NetShrine
06-23-2001, 10:05 AM
The "Lord Baltimores" - - cool name.
State House Repair Uncovers 1882 Paper
.c The Associated Press
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Workers repairing a column at the country's oldest working statehouse uncovered a dusty stack of newspapers from 1882, an era when baseball and electricity were in their infancy.
The editions of the now-defunct Baltimore American and of The (Baltimore) Sun had been signed by a man state archivists believe was a carpenter making repairs on the building at the time.
The headlines in the papers were hard to discern. One story spoke of Virginia duelists. Another was an American editorial criticizing its competitor for ``toothless'' insults against then-Gov. William Hamilton.
Maryland was in the grip of capitalistic fervor in 1882, a time when steel and railroad industry heavyweights made headlines and political bosses ruled Baltimore and the counties. Electric power had just arrived and telephone service was a year away. The Lord Baltimores, who became the Orioles a decade later, joined the American Association in 1882.
The State House was built in 1779 and served as the U.S. capital in 1783-84. It has undergone numerous renovations and additions since then.
The newspapers that were discovered Friday bore the inscription ``John F. Wiggins, age 53.'' Census records from 1880 list a John Wiggins as a carpenter from Anne Arundel County, said Mimi Calver, director of exhibits, outreach and artistic property at the Maryland State Archives.
``This is a wonderful sort of living record of a man who worked on the building and wanted to leave a memento behind,'' Calver said.
AP-NY-06-23-01 0611EDT
State House Repair Uncovers 1882 Paper
.c The Associated Press
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Workers repairing a column at the country's oldest working statehouse uncovered a dusty stack of newspapers from 1882, an era when baseball and electricity were in their infancy.
The editions of the now-defunct Baltimore American and of The (Baltimore) Sun had been signed by a man state archivists believe was a carpenter making repairs on the building at the time.
The headlines in the papers were hard to discern. One story spoke of Virginia duelists. Another was an American editorial criticizing its competitor for ``toothless'' insults against then-Gov. William Hamilton.
Maryland was in the grip of capitalistic fervor in 1882, a time when steel and railroad industry heavyweights made headlines and political bosses ruled Baltimore and the counties. Electric power had just arrived and telephone service was a year away. The Lord Baltimores, who became the Orioles a decade later, joined the American Association in 1882.
The State House was built in 1779 and served as the U.S. capital in 1783-84. It has undergone numerous renovations and additions since then.
The newspapers that were discovered Friday bore the inscription ``John F. Wiggins, age 53.'' Census records from 1880 list a John Wiggins as a carpenter from Anne Arundel County, said Mimi Calver, director of exhibits, outreach and artistic property at the Maryland State Archives.
``This is a wonderful sort of living record of a man who worked on the building and wanted to leave a memento behind,'' Calver said.
AP-NY-06-23-01 0611EDT