World's Fair Postoffice Exhibit Details Revealed
The Interior of a model postoffice will be in the southwest corner of the government building at the world’s fair. It showcases the U S Postal Service with a 100 by 41 feet footprint, a carved screen of eleven panels and the evolution of postal transport. Carved end panels depict a Toboggan, mounted courier, mail coach, sidewheel steamboat, rail train, and fast mail. A mail carrier and railway clerk stand with a banner reading United States Post office. Grille work above allows viewing the workings while furniture stays low for visibility.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
White City
Government Building
United States Postoffice Department
Postoffice
Uncle Sam
United States Post Office
May Peak Heroine Stops Train Near Fern Bluff
Miss May Peak, a sixteen year old schoolgirl living with her parents on a ranch near Fern Bluff, noticed a washed out rail bed over a deep pit on her way to school. She signaled the approach of a construction train, prompting the engineer to stop in time and avert disaster. Road officials promised her a life pass on the Great Northern.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fern Bluff
Great Northern
Sultan
May Peak
Cupid and the Cat Messenger Boy Love Story
In spring 18 9 the narrator, an artist in New York, meets her future husband, a bookkeeper. Their romance grows via a cat named Tommy used as a note delivering messenger. the cat would carry love notes from the collar, deliver them to the husband, and allow only the intended recipient to touch him. After marriage Tommy disappears, but the husband hopes he still lives delivering more messages for others.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York City
Tommy
The Barber Pole Symbolism Through Ages
The ancient barber’s pole traces back to Rome where barbers served as surgeons. Basins hung on poles guided wounded soldiers to relief, and the stripes symbolize prayer ropes used during phlebotomy. An old English law required a blood pot on a striped pole crowned with red cloth.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rome
A Lion Hunter in Africa and Mail Carrier Tale
Mr Selous after twenty one years in Africa returns to London from Mashonaland and admits to killing 109 elephants and twenty five lions. He recounts a Mashonaland lion story about a mail delivery incident where a rider with one horse and a led horse delivering the mails was disrupted when his son appeared, throwing the mail conveyance into chaos.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Selous
Africa
London
Mashonaland
Lions and mail bags amid a bush encounter
A lion chased two horses near a fort after a mail carrier lost interest in the mail. The horses escaped return next day badly wounded. the lion then stalked away as a caravan passed. The interviewer learns lions prefer donkeys to humans, with one tale of a lion taking a policeman. The speaker notes aging changes in hunting habits.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Selus
A Dog's Sense of Military Honor
A West Chester resident recounts a tale from Sixth Cavalry troops about a dog that remained with a sergeant after the unit’s battle at Wounded Knee. The sergeant was later demoted, and the dog refused to recognize him, choosing another tent as if deeming him beneath it.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
West Chester
Pennsylvania
Sixth Cavalry
Wounded Knee
History of notable labor strikes and uprisings through eras
The excerpt catalogs a sequence of historic labor conflicts and protests. It references Norwich riots led by farm laborers and executions, Wat Tyler’s insurrection, Constantinople tailors, English masons in Spain, Chinese provincial pickers, Langwede canal laborers, St. Petersburg shipyards under Peter the Great, Nottingham strikes with mills burned, and early English unions including the Steel Yard Society. It notes reprisals, hangings, deportations, and legal suppression or eventual repeal of trade restrictions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Norwich
Enelland
Wat Tyler
Constantinople
England
Hacural Palace
Spain
America
Canal of
Langwedce
Peter the Great
St. Petershure
Siberia
Engand
France
Germany
Ise
Drow
Wales
Nottingham
The
Steel Yard Society
Physiognomy Traits and Facial Clues in Character
A catalog of facial features and dispositions from physiognomy notes links strong quirks to temperaments. It claims prominent noses, bold chins, and eye shapes reveal prudence, melancholy, or vigor, while arched profiles and forehead lines suggest wit, discretion, or wisdom.
Dates in Medicine and Early Surgical Arts
The fragment notes ancient medical practices with dates from B C 950 to B C 600. It mentions Scultapius as a deified healer, Egyptian priests performing amputations and crafting artificial legs and arms, and Democedes reputedly reducing sprains and dislocations. The text ends abruptly with a reference to An mane.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sculapius
Democedes
Anna An Mane
The Small Employer and the Value of Leadership
Justice Henry B. Brown argues that the decline of small craft work and the rise of mass production distribute profits more broadly, while top corporate leaders earn extraordinary rewards for organizational skill. He compares managers to generals and notes cooperative schemes fail when leadership is underestimated.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hfe Wlrich
Httle
Henry B. Brown
Meissonier
French Spirits Tax Sparks Impasse Between Houses
France continues a tax dispute after the Chamber of Deputies voted to tax all spirituous liquors, ending the home consumption exemption that had allowed nearly a million farmers to distill year round. The plan risks Senate rejection, likely leaving the old system in place and shifting blame between chambers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States
France
Chamber of Deputies
Senate
Hus
New Hampshire Giant Robbie Blanchard Claims Giant Status
The Springfield Republican chronicles Robbie Blanchard of Chestnut Hill New Hampshire a 15 year old 6 foot 6 inch tall boy weighing about 206 pounds with a 60 inch chest and 52 inch abdomen. It notes his family his popularity in school and his aim to be named the biggest boy giant in the United States and mentions his parents Walter and Mrs Blanchard.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New Hampshire
Ilinsdale
N. I
Springfield Republican
Robbie Blanchard
Walter Blanchard
Chestnut Hil
Robbie Syhinehard
Gramain
Timsdile
United States
Obsolete State Laws On Blasphemy And Swearing
An examination notes many states retain archaic laws against blasphemy and profanity with varying penalties. Massachusetts fines 1 to 5 cents per oath, Maine 2 to 5 dollars, Maryland 25 to 50 cents, Pennsylvania imposes 40 to 67 cents and possible jail, Sabbath laws persist with fines such as five dollars in Rhode Island for Sunday recreation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New England
Pennsylvania
Delaware
Arkansas
New Jersey
Maryland
Iowa
Dakotas
Massachusetts
Maine
God
Jesus Christ
Holy Ghost
Shode Island
Indiana
Sabbath Restrictions Sweep Across Several States
The article notes broad Sunday and holiday prohibitions in multiple states. Arkansas forbids horse racing for pastime on the Sabbath with fines up to 100 dollars, while card playing is punished. Maryland imposes 20 to 50 dollars fines for selling tobacco and candy on Sunday. New Hampshire bans all forms of play on Sunday, Maine restricts travel, and Connecticut limits Fourth of July celebrations with cannon and bell disturbances. The law in Connecticut appears largely unenforced.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Arkana
Thhat
Maryland
New Hampshire
Maine
Connecticut
Smoking in Court Across Cultures from Clergy to Classrooms
A London church pastor allows pipe smoking during services, while Mexican courts permit prisoners to smoke during questioning. Mexican teachers reward diligence with cigars or cigarettes, and a jar of pulque sits on the desk to refresh teacher and students, linking smoke to thirst.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Whitechapel
London
rIndependance Belge
Seattle bootblacks form a union to fix prices
A week old Bootblack's Union in Seattle aims to maintain a 10 cent shine price and shut out cheaper imported labor. Members cutting below 10 cents face escalating fines and possible expulsion, with the effort aided by Seattle's Newsboys' Union formed months earlier.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bootblacks
Seattle
Wash
Newsboys’ Union
Elephant and firm boost bids with elephant plow
In Cincinnati Peters and Robinson plan to grade the Bragg estate for subdivision using an elephant named Hermit dragging a huge plow. The animal saves ten horses and several men, allowing the contracting firm to cut prices and expand business.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cincinnati
Peters
Jack Robinson
Hermit
Bragg
Peters & Robinson
Incandescent star display lights Whittington Dream Scene
A New Olympic pantomime uses 400 lamps on twenty circuits to create a starry background, depicting a Herenes constellation with varying brightness. The piece also notes Bartlett’s church visit with his infant, sparking social gossip. Rail wear estimates place daily earth iron loss at about 600 tons in powder and salts.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dick Whittington
New Olympic Theater
London
Herenes
Muskrat Rescued From Apple Barrel Inspires Odd Tale
A Maine farmer found a muskrat trapped in a cellar barrel of apples and, moved by compassion, freed it by the tail. The creature learned to seek assistance, sticking up its tail when the farmer approached. A humorous aside features a struggling literary man lamenting a lost two column sketch after a night of hard work, then admitting it vanished upon waking.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Maine
Judge Hoar’s Surprising Funeral Note Sparks Debate
A Charles/ Wendell Phillips era anecdote recalls Judge E. Rockwood Hoar declining to attend Abraham Lincoln’s funeral while saying he approved of it. The remark reflects tensions over public mourning and political alignments in the era.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
E. Rockwood Hoar
Wendell Phillips
Chicago Boastfulness and the Advance Agent
The Chicago Times-Herald criticizes a boastful booster who touts Chicago as a center of industry and culture. The piece ridicules inflated pride, labeling the booster a relic of boomtown vanity, urging humility and a focus on real progress and decency in the growing city.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
Chicago Times-Herald
Port Palmer
Lake Shore
Stratford-on-Avon
Shakspeare
Yokohama
Official Titles in America and the one exception to the rule
The piece argues that official titles are largely lacking in the United States and that addressing officials should be simple. It notes that “Honorable” is not a proper courtesy for most offices and mentions a Massachusetts exception, where the governor may be styled “His Excellency.”
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
America
Cleveland
United States
Massachusetts
A Nebraska Newspaper Apology
A Nebraska weekly prints a candid apology for a prior hostile charge about Maj. Starkwright. The piece praises his campaign pledge and notes his theatrical pledge to kick editors, recounting the episode with humor and retracting the earlier insult. The editors acknowledge the Maj. as a man of his word and scholarly, even as the tale humorously exaggerates the stair kicking incident.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nebraska
Maj. Starkwright
Maj. S
Aluminum production grows from novelty to useful product
The United States Geological Survey reports 1893 aluminum output at 388,629 pounds and 1894 production at 404,000 pounds. Ten years earlier only 150 pounds were made. A fall in price from dollars per pound to cents has enabled aluminum’s use in many applications, leveraging its lightness strength and ductility.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States Geological Survey
United States
California Irrigation Brings Vast Land Under Water
California leads in engineering and irrigation with electric plants at Sacramento and Folsom. Nearly 40,000 acres of prime farmland will be irrigated from the large flume linked to the dam and tunnels near Sn night’s Ferry. The flume, with a capacity of 476 million gallons daily, serves more than sixty square miles of farms with permanent irrigation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
California
Sacramento
Folsom
Erry
Origin of the Phrase To Chaff A Person
A proposed origin traces the slang term to Apollo who sorted wheat from chaff in a poetry volume filled with poets faults He then gave the god a bushel of wheat to sort and kept the wheat while presenting the chaff to the critic Thus the term chaffing arose as mockery.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Apollo
Critia
Origin of Pennsylvania Name and Delaware Territory
The Name of Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn and the state is the only one named after its founder. The suffix sylvania means forest land reflecting the country. Southeastern counties became territories of the state, chartered in 1701 and named Delaware after Lord De La Warr who explored the bay the river feeds.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pennsylvania
William Penn
Sylvania
Delaware
Lord de la Ware
Austria's Austro-Hungarian Bank notes and gold holdings
The Austro-Hungarian Bank at Vienna reports 529,408,000 gulden in notes in circulation and gold and silver totaling 840,408,000 gulden in its latest monthly report. The Bank of England is noted as a premier financial power in Europe.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Austria
Bank of England
Europe
Vienna
Big Trade in Monkey Skins on the Gold Coast
The gold coast exports show a striking trade in monkey skins averaging 175,000 skins yearly for five years, valued at about 150,300 dollars. Only skins in good condition with few shot holes are exported, indicating quality control in this lucrative industry.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gold Coast
How to Keep Cut Flowers Fresh Daily
To keep cut flowers fresh add a pinch of nitrate of potash or common saltpeter to their water. Trim the stem ends slightly each day to keep the absorbing pores open and improve water uptake.
Also Mentioned on This Page
World's Fair Postoffice
Cupid and the Cat
Tabby
Lion Hunter
Life
Corporation
A Bootblack's Union
Bartlett
Windy City
American Aluminum
Bros
Klee
PARK MACE @a
Hurch ST
Pennsylvania Station
Wayne, Ind
EAWT
N. Y
Boston
Cleveland Mail
Eastern Express
WEST
Ticago Express
Ariive
A. W. Johnston
Kd. F
Asl
Ft. Wayne
Louisville
AND
Lake Erie & Western Railroads
Fort Wayne
Connersville
New Castle
Rushville
Canada
North Bound
Reebive
Ier Oenen O
E.S. Philley
Ft. W
C. and
L. Railroad
Daly
H C Parker
Lndignapolis
Ind
Couns
Sagua
Bae
Financial School
W. H. Harvey
Coin’s Financial Scnior
Coin
Coin’s Financial
Times-Post
Hamilton
Hamilton National Bank
Charles McCulloch
John Mourie
White National Bank
Fort Wayne, Ind
W. McKinnie
New York and Boston Limited
Oledo Express
Atlantic Express
Ccal Freight
Lafayette
Neifie Express
Kansas City Express
Lafayette Accom'n
St. Louis Limited
Indianapolis
Olis
New York Palace
New York Vestibule Limited
T*ree Chair Cars, Dining Cara 1 Pacific Limited Express, Kansas City Express
Gannon Ball
Kansas City
R. G. Thompson
Rand Rapids and Indiana Railroad
Bulan
Muiveel
Grand Rapids
Rome City
Richmond
Richmont
GCA
J.C. Peltier
Undertaker
West Wayne St
Harvey-Laughlin
Simes-Post
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!