Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio

Transcription

1 Cincinnati in 1840 Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio Editor of the Bulletin, LEE SHEPARD^ 923 Union Trust Building. December, 1943 CINCINNATI Vol. 1, No. 4. THE ANNUAL MEETING The annual meeting of the Society held Monday afternoon, December 6, was well attended, 43 being present. The reports reflected the progress of the Society during the year. They are given in brief form on another page of the Bulletin. The annual election of officers resulted as follows: President Beverley W. Bond, Jr. First Vice-president Lucien Wulsin Second Vice-president Robert L. Black Corresponding Secretary Chalmers Hadley Recording Secretary Herbert F. Koch,. Treasurer Lawrence C. Bucher Librarian.... :. Eleanor S. Wilby Curators: John J. Rowe, Joseph S. Graydon, Mrs. William T. Buckner, Lee Shepard and Mrs. Albert L. Russel. Curator Emeritus: Harry F. Woods, Joseph Wilby and A, Clifford Shinkle.

2 Mr. Clark B. Firestone, feature writer on the Cincinnati Times-Star made the principal address taking as his subject, "Romance of a River." Handled in his well known masterful style, the address proved very interesting to his audience. We were fortunate to have Mr. Firestone as guest speaker. A part of the address is reproduced in this Bulletin. PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL REPORT, The basic aims of this Society are, to preserve the records of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, and to make them available to present and future generations. In this undertaking, with the loyal support of our members, there has been considerable progress during the years, The members of the Board, especially, have attended its monthly meetings, and have effectively directed the activities of the Society. A few 7 outstanding achievements only can be mentioned. The librarian, Miss Wilby, and her staff have carried on the varied work of the library. They have directed many persons in their use of our extensive collections, and have answered many inquiries. Also, they have assembled exhibits of pictures and other historical material, which have been enjoyed by many persons, among them several groups of high school students. Then, too, the library staff has catalogued current accessions, and by cross references has made much important material more accessible. This somewhat inconspicuous routine of an historical library is the very heart of the Society's activities. Limited funds have handicapped the collection of material, but there have been a number of accessions, notably the Henry L. Flesher Collection of Ohio River Steamboats, for which the Society is indebted to Miss Wilby's initiative. During the past year the Society has inaugurated a Bulletin, and Mr. Shepard has worked wtth notable success as editor. Recently arrangements have been made to publish jointly with the University of Cincinnati the addresses at the Centennial Anniversary of the Cincinnati Observatory. This volume will be distributed to the members of the Society, as well as to a long list of exchanges and historical libraries. In addition to his work on the Bulletin Mr. Shepard has acted as secretary since Mr. McEvilley went into the Red Cross service. Mr. McEvilley has played an important part in the Society's activities, especially by helping in the notable increase - 2 -

3 in members, of which Mr. Shepard's report will give the details. In its finances, the Society has greatly benefitted from the expert advice of the treasurer, Mr. Bucher, and our investments are now on a very satisfactory basis. In conclusion, the President would again call attention to the need for the hearty co-operation of all our members, if the Society is to continue and expand its main purpose, to care for the records of a notable past and present. BEVERLEY W. BOND, JR., President. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY Acting Secretary, Lee Shepard, reported 38 new corporate members added during the year and two corresponding members making our present membership totals as follows: Corporate members, 97; life members, 12; corresponding members, 6; honorary members 6; or a grand total of 121. The Bulletin, issued quarterly is a new activity of the Society designed to keep the membership informed of important announcements and new acquisitions. It also serves to keep the many societies and libraries on our exchange list informed of our activities. LEE SHEPARD, Acting Secretary. REPORT OF THE TREASURER (Totals only) Cash balance, November 26, 1942 $ 6, Receipts 12, $18, Payments 10, Balance, November 30, 1943 $ 7, Less amount in Principal Cash Account Balance in Operating Account Nov. 30, 1943 $ 7, Market value of securities in different funds... $258, Rate of return on market value 3.68% L. C. BUCHER, Treasurer.

4 LIBRARIANS REPORT Mr. President and Members of the Society: In former years the librarian's report has always consisted of dry statistics, with some account of activities and accessions. But this year is different. Today the meeting is an occasion unprecedented in my experience and yours. You are here to listen to our distinguished speaker, and I shall only detain you long enough to make a few remarks on the Flesher Collection, part of which is on display, and one or two other pictures in our possession. Capt. Frederick Way, of Sewickley, an authority on the subject of steamboat pictures, writes that while the earliest known photographs date from the late forties, very few have been located that can be attributed to the decade before the Civil War. Up to that time woodcuts, engravings and lithographs were used for advertising and as illustrations in books. Only one lithograph is included in the Flesher Collection, that of the George Collier, and none of the earlier reproductions. An arist's conception of a steamboat would probably not meet the approval of a real riverman as it would seldom be sufficiently accurate to suit the expert. However, to an untrained eye the old woodcuts have a distinct charm of their own. We have,.therefore, exhibited a few of these pictures that do not belong to the Flesher Collection, and with the crude representation of the General Pike of the 1820s, there is also a bill for tin-ware bought for use on this early packet. I wish I could give you the earliest date on the photographs exhibited, but as yet we have not had time to investigate the history of each boat portrayed, though, thanks to several local collectors, some data has been secured. There are only a few that we have tentatively credited to pre-civil War days. Another early group of pictures, long in our possession, is the set of gunboats displayed. All but the Ozark, which belonged to Mr. Flesher, came to us from a naval officer in the Civil War, and date from Cincinnati vied with Pittsburgh and Louisville in the number of packets built for the river trade, but, although we know the names of the builders and the statistics of the boats that slid down the ways, the only photograph Mr. Flesher had that illustrated Cincinnati's important part in this industry is a view of the old Marine Railway & Dry Dock Co. in the East

5 End, owned and operated for many years by Hercules Carrel, father of our ex-mayor, George P. Carrel. Besides photographic records the student of the steamboat era will naturally demand ships-logs, passenger-lists, account books of all kinds, and printed schedules of rates, sailings and such material. Loaned to us just a few days ago is an account book of the U. S. Mail Line of Cincinnati for the years Daily boats ran between here and Louisville as early as The annual statements in this volume give receipts and expenditures for each boat, as well as figures on insurance, repairs, etc. If any of you know where similar records are to be found we shall be very grateful for the information, and, of course, photographs of river boats, captains, owners and boat-builders are always welcome. We hope to make the Flesher Collection the nucleus of an ever-growing and increasingly valuable section of our library devoted to the golden age of the steamboat on the Ohio, Mississippi and other western rivers. ELEANOR S. WILBY, Librarian. ROMANCE OF A RIVER The Ohio River, said Mr. Firestone, had been a lifelong passion with him. He had traveled it repeatedly from the Forks at Pittsburgh to its mouth at Cairo. In his address he pictured what he saw. He agreed with Thomas Jefferson that of all large rivers it was the most beautiful. It was also the most significant, for three broad but simple reasons: It was the boundary between North and South; alone among the rivers of Inland America it flowed both south and west, and thereby became the thoroughfare by which the interior of the country was populated; coal, iron, and timber were at its headwaters and could be floated downstream. His interest in the Ohio led the speaker to study by travel upon them where he could the daughter streams which rendered tribute to it; the sister streams which joined it in rendering tribute to the Mississippi; the Father of Waters itself. Thus he came to know the Muskingum, Hocking, Scioto, the two Miamis, Wabash, Big Sandy, Licking, Kanawha, Tennessee, Cumberland, Kentucky, Green and Salt; the three Mississippis, the Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Yazoo, Arkansas, White and Red Rivers. Briefly he described the Ohio's tribu