18th century voices

This collection includes many documents relating to the family of William Gifford (1722-1793). As was typical of many families in the Dartmouth/Westport region during the late 18th century, some members left this area and moved to New York State, specifically to an area close to Albany. The NY state towns of Easton, Troy, and Cambridge […]

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Eleanor Tripp’s newspaper clippings

Enjoy these humorous newspaper reports about Westport from the 1860s. Westport Point reporter Thomas W. Mayhew laced his stories with a particularly dry sense of humor:   “Any person passing by would think the advent day was high at hand.” May 14, 1860    A worthy member of the Society of Friends at Westport thinks that the […]

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A closer look

Take a closer look at this historic photograph of the Westport Point Bridge. Click on the image to see the details: Can you see the tips of the windmill? What kind of vessel is anchored at the wharf? Can you find the building that is now the Paquachuck Inn? When do you think this photograph was […]

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Handwritten Heritage

What is the connection between cursive writing and history? As schools begin to move away from teaching cursive writing skills, will students also lose the ability to read cursive handwriting? And if so, how will they access the handwritten documents of history? One of the great pleasures and challenges of working with primary source documents […]

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Victory Mail

Victory Mail, or “V-Mail” was used during World War II to expedite correspondence for armed services overseas. It used microfilm processing to produce lighter, smaller mail cargo to limit the amount of space used for mail (http://postalmuseum.si.edu/victorymail/). The writer used a form that was then processed for shipment overseas. These are examples of two V-Mail […]

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Fourth of July parade

Does anyone remember this event? The Fourth of July parade: Dartmouth Riding Club made this float representing a large horse. The telephone lines became snagged on the ear of the horse. Herbert Hadfield is in front watching the wires to avoid further trouble, circa 1961.

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