|
 Mark
Shew from the recently closed MKS Jewelry store on the square in
Lincoln stopped by last September to tell Bill that while cleaning
out the space for a new owner, a small room had been discovered that
was boarded up. When it was opened, there was a pile of what looked
like old newspapers. Shew wanted to know if the LCGHS wanted this
seeming pile of dirty trash.
After checking out the contents of the secret room, Bill’s response
was an enthusiastic “Yes!”
“It looked like some waste paper that someone had forgotten to throw
away,” said Bill Donath. What it turned out to be was a treasure
trove of newspapers and advertisements from the original Lincoln
newspaper, The Lincoln Herald.
The Herald was founded in 1856 and was a weekly distributed on
Thursday mornings. The offices and printing operation were located
in the space eventually occupied by MKS. The paper ran until it
merged with another, The Evening Courier, in the early 20th century.
Donath, author of several books on Logan County history, was just
the person to go through this material and find out what it was
worth historically.
The aged papers turned out to be an invaluable find in the history
of the city of Lincoln.
Much of
the material consists of actual newspapers from the late 19th
century that are in flat condition. The original paper was printed
on acid free paper made of rags and was eight columns wide. The
papers are flat and seem to be in good condition.
“The Lincoln Herald changed to a smaller format in the 1890’s and
used a different paper stock made of wood pulp that has not held up
as well,” said Donath. These editions are not in good condition,
some a bit ragged and fragile.
So far Donath has found 698 issues of the paper. In total there are
over sixteen hundred pieces of paper in what has now been christened
the Shew Collection of The Lincoln Herald. But the actual newspaper
may not be the most interesting part of the collection.
In order to make money, The Herald also had a printing business.
They printed advertisements for Lincoln businesses and community
events. There are ads for The Horse Collar Factory, the Lincoln
Business College, and the original Methodist Church. There is also
an ad for a local restaurant complete with menu and prices. The
Herald printed political posters and ballots for elections.
These historical gems are all part of the Shew Collection, a window
into 19th century Lincoln, Illinois.
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As with most archaeology, there is a wrinkle in this story of the
historical treasure found in the MKS building.
Many of the items are not in a flat condition as if they had just
come hot off the press. Much of the collection is in tight rolls of paper that
resemble nothing so much as a fireplace log. These rolls of paper are covered in
black filth requiring special care.
Donath uses hand protection when touching them and tries not to
breath in whatever the muck is on the outside. Under the tutelage of Lincoln
Heritage Museum director Anne Mosely, an expert in handling old paper documents,
Donath is slowly unrolling these papers and treating them with a special
humidifying and cleaning process so that they can be flattened out.
More treasure has been found in these rolls, some with printing on the outside
indicating what is held within. There are complete records of court cases,
information about events at Lincoln University, and a few copies of The
Charitable Observer, the monthly newspaper of the Lincoln School for the Feeble
Minded, forerunner of The Lincoln State School and Colony. The Lincoln Herald
printed this paper. There are also names of residents of Lincoln and what their
position was in the city and county, and what they were up to.
The Shew Collection of The Lincoln Herald discovered in an old building and
forgotten room in downtown Lincoln could not have found a better home than The
Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society, nor could it have found a
better curator than Bill Donath.
Donath has taken to the job of interpreting and preserving this rare find of
Lincoln history with delight. He is photographing each piece of paper as he
recovers it, thus keeping a digital record in case the original papers degrade.
He has developed a classification system of each advertisement, 310 ads so far,
in order to have an easy-to-use filing system for what he has found. And of
course, he has taught himself the painstaking process of unrolling and
preserving the logs of papers.
Donath is planning the long-term safe storage of the papers in approved boxes
that will help preserve the collection.
This collection of The Lincoln Herald provides a glimpse into 19th century
Lincoln and Logan County, a part of town and county history that had
disappeared. There have been many surprises so far and no doubt more to come as
Bill Donath slowly unearths this precious history, much as an archeologist would
unearth a historic site. When Donath is at the LCGHS offices, you might stop by
and look at this relic of days gone by.
The Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society holds a regular monthly
meeting on the third Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at their collection
facility at 114 N. Chicago Street, Lincoln. The meetings are open to the public
and always have an interesting program.
The LCGHS also has a research service for those doing genealogy on family
history in Logan County.
[Curtis Fox] |
