the history.

Saturday's postcard: Ginza Tokyu Hotel: Anonymous writes: "When I was a kid, we did the 'round the world' trip and, while in Tokyo, stayed in this hotel. I remember that we stayed in the 'Western-style rooms,' but there were 'Japanese style rooms' also. I remember it was very close to the Kabuki theater."

Curious book cover: "Bridge Babies": Anonymous writes: "My dad was a competitive bridge player. This was in our house. As a kid I would look at this book for hours. Inspired my sense of humor for sure." 

It's definitely an unforgettable book cover!

The Lost Corners of Paul Crockett: Thanks to this 2018 post and the ongoing discussions in its comments section, I think we're destined to be discussing Crockett, the Manson family and Paul Watkins until the end days of Papergreat. 

The commenters have even included actor Wings Hauser, who, sadly, died earlier this year at age 77. I'll always remember his memorable scene with Bruce McGill in The Insider.

Anyway, in 2023, Chris Harris made the following comment on the Crockett post: "Much has been said in a negative way about Paul Crockett. I witnessed over a period of two years having introduced him to many notable people that Paul Crockett had a tremendous ability to inspire a positive attitude in all the people he met, including myself."

On May 18, Anonymous replied to Harris: "I was 3 or 4 times advantaged by spending some time with Crockett between 1971-1973 in Death Valley —  Baker (I think, or Shoshone), and at last at Little Paul's in Tecopa, where I also met a guy named Chris. I suspect that was you. I commented here in 2019 that a biography of the Big Paul I knew, whose influence I saw in others there, would stand as a useful memorial to his exceptional understanding of our natural selves. I thought then that Manson had also learned aspects of this way of being, that this was a source of his ability to control adherents, but which he ended up turning against those he envied and despised. Paul probably believed it'd be better not to have to live the rest of his life completely in the shadow of the Manson phenomenon. Many others, however, would now be better off knowing more about Paul Crockett."

Going back 45 years for a product that I'm not putting in the headline: Anonymous writes: "Arthur's used to have well-made women's clothing that you will never see today. All my clothing when I was little came from Alfred Carlos's Polly Flinders smocking."

The (new) oddest stuff I've found tucked inside a book: "evape" writes: "I found 6 small jigsaw puzzles among my father's old things. In the bottom it says © 1933 Cynthia Mills, Boston. I don't know how it got here but my grandather was in USA some time."

A letter my grandmother mailed to me 33 years ago: Tom from Garage Sale Finds writes: "What a sweet letter and a great keepsake. I remember 1992. I was just hitting the job market and couldn't find anything. Of course it wasn't so bad I was selling bleach door to door. Those people knew hard times.

Coincidentally, because I couldn't find a job during that year (1991 to 92) I spent a lot of time with my grandparents too and got to know them a lot better. I wish they were still around as I have so many questions now that I never thought to ask."

And even our parents. At least once a week I think of something I wished I had asked Mom about, or written down when she answered.

"Jim and Judy," a 1939 grade-school textbook with a York connection: Anonymous writes: "I started 1st grade in 1952. The Jim and Judy book was our primer. I loved them and have fond memories of learning to read with them."

Scholastic book: "27 Cats Next Door" (aka I feel seen): Kittiana of the blog Wind-Up Castle Of Wonders: Self Discovery writes: "I just wanted to thank you for posting! I enjoy your blog very much & hope you will continue posting for a long time to come!"

That's so nice of you to say! Thank you. I hope I can continue posting for a long time, too. 

Receipt tucked inside 1978 Radio Shack computer programming book

Truly interesting paper receipts are going by the wayside. They were already being phased out when I launched this blog in 2010 (I think this is the first one I wrote about), and now the demise of this kind of ephemera is rapidly accelerating. We get emailed our receipts. We crumple them up and toss them in the wastebin on the way out the door. Or we get crappy little receipts with few details. But there's still the old stuff out there for us to stumble upon. In drawers. In desks. Or tucked away inside books.

This receipt remained inside 57 Practical Programs & Games in BASIC since the day it was handwritten by the sales clerk at a Tucson, Arizona, Radio Shack in October 1980. It tanned the two pages it was stuck between at the front of the book. It was a fairly pricey book for the time: $3.95 in 1980 is about $15.25 today. But, then again, home computing was a pricey hobby. And Radio Shack was probably the go-to spot for home computer enthusiasts. It remained so for quite a while. I purchased my first PC from a Radio Shack in Gettysburg in either 1993 or 1994. 

This book was written by Ken Tracton and published by Radio Shack in 1978. The subtitle on the front alluringly states "Programs for Everything from Space War Games to Blackjack ... from Craps to I Ching!" But that's a bit misleading. By my quick count, only 6 of the 57 programs in the book are games. (And I Ching isn't really a game.)

Most of the "practical" BASIC programs included probably sound very dull to today's computer users: Annular Sections, Bubble Sort, Compounded Amounts, Fibonacci Numbers, Gaussian Probability Function, Hydrocarbon Combustion, Inverse Hyperbolic Functions, L-Pad Minimum Loss System, Points on the Circumference, Vector Cross Product. These are programs, though, that provide quick results that otherwise would have required a lot of handwritten math, a scientific calculator, a reference book and/or an accountant to work out. The whole book appears to be available on the Internet Archive, if you're interested. Commenting on Goodreads in 2015, Jerry states: "I tried a couple of the programs in HotPaw BASIC on the iPad, and they still work. Why wouldn’t they? So now I have a BASIC program on my iPad to tell me the day of the week from any date post-1752."

If it's computer games you wanted more than mathematical nerdness, there were other books at the time, such as 1978's BASIC Computer Games by David H. Ahl, and, by 1984, there was COMPUTE!'s Guide to Adventure Games if you wanted to try your hand at creating something akin to Pirate Adventure, Zork or Planetfall.

Revisiting 2016 (Part 3)

OK, it's time to conclude cleaning out the time capsule marked "Calendar Year 2016." Here's the final collection of running observations and snapshots from this eclectic collection of everyday ephemera dating to the last full year of the Obama administration...

1. We were involved in the York County 4-H Alpaca Club, so I reckon that one of its associated events is how I came across this delightful and ridiculous flyer for a "Galactic Genetic Gathering of Alpacas" in Iowa. 

2. I kept so many yellow receipts from the York Emporium, and I will continue to hold onto them. They're great for tucking away inside books.

3.  An empty wrapper for key lime Creamy Coconut Patties from Anastasia Confections.  

4. A menu for Masa Bistro, one of our favorite York-area restaurants back in the day.

5. There was a little blank notebook in the time capsule with the note "Log the stories you find in this box." I guess I'm blogging as my way of logging. I'll use the notebook to document something else.  

6. On the back of this business card, I wrote "Funniest card I picked up on drive to FL." (I was on a road trip to visit Dad.)

7. A movie ticket stub for Star Trek Beyond, the last movie I watched in a theater with Mom.

8. A printout from the website I Waited 96 Years! ... The website still exists and includes this message as of today: "In the weeks before the 2016 election, this website featured 186 women, ages 96 to 105, who were eager to elect Hillary Clinton. These women were born before the 19th Amendment and were, for the first time, voting for a woman for president of the United States. ... Then, in 2020, we followed up with a few of the (now) centenarians when the female presidential candidates suspended their campaigns. And in 2024, we gathered reflections from one inspiring 106-year-old. At this critical and challenging moment, our nation needs these women’s voices and wisdom more than ever."  

9. A copy of LNP | LancasterOnline's Trending section that leads with an article about Little Free Libraries. The article is still online.

10. A printout of an email sent to me with the subject line "The Troubles," in which one of my former Penn State University journalism professors, discussing the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, tells me "You make incisive comments on Twitter. Keep up the good work."

Speaking of Twitter...

11. ...Not all of my comments were incisive, although the sentiment about Philip Seymour Hoffman still stands.

Also speaking of Twitter...

12. ... This is pretty darn funny. I had mentioned 2016's Pokémon Go phenomenon in Part 1. This also marks the first appearance of a Bulbasaur on Papergreat.

13. A brochure for the Long's Park Summer Music Series in Lancaster.

14. An editorial cartoon, relevant then and now, that I printed and saved.  

15. A Powerball ticket that wasn't a winner. Jackpot was $142 million.

16. A business card for Too Many Books in Roanoke, Virginia. On the back, I wrote "This store had a big friendly black poodle. And some books." The bookstore is still in business. Last August, a Yelp reviewer wrote: "Talk about charming! The store is two floors and has a lovely collection of history/non-fiction upstairs and fiction downstairs. ... I found several names/titles that were new to me and felt like I was prowling around my Pop-pop's basement the whole time. Magical!"

17. Finally, there's a sealed envelope inside the box. A time capsule within a time capsule. "Random old photos of unknown, unrelated folks," the front of the envelope states. I don't have the energy right now, so look for exploration of this one in a future post, maybe.

Book cover: "Challenge to Reality"

"Challenge to Reality" feels like an apt phrase as we enter this daunting year.

• Title: Challenge to Reality
• Author: John Macklin. I can't find much biographical information on him, despite his many published works. We do have this information from the front of the book: "For nearly 20 years John Macklin, expert in psychic phenomena and the supernatural, has hunted ghosts. He has crossed three continents chasing stories, spent countless nights in 'haunted' houses, focused his infra-red camera on curious sights, and his microphone on curious sounds. Most of the events have had some rational solution at their roots. But some haven't. ... Nine times out of ten, the 'phenomenon' turns out to be an illusion, delusion, or fraud. For twenty years, it's been Mr. Macklin's job to investigate the tenth. ... These, then, are the stories of the author's experiences, and other stories he has collected over the years."
• Cover designer: Unknown
• Publication date: 1968
• Publisher: Ace Star (H-108)
• Pages: 158
• Format: Paperback
• Cover price: 60 cents
• Some chapter titles: The Mummy in the Clock Case; The Dream House That Percy Built; The Deadly Nightmare of Emily Jones; What Did the Axe-Man See?; The Dinner Guest No One Else Saw; The Ghosts of Ballechin House; The Tomb of Standing Stones; The Witch and the Waif; Riddle of a Hundred Lost Islands; The Riddle of the Musical Plants; Little Girl Lost; The Witch Who Laughs at the Law; and The Ghostly Glow from Waltham Abbey.
• Excerpt #1: "Many stories make us realize just how powerful superstition can be. For instance, many years ago, when a bridge was being built in Germany, influential townspeople would insist that a living child be buried in the foundations. They believed that the foundations would then remain firm. And the younger the person, the longer it would remain so."
• Wait, is that true? Well, it's a long-lived bit of grisly folklore, though it's certainly not limited to Germany. Some believe that there are implied references to child sacrifice in the nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down," though there are scores of speculative guesses at the "historical" references in that song, and they should all be taken with a grain of salt (Hey, another superstition!).
• Excerpt #2: "The specter turned, and the terrified woman saw the enormous, longboned hands and the large protruding eyes. The man, who wore a long robe tied around the middle, nodded his head in a very peculiar way towards her husband, then vanished."
• Excerpt #3: "The awe-inspiring specter that suddenly appeared in front of Charles Winston in 1901 was of the type known as a Radiant Boy. They are usually reckoned to warn of impending death."
• Amazon review: In 2011, Bookworm70 wrote, scathingly: "Books of John Macklin are easy to read. They contain events, mysteries and other phenomena considered to be out of this world. However, the problem with his works, they contain a lot of errors and do not agree with historical facts."
• Fanzine mention: In Scottishe #52, a zine published by Ethel Lindsay (1921-1996) in May 1969, Lindsay writes: "This is the eighth in a series by Macklin, so his collections of ghost strories [sic] must be a good seller. Each collection has about forty stories."
• Other books by Macklin: Strange Destinies, The Strange and Uncanny, The Enigma of the Unknown, Dwellers in Darkness, Orbits of the Unknown, Dimensions Beyond the Known, A Look Through Secret Doors and Journey Beyond the Grave.

But wait, there's more

A fun bonus: There was an old receipt tucked away inside this paperback book. I can't say for sure that this is the receipt from the book's original purchase, but that's a good bet. Someone paid $1.04 (99 cents, plus 5 cents tax) at the Stanford Sport Shop in Palo Alto, California, on August 29, 1969. According to Palo Alto Weekly, the Stanford Sport Shop rented and sold skis, shoes and sports gear for 53 years, until it closed in 1989. Geoff Millington and his daughter Tracy Millington operated the business. If Challenge to Reality was sold there in 1969, it seems they had a book rack, too. Something to read in front of the fireplace at night after a day on the slopes?

From the readers: Whirley mugs, cat plates and Uncle Ted's Ghoul School

Hope everyone has a dandy and safe weekend ahead. Here are the comments you've submitted since the last roundup.

Obscure nostalgia: 1970s plastic mugs from Whirley Industries: Commenting on this 2012 post, Anonymous writes: "I have the cow creamer! Purchased at a local restaurant, early 70s. Also have a 'Hands off!' yellow cup my son found recently while demolishing an old building. Always interesting to see what can be found in long-deserted buildings."

What a great find! I still can't believe the happenstance that led to us finding a shed full of Whirley Industries plastic mugs selling for a penny apiece in York County in 2012. I still have a couple of them — my replacement "HANDS OFF!" mug and a Mister Donut mug that's currently holding Q-Tips in my bathroom. (Don't judge.) 

Also, look at this absolutely wild variation on the "HANDS OFF!" Whirley theme that I stumbled across on the internet. The 1970s, man...

Christmas greetings from author Edna Albert: Geraldine Beattie writes: "I can verify her writing. She was my mother's cousin. I have letter and card written by Edna."

Thanks, Geraldine! Read more about Edna Albert in this post.

Old receipt for Landis Stone Meal Company in Lancaster County: Jim Bennett writes: "On Jan 28, 2012, you posted a blank invoice of the Landis Stone Meal Co. in Rheems, PA. Today, I was surfing and decided to pursue the family name of 'Landis.' I am Howard Landis' great-great-grandson. I remember him very well and, as a child, have been to the quarry. He, his wife and a daughter actually raised my mother because her father (Howard's son) was very irresponsible and the mother's family, who were Plain, wanted nothing to do with the baby. I have a few pieces of advertising from the quarry and memories. Harold and wife, and my grandfather, are buried in a small cemetery on land that was part of the quarry outside of Rheems."

Thank for your sharing that family history research, Jim! It adds a great deal to the story.

The elementary school in the City Behind the Fence: Frank Blackistone writes, "We lived in Oak Ridge from February 1944 to April 1954. I went to Cedar Hill School from 1944 to 1947. We had a great time in Oak Ridge. Looking back on our 10 years, I cannot think of a better place to grow up in."

WNEP-TV staff from 1975, including Miss Judy: Anthony Mascaro writes, "The Land of Hatchy Milatchy, Dialing for Dollars, Bowling for Dollars, Uncle Ted's Ghoul School, etc., were a priceless pastime that made WNEP-TV the local leader in community connected relationships. Growing up in the 1970s and watching these and other WNEP shows was as common on a local basis as watching The Waltons was on a national basis."

Now I want to learn more about Uncle Ted's Ghoul School! I was too young to stay up for that. I am fascinated by all of those regional horror hosts who were popular from the 1960s through 1980s and am already planning some posts on that topic for later this year. Looks like there's a Facebook group for Uncle Ted memories.

Cheerful Card Company can help you earn extra money for the holidays: Anonymous writes: "I enjoy selling and buying things. Cards and gadgets were available. Still remember my ID # ... LOL, that was late 1960s."

Big Boi's special dinner plate: HaeroMaero writes: "I love your plate with your cat's photo in it!! I should do one for my cat, too. Nice blog, Chris! Cheers." 

And Joan very nicely added: "You are THE BEST cat dad."

Aww, thanks. And these are just the outdoor cats. This morning I was downstairs at 5:45 a.m. because there are two stray females who are nursing kittens and always arrive promptly at dawn for their meal (Mamacita & Cirque de Soleil).

We had a crowd of five at the back door this morning, and that included Big Boi. He is now used to eating from his special plate, and he is usually a good boy about waiting his turn. (It helps that he's often very sleepy in the morning and naps until it's food time.) He's doing OK, but it would be really great if he stopped getting into fights with other tomcats. I've been mixing some Fish Mox (amoxicillin) into his food, because it's the only way to get him some medicine for his wounds/infections. He gobbles it right up, so I hope that's helping a little bit. He is getting quite ragged in his old age, and I'm sure he's not going to enjoy it when the thermometer reaches 100 tomorrow, as forecast.

Lamenting what we'll never know about Phyllis J. Stalnaker Harris: CherylP, responding to a suggestion by another commenter that Phyllis' meme was meant to make people laugh, wrote: "I did not laugh. I felt sorrow thinking about how terribly she was treated." 

I agree 100%.

Take a ride with Edwards Motor Transit Co.: Finally, responding to one of the oldest posts on Papergreat, Anonymous writes: "Drove this 4107 [bus] for Edwards back then. Edwards had only two of them, one dedicated to the Greyhound Washington D.C.-Buffalo route, the other dedicated to daily service from Williamsport to Pittsburgh. Good driving and handling coach."

"So You've Joined a Club" by Margaret Lynch Capone

We're not finished yet with Margaret Lynch Capone (aka Mrs. Carmen Capone). She has previously appeared in these posts:

• Possibly boring book cover: "Bottle and Glass Handbook"
• Mrs. Carmen Capone's thoughts on U.S. foreign policy
• Mrs. Carmen Capone helps flustered speechmakers
• The full record on Margaret Lynch Capone

In that last post, I mentioned that she authored at least two books: So You've Joined a Club (1954) and Parliamentary Pointers (1973). Well, I have tracked down one of those books, in a world in which there can't be that many that still exist. Here, using Papergreat's standard template for such matters, is the lowdown...

• Title: So You've Joined a Club
• Subtitle: A Practical Guide for Clubwomen
• Author: Margaret Lynch Capone (1907-1998)
• Cover designer: Dave Lyons
• Publisher: Pageant Press, New York
• Dust jacket price: $2
• Publication date: 1954
• Library of Congress catalog card number: 54-7466
• Pages: 182
• Format: Hardcover
• Dust jacket excerpt: "If you are planning to join a club, or have recently become a member of one, you will find this book invaluable in making a success of your new interest. ... Written by an experienced clubwoman and public speaker, So You've Joined a Club provides the answers for the novice clubwoman who suddenly finds herself confronted with organizing a money-raising event, making a speech, or deciphering Robert's Rules of Order."
• Back cover: The back cover is all "About the Author," which helps to add to our body of knowledge about Margaret. It states:
  

  "The inspiration for So You've Joined a Club began when Margaret Lynch Capone joined a club back in 1947 and discovered how little she — and many of her fellow members — knew about club organization and procedure. Her conviction that a simple, easy guide for beginners was necessary was strengthened by the number of women she met who were anxious to be active in club work but who felt they knew too little about it.
  
  "Mrs. Capone, who was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and still makes her home there, is the wife of an attorney and the mother of three children. She has found that she can successfully combine her duties in the home with her activities as clubwoman, lecturer and parliamentarian. In addition to traveling extensively to organize new clubs, she is the Director of the International Toastmistress Clubs, public relations chairman of the Central Deanery, National Council of Catholic Women, and a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians. She also belongs to a host of other organizations."

• Chapter titles: Joining a Club, Committees, Elected Officers, Parliamentary Procedure, Club Etiquette, The Large Meeting, Decorations for Club Meetings, Program Planning, How to Get Publicity, Speech Situations, Contents, Ways of Raising Money, What to Serve, and Installation of Officers.
• First sentence: Joining a club is the surest way in the world of meeting people, making friends, and keeping young in spirit.
• Last sentence: You, above all, know the sort of cooperation that brings joy to a chairman or president; give it!
• Random sentence from the middle #1: But the other day my teen-age son reminded me that several boys he knew did not know how to hold a fork correctly, and then my husband commented that a man with whom he lunched occasionally did not know how to handle his napkin or make use of the fingerbowl.
• Random sentence from the middle #2: Newspapers do not like to print the same announcement month after month: "The Mainville Women's Club will hold its regular meeting in the Community Hall."
• Notes: Pageant Press was, indeed, a vanity publisher. In a 1958 article titled "Vanity Press Publishing," Howard A. Sullivan wrote:
  

  "Advertisig for manuscripts is not an orthodox practice in the publishing industry and to do so is a departure from tradition. But the tradition has been breached in some very reputable periodicals and the advertisements of Exposition Press, Vantage Press, and Pageant Press — to name but three, although the three most active and ambitious of the subsidy publishers — can be found regularly in the Saturday Review and Writer's Digest."

  The article goes on to state that Pageant published 112 new titles in 1956 and was on the list of just 31 houses producing 100 or more new books that year.

But wait, there's more...

This book also had some treasures tucked away inside. There's a receipt from when it was purchased for $2.10 ($2, plus 10 cents tax) in 1965 at Joseph Horne Co., which had at least eight locations in western Pennsylvania. The regional department store chain was founded in 1849 and ceased operations in 1994. There was a Horne's in the Monroeville Mall when Dawn of the Dead was filmed.

There's also a note inside. The cursive writing on it is too light for reproduction here, but I can tell you that it states:

1. Congratulate Marge on her year
2. Present Gift
3. Pass out Booklets. Go over Booklets, any corrections
New Business
1. Introduce New Girls
2. Benson Fruit Cake deal
3. Money handed in at diff. committees

I wonder if Marge is Margaret Lynch Capone? Either way, I'm sure she would have been proud about how helpful her book was.

St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley

This old postcard, from the family collection, shows St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley, where we are laying Mom to rest beside her mother and grandparents on this windy but sunny Saturday morning, with a graveside service by the Rev. Abigail Nestlehutt.

St. Peter's, in Malvern¹, was founded in 1700 and, according to this mid-century Dexter Press postcard, the present church was constructed in 1744 and the oldest legible tombstone dates to 1703.

Mom rarely let one of my visits to her house pass without reminding that the information about the family's burial plot at St. Peter's was located within one of the middle drawers of the old living room. And, indeed, everything I needed — including the original receipt from 1958 — was there and ready to go. The church official handling the interment was impressed.

Today, the oldest section of the cemetery, right beside the 1744 church, is contained by a stone wall and has, as its "groundskeepers," a small flock of sheep. They keep the grass short without the church having to deploy the services of a nasty lawnmower near the fragile old stones.

It's a beautiful spot for Mom.

Footnote
1. Because the church is centuries old and because the towns and communities of southeastern Pennsylvania have gone through numerous and overlapping nomenclature and post-office changes over the years, St. Peter's "location," within the Great Valley, has been referred to Malvern, Paoli and Devault, among others.

Receipt and more tucked away inside 1967 sci-fi paperback

I recently purchased a used copy of a science-fiction paperback titled Down to Earth, and it was filled with "tucked away inside" treasures. Preserved inside the book were a small sales receipt and an advertising bookmark, both of which I believe date to the original purchase at a store in Michigan 50 years ago.

The first page contains, in the lower-right corner, an embossed stamp indicating that the book was once part of the library of J.R. Newell.

And there's a nifty advertisement, on heavier paper, for Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy that has been bound within the pages.

The book was published in July 1967 with a cover price of 50 cents. That information was helpful as I worked through the book's likely provenance.

And so away we go. That brings us to the first piece of ephemera tucked away inside — the receipt.

It's just 1⅞ inches wide, and the scan is difficult to read, so here is what's printed there...

ROSS MUSIC CO.
WESTLAND CENTER
PHONE 425-7550
20 JUL -7 5857
000.50 $
000.02 $
000.52 $T
It seems clear to me that this book was purchased new in July 1967 — the same month in which it was published. The cost was the original cover price of 50 cents, plus 2 cents for Michigan sales tax, which was 4% at the time.¹

Ross Music also provided a nice bookmark — measuring 2¾ inches by 6⅜ inches — to go along with this purchase five decades ago, and it apparently never left the book. (The binding is not creased and you could make a fair argument that this book has never been read.)

Ross Music Shop was located within the Concourse of the Westland Center. It sold records, sheet music, paperback books and musical accessories.

And where was Westland Center? (With its rather generic name.) Through some searching, it became clear that there was only one possibility for a 1960s location named Westland Center that had a store named Ross Music. It would be the Westland Center in Westland, Michigan, located a bit west of Detroit.² It opened with major fanfare in July 1965, including a full-page advertisement in the July 25, 1965, edition of the Detroit Free Press. That advertisement stated, in part:

"Westland is a community of fine stores and services in a beautiful new setting. A shopping center where it's always summertime, for its stores are joined by covered, temperature-controlled courts, landscaped with tropical plants. And Westland is more than simply a place to shop. It's a beautiful center to come and visit with its imaginative landscaping ... its interesting sculpture ... its many fine service facilities."

Ross Music Store was listed as one of the many stores for the grand opening, alongside the likes of Albert's Artiste Beauty Salon, Better Made Potato Chips, Hamby's Barber Shop, Raimi's Curtains³ and Triangle Furniture.

I don't believe that Ross Music Shop is still an incorporated business. There were multiple locations back in the 1960s; in addition to this one at the Westland Center, there was a Ross Music Shop at the Eastland Center in Harper Woods, Michigan.

I doubt that many bookmarks like this one remain after five decades. The best hope would be finding ones that were tucked away inside other books and forgotten.

Posting on a DetroitYES! message board in 2010, in response to the question "Where did you buy your records when you were growing up?" one user wrote:

"Bought my first LP at Ross Music Shop, at Eastland. Shopped at Hudson's there, too, but that was because I liked a girl who worked there. Ross had more of the English Invasion groups that I liked, and the proprietor, Bob (?) was hip and full of stories about rock n roll."

While I can't find much else about Ross Music, you can read more about the Westland Center in the 2008 post "Memories of Westland Mall" at Quasi-Interesting Paraphernalia Inc. And several photos of Westland Center can be found at the Malls of America website, with great comments on many of the posts.⁴ Start with this post and work your way backward through the "Previous entries" section at the bottom.

Finally, as mentioned earlier, here's a peek at the interior advertisement pitching Asimov's The Foundation Trilogy for just 10 cents as an introductory offer to get readers into the Science Fiction Book Club (which I wrote about last August).

Footnotes
1. Source for Michigan sales tax history: "The history of MI's sales tax" by Esther Kwon on UPMatters.com.
2. Fun fact: Westland, Michigan, took its name from the mall when Nankin Township incorporated itself as a city in 1966. (Source: Westland Center's Wikipedia page.)
3. Raimi's Curtains might have been owned by Celia Raimi, the mother of movie director and Royal Oak, Michigan, native Sam Raimi.
4. My favorite comment, appropriately from Anonymous: "I got busted trying to take pennies out of a fountain that was located in one of the department stores that was below and to the right of that clock. Can't remember the stores name. Santa used to set up right below that staircase."

"Mark Felt" solves the mysteries of Papergreat's ephemera, Part 2

In recent weeks, a Papergreat commenter with the code name "Mark Felt" has left a bevy of great comments and insights on old posts. In many cases, these comments have solved or shed new light on some of the mysteries and myriad unanswered questions on this blog.

On January 30, I presented the first set of the Anonymous/Mark Felt comments. Here is Part 2, along with my continued thanks to this individual for getting involved in this little ephemera blog in such a wonderful way.

Vintage Halloween postcard: Running away from the ghosts (originally published October 24, 2015)

Anonymous writes: As your link [in the original post] indicates, Moreau Morris, Sr. lived from 1894 to 1945. His second son was named Moreau "Spud" Morris, Jr., who lived from 1924 to 2000. An even younger son was named Donald N. Morris, who lived from 1928 to 2009. This obituary differs in at least one minor detail, namely the spelling of his mother's maiden name ("Sinnerman" in the obituary vs. "Simmerman" at the findagrave.com site). Furthermore, Donald's name is not listed at the findagrave site at all. (The mystery thickens.)

Donald was predeceased by one his children, Garry Morris, who lived from 1956 to 2001. Sadly, Garry appears to have been a homicide victim. See here for details of the alleged murderer, who appears to have been subsequently convicted.

One of Donald's sisters was Dorothy Phipps, who lived from 1934 to 2013. Per the same obituary, one of Dorothy's grandchildren is named Jennifer Klinefelter Stover. Wouldn't it be karma to link back to Georgia B. Klinefelter, who features prominently in several of your posts?

* * *
Receipt tucked inside shorthand textbook from San Diego City College (originally published February 8, 2013)

Anonymous writes: Sales tax in San Diego County was 4% from January 1, 1962 to July 31, 1967. (Source: https://www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/taxrateshist.htm) Since the receipt is dated September 17, it follows that the purchases must have taken place on that date in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, or 1966.

* * *

1906 postcard: "Four Queens and a Jack" and taunting from Los Angeles (originally published February 8, 2013)

Anonymous writes: The relationship between Orrin W. Lord and Ada Mason Fish was as follows:

Orrin W. Lord lived from 1867 to 1959. His father was James Russell Lord, who lived from 1844 to 1925. One of James's sisters was Dorcas Cornelia Lord Mason, who lived from 1841 to 1932. Dorcas's daughter was Ada Mason Fish, who lived from 1868 to 1948. Thus, the two cousins were very close in age, and, apparently, close in communications with the methods available in the day.

* * *

3 colorful vintage Thanksgiving postcards featuring turkeys (originally published November 17, 2012)

Anonymous writes: Charles Kennard was one of the founders of the Kennard Novelty Company of Baltimore, Maryland in 1890. This company was famous for producing Ouija boards in the United States. Baltimore is less than thirty miles from Glenelg, Maryland.

Mrs. Charles Kennard was one of two women: His first marriage to Caroline Barney Wickes in Chestertown, Maryland resulted in the birth of his first son, Charles Wesley Kennard Jr. and his only daughter, Adelaide G. He would later divorce Caroline and marry Katherine Hilbert. (Source: http://williamfuld.com/ouija_people_charleskennard.html)

An interesting article about Caroline, referencing a great-granddaughter interested in Ouija boards today, can be found here: http://www.robertmurch.com/charles-kennards-towel-pillow-case.

Of course, this may all be entirely coincidental with someone else by the name of "Mrs. Chas. Kennard of Maryland."

"Accept the mystery." — Joel & Ethan Coen, filmmakers.

Chris says: Full disclosure: My favorite Coen brothers movie is Blood Simple.

* * *

#24-26: Men getting in trouble (Postcard Blogathon 2013) (originally published June 6, 2013)

Anonymous writes: With reference to the card postmarked in October 1919, you asked, "Were people trying to tell the Ebens something?" By 1919, Ebens (in the plural) would have been sadly inaccurate. Frank Eben died in 1912 at the young age of 29, [according to the Reading Times in Reading, Pennsylania]. This is substantiated by this 1914 [also the Reading Times] newspaper in which Emma E. Eben is listed as the "administratrix of Frank W. Eben." Perhaps this explains the use of the title "Mrs. Emma Eben," as opposed to "Mrs. Frank Eben," a form of address which would have been common in the day.

* * *
1936 dust jacket: "Around the World in Eleven Years" (originally published November 13, 2014)

Anonymous writes: As we wait for the publication of Patience Abbe's memoir I, Patience, we can watch and learn from her nephew's video biography of Patience's life. Meanwhile, Amazon and numerous public libraries offer various books by Patience from the 1930s.

* * *
Six more neat things inside the 1964 Sunday News TV Week (originally published November 3, 2012)

Anonymous writes: Nathaniel N. Craley Jr. served as the only Democratic Congressman from Pennsylvania's 19th District from 1960 through 2012. [Source: My former boss Jim McClure's York Town Square blog.] The same article asked whether a Democrat might finally represent the 19th District as of the start of the Congressional term on January 3, 2013. We now know the answer — no and no:

1. No, because the 19th District was reapportioned out of existence after the 2010 census. (Pennsylvania now has only 18 Congressional districts.)

2. No, because York County is now part of the 4th Congressional District — represented by Scott Perry, Republican.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania's_4th_congressional_district

* * *

Vintage ink blotter supporting Quigley for mayor of Chelsea (originally published April 19, 2016)

Anonymous writes: The clue may be the Allied Printing Trades Council logo found at the bottom of the card. Appendix 1 of this source indicates that the logo printed on this card was adopted in 1897 but was apparently superseded by other logo(s) as of 1940. If so, the campaign of the younger Quigley would have used a more recently adopted logo. Thus, although this is far from a definitive conclusion, the "costly experiment" may very well have been by process of elimination the 1930-1931 mayoral term of John J. Whalen. Lawrence F. Quigley was subsequently elected to two two-year terms, 1932-1935.

The number "16" next to the logo represents the particular shop number which printed the card. As to which shop that represents, that is a mystery for another day.

For the same or similar logo printed on various other cards from the early part of the century, see for example, https://victualling.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/businesscard2.jpg and http://www.vintage-ephemera.com/cmstore/images/product_images/389099729a.jpg.

* * *

With apologies in advance ... Happy Halloween! (originally published October 31, 2014)

Anonymous writes: As for the Expo '70 card, this is from the 1970 Exposition in Osaka, an event similar to the World's Fair. The card is advertising the "Moving Arts Show," presented by the Koguma Theater, a Western-style puppet show or a "kami-shibai" (Japanese version of puppetry using tableaux and illustrations). In particular, the show lineup included the "Lotte Mates" (entertainment sponsored by the Korean food conglomerate Lotte, whose corporate presence is very large in Japan) and the clown Wimpey.

In Japanese, the name of the theater troupe ("Koguma-za") is a play-on-words with the term for the constellation Ursa Minor.

As to whether there was/is just one Wimpey the Clown in existence, that is a mystery for another day; still, here is a cute photo of Wimpey and his not-very-amused progeny.

Also, the Expo featured a performance troupe of costumed performers (something like the Mickey Mouses — Mice?!? — who wander around Disneyland taking photos with guests). Japanese-language source: http://www.kogumaza.co.jp (Best to use Google Translate.)

* * *

Theodor Kittelsen postcard: Trollkjerringer på Norefjell (originally published December 18, 2013)

Anonymous writes: More than one Trollkjerring (troll witch or troll crone) play a part in Henrik Ibsen's play "Peer Gynt." [Source: 2012 book Trolls by Gail B. Stewart.] The play is based on the Norwegian fairy tale "Per Gynt." "Peer" is an older, unusual spelling of "Per." [Source: 2016 Penguin UK edition of Peer Gynt and Brand by Henrik Ibsen.] American audiences are more likely to be familiar with the suites of the same name, composed by Ibsen's friend and contemporary, Edvard Grieg. Have a listen.

Chris says: You can read more about Grieg and Gynt in this August 2015 Papergreat post: Alex Steinweiss' cover artwork for Columbia's "Peer Gynt"

* * *
Deep thoughts: Is it ephemera if it's only on the Internet? (originally published September 1, 2014)

Anonymous writes: "I'm not sure I agree with you 100% on your police work." — Joel & Ethan Coen, Fargo.

The word "ephemera" stems from the Greek, meaning "lasting a day." By comparison, the Internet is forever — [2013 The Daily Beast articled headlined: "Dear Old People: The Internet Is Forever"]

Digital advertisements (or digital anything) are not at all ephemeral; rather, the cloud will outlast everything saved in drawers and envelopes or tucked away inside books. All the more reason to cherish our ephemera.

Chris says: I'm going to have to respectfully disagree, at least with regard to some aspects of the Internet's permanence and the idea of Clouds vs. Drawers. In my Lost Corners of the Internet series [first post here], I have previously cited a BBC article headlined "The decaying web and our disappearing history: Our online history is disappearing at an astonishing rate, creating a black hole for future historians."

I do not have confidence in the permanence or reliability of the Internet (which, I know, is an odd thing for a person who has devoted at least 1,600 hours to this blog over the years to say).

My first attempt at blogging, UsedPandas.com, circa 2002, is nowhere to be found in cyberspace.

The first iteration of Papergreat, a yorkblog.com effort titled Relics (http://www.yorkblog.com/relics/) is nowhere to be found in cyberspace. (It's OK. I printed the whole thing out years ago.)

As someone who has worked in newspapers for more than two decades, I can tell you that countless pieces of great and important journalism have vanished from the web. Certainly, it was deliberate human action — or inaction — that caused these pieces of history to disappear. But they are gone nonetheless. Hard copies (newspapers, printouts, microfilm) still exist, but in most cases you won't be able to find them online unless they happened to be captured by something like the Wayback Machine, which, despite incredible efforts, has preserved only a sliver of our online history.

Also, without getting too political, let's just say we're living in some disconcerting times right now when it comes to the preservation of online archives and data, especially at the governmental level.

So, my rallying cry remains: Print it out and stick it in a drawer!

* * *
Terry S. McMahon, ham-radio operator, drops Papergreat a line (originally published July 15, 2014)

Anonymous writes: Sad to report that Terry passed away in mid-2016.

Chris says: Thank you for sharing this news. I'm so glad that Terry and I had a chance to connect and share some of his memories before his death. Here is an excerpt from this obituary, regarding the incredible life he lived:

"Always excited by technology and inventions, Terry was a ham radio operator at age twelve and worked as a computer and AV consultant on many projects throughout his life. He was an early developer of holograms and created the first hologram with Georgia Governor George Busbee. Terry had a lifelong passion for Apple computers and was one of the first developers of using Apple computers to assist in [his wife] Polly’s early clinical practice with learning disabled and traumatized children."

* * *

Old postcard showing Teufelsbrücke (Devil's Bridge) legend (originally published November 30, 2013)

Anonymous writes: Altdorf is located by Lake Lucerne, basically smack-dab in the middle of Switzerland [map].

The von Matt brothers ("Gebr.", abbreviation for "Gebrüder", or "brothers") were the sons of patriarch Jakob von Matt. The sons included Kaspar, Theodor, Eduard, and Josef, with just one daughter, Marie. Details here [in German]: http://teufelsbruecke.ch/Teufelsbruecke/von_Matt.html.

Here is a photograph of the Teufelsbrücke (Devil's Bridge) almost assuredly portrayed in the postcard. If you're thinking of planning a visit to the bridge and want to steer clear of any satanic interference, have a read of various tourists' advice. The bridge itself is in Andermatt, about an hour south of Altdorf. Details here.

* * *

Lancaster's Hotel Brunswick, where you outen the lights (originally published December 27, 2014)

Anonymous writes: Joan's post about the Pennsylvania Dutch [German, really] adjective "stroobly" or "strubbly" is augmented by this extensive etymological analysis of the term (p. 140 of "An Analytic Dictionary of the English Etymology: An Introduction," by Anatoly Liberman).

If that analysis is accurate, there is a semantic relation to the noun "strumpet." Linguistics takes you down almost as many paths as ephemerology does.

* * *

Saturday's postcard: The Howard Gould case (originally published April 7, 2012)

Anonymous writes: Here is the downstream genealogy of the recipient of this postcard, Daniel Stover of Valley Falls, New York. Fasten your seat belts:

Daniel Martin Stover lived from 1843 to 1914. He died in Valley Falls. Daniel had several children, including Peter L. Stover, who lived from 1882 to 1958. He also died in Valley Falls [second source].

(Note that the last site listed above was updated very recently, namely on January 13, 2017, by his namesake, Peter Lewis Stover — q.v. below.)

The earlier Peter L. Stover (1882-1958) had one son, Charles Agan Stover (1906-1993). Charles Agan Stover was the father of the younger Peter Lewis Stover. (Again, the younger Peter Lewis Stover updated this last link as recently as February 25, 2015 — an avid genealogist, it would seem.)

In fact, much of the Stover family tree can be traced to the family bible currently in the possession of the younger Peter Lewis Stover. This leads to the obituary of Peter Lewis Stover's mother-in-law, Evelyn Sierk Cady (1918-2013).

According to that obituary, she is survived by many descendants, including granddaughter Carolyn Stover — still a resident of Valley Falls, New York. No doubt Carolyn and her extended family members would be overjoyed to read your post about her great-great-grandfather's ephemera — which is anything but ephemeral.

Chris says: Thank you! I might indeed attempt to contact Carolyn with this little surprise. Of course, I'll first have to figure out which box it went into after I wrote about it.

* * *
Reader comments: Memories of collecting QSL cards (originally published May 26, 2012)

Anonymous writes: Jim Fahringer's summary of the shortwave and QSL scene c. 1985 is an excellent snapshot of the intrigues of the pre-Internet Cold War era, redolent of high frequencies and short wavelengths of decades past. Unfortunately, many of the broadcasters he mentioned no longer issue QSL cards, no longer broadcast to the United States, no longer broadcast in English, or no longer broadcast, period — to wit:

• BBC — No longer issues QSL cards.
• Radio Canada International — Gone as of 2012.
• Radio Berlin International — Auf Wiedersehen in 1990. I have one of their last QSL cards.
• Deutsche Welle — Broadcasts to Africa and Afghanistan only.
• Radio Budapest, Radio Kiev, Radio Sofia, Radio Moscow, Radio Sweden, Swiss Radio International, etc. — Fuggetaboutit. (Just take my word.)

On the other hand, Radio Havana Cuba still broadcasts in English to the United States and still issues QSL cards.

Finally, as mentioned in another post on this site, after the better part of a century, Radio Australia on shortwave just went dark two days ago (January 31, 2017). Have a listen to the lugubrious obsequies intoned by the last of the shortwave greats, Glenn Hauser.

To quote Mr. Hauser: "Sad." 73.

* * *

1910 advertisement for West Laurel Hill Cemetery (Wanamaker Diary) (originally published November 18, 2012)

Anonymous writes: John Cromwell Bell Jr. (the nineteen-day governor of Pennsylvania) is buried at St. Asaph's Church Cemetery. Although close to one another, St. Asaph's Church Cemetery appears to be separate from the Laurel Hill Cemetery and the West Laurel Hill Cemetery. So is John Cromwell Bell Jr. truly one of the celebrities interred at West Laurel Hill?

Chris says: Excellent catch! Another history merit badge earned.

* * *

An invitation to the 1946 Florence-Pope wedding (originally published November 25, 2011)

Anonymous writes: A litany of extended Pope family members (including the above-mentioned affianced Fletcher and Mary) are listed on this 2003 family reunion site. The most active Pope family genealogist appears to be one Sandra Pope. Although more than a decade has passed since this family reunion site was posted, her e-mail address may still be active. As a journalist, you may wish to give it a try, as bringing family ephemera to descendants and collateral relatives is a blessing.

Chris says: Another great tip! Again, though, I will first have to check to see if I still have this item, which I likely haven't touched since 2011. With more than 2,100 posts over the past six-plus years, I simply haven't been able to hold onto everything. I'm trying to stave off the "Hoarders" intervention as long as possible.