Weekly Update

​Hello all!  What a difference a week makes.  I am battening down the hatches at the Museum as we prepare for Henri.  It may be the worst storm in thirty years, so we have been watching it carefully, moving things away from windows, etc. to protect our collections.  Living in the wooded area near Borderland State Park, I fully expect to lose power for a while (we usually do) so I will be filling my thermos with hot water tonight before bed so I can have that ever important morning coffee tomorrow!  I hope that the Museum , as well as all of you, come through the storm safely.


This morning I have just a quick little item to share with you.  It is a bill of lading for the Old Colony Railroad dated August 3, 1888.  The document is for the shipment of 14 dozen shovels from the Oliver Ames & Sons Corporation to Dunham, Carrigan, and Hayden Company, San Francisco, California.  We know a lot about the sender, but the recipient was a well-known merchandiser of hardware, housewares, etc. to the mining industry.  Founded about the time of the California Gold Rush in 1849, the company had a full line catalog - the Sears of the west coast.  Their building was about a city block long!  Besides being a major supplier of mining equipment, which is probably the destination of these Ames shovels, they also played a major role in the rebuilding of San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake and fire.

The bill head itself is a great item.  The engravings of the steam train and the steam ship highlight the various means of sending freight all over the country.  A read through the shipping notes is worthwhile too.

Hoping you all weather the storm,
Frank