Revolutionary papers: Historic newspapers detailing Revolutionary War saved
February 5, 2012 By KIM FUNDINGSLAND -
Staff Writer ( kfundingsland@minotdailynews.com) , Minot Daily News
The precise movements of Lord Cornwallis and his army of redcoats are clearly detailed on its pages. So, too, is the marching orders issued by Gen. Gates and the number of supply ships arriving at nearby harbors. The fascinating events of the Revolutionary War dominate the old parchment.
Rick Brown, Minot, owns several 1777 editions of "The Independent Chronicle" printed "across from the new Court House" in Boston, Mass. A drawing of a Revolutionary War soldier adorns the top center of the front page. The soldier holds saber in one hand and a scroll in the other. The scroll reads, "Independence."
That the historic documents survived 235 years is as remarkable as the stories contained in them. Brown rescued the impressive texts from a Washington, D.C., dumpster and from rising flood waters. The former Virginia resident lived near Mt. Vernon, the home of George Washington. He moved to Minot in 2006.
"My father drove the subway back and forth from the Rayburn Building to the Capitol," explained Brown.
The Rayburn Building houses offices, committee and hearing rooms for the U.S. Congress. Among the duties Brown's father was asked to do one weekend was the cleaning out of storage rooms.
"He called me and said, you wouldn't believe what they are having us throw away," said Brown. "I told him to ask if I could do some dumpster diving and was told that it would be just fine."
The items being tossed out included several newspapers from 1777. Brown recognized their historical content and wasn't about to let them go to the local dump. One entire truckload of early American heroes and leaders encased in plaster frames had already been hauled away.
"The papers are on a cloth-like parchment. They are just very, very interesting. There's a lot of history in these things," said Brown. "One article talks about looking for deserters. There's another about Martha Washington going to Williamsburg and they gave her a 21-gun salute when she arrived."
Brown and his wife live on Cedon Drive, one of the areas hard hit by the 2011 flood. The rare documents were secreted away in the basement of their home when the Souris River was rising rapidly. It was time for another rescue.
"I happened to look up into that cabinet and said, oh my gosh, I've got to take these," recalled Brown. "I put them underneath the back seat of my pickup truck in a plastic bag. Thank God I remembered them because there was a lot of stuff I didn't get. It's unreal the amount of history that is in these papers."
The papers are encased in acid-free folders on the advice of a Mt. Vernon librarian who recognized their value. Brown rarely exposes the 1777 issues to sunlight, doing his best to preserve the papers as properly as possible.
Other interesting Revolutionary War items in Brown's possession include a buckle from a 1776-era boot and a quill pen with ivory handle. The buckle was discovered by Brown near a swamp located adjacent to the site of the Chancellorsville battle of the Civil War.
"I took the pewter buckle to an expert at a Civil War show," said Brown. "He said it was the right boot buckle from Colonial days. He could tell by the way it was curved, one side a little longer than the other."
Brown was surprised to learn of the actual time frame of the relic, previously believing it must have been Civil War-era since it was recovered not far from a famous Civil War battlefield. Presumably, the buckle came from the same time period as his 1777 newspapers, making a very unique complement to his collection.
There's one thing Brown has not been able to learn, and that is the identity of the man whose name is written in quill at the top of his old newspapers J. Mansfellow.
"I'd like to know who it is. I tried a bit but can't find any history on that person," said Brown.
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