Episodes Nearest to September 17, 1878: 1 through 25 of 25

  1. Yellow Fever Takes Southern Cities by Storm
    date September 17, 1878map MOBILE, Alabamatags Health/Death, Urban-Life/Boosterism

    In the summer and fall of 1878, yellow fever took the Gulf Coast by storm. Cities all over the lower South were experiencing high numbers of deaths from the terrible illness. On September 17, in Mobile County, two more citizens were diagnosed with yellow fever and died, leaving the Mobile residents in a panic. The victims resided in the section of the city bound by Beauregard, State, and Conception...

  2. A Beautiful Marriage
    date June 16, 1878 to 1878map CUMBERLAND, Virginiatags Church/Religious-Activity, Economy, Women

    As a proud and happy mother, Mary Randolph Page Harrison watched her lovely daughter Lucia Harrison get married on June 16, 1878. The wedding was beautiful; everything she had dreamed of for her daughter. Lucia was marrying the distinguished Captain Cooke. Although he was a good deal older than Lucia, he was a kind, Christian gentleman. Mary was confident that this was a good match and was very...

  3. Theater Dress Code
    date September 7, 1878map RICHMOND, Virginiatags Arts/Leisure, Women

    Amongst the hundreds of people in attendance, a beautiful, wealthy southern belle sat in her chair and enjoyed the concert music. The Mozart, an association known for its beautiful musicals, performed regularly in Richmond, but that night was a homecoming of sorts; the company had been performing out of town for eight weeks. The blending of violins, quartettes, vocals, and clarionettes was exceptional....

  4. The Gallant Knight of Hereford
    date September 5, 1878map PRINCE GEORGES, Marylandtags Arts/Leisure, War, Women

    On September 5, 1878, Richard Hereford represented Prince George's County in a jousting tournament. The sixteen knights, clad in armor and flashing colors, paraded the streets of Baltimore before the event. Long lines of fancy barouches followed the men and their steeds. A brass band heralded the knights as they passed the judges' stand. Each knight had a preliminary ride, but then the contest...

  5. The Gallant Knight of Hereford
    date September 5, 1878map PRINCE GEORGES, Marylandtags Arts/Leisure, War, Women

    On September 5, 1878, Richard Hereford represented Prince George's County in a jousting tournament. The sixteen knights, clad in armor and flashing colors, paraded the streets of Baltimore before the event. Long lines of fancy barouches followed the men and their steeds. A brass band heralded the knights as they passed the judges' stand. Each knight had a preliminary ride, but then the contest...

  6. Fall Semester at Memphis Conference Female Institute
    date September 2, 1878map SHELBY, Tennesseetags Education, Women

    In anticipation of the start of the fall term to begin Monday, September 2, 1878, Mr. A.B. Jones, the President of the Memphis Conference Female Institute in Jackson, Tennessee, placed in advertisement in a Mississippi weekly newspaper. GREAT REDUCTION IN CHARGES the ad announced, continuing with a brief description of the oldest Female College in the Southwest. Favorably located, easy of access...

  7. Fashion of the South
    date October 12, 1878map HENRICO, Virginiatags Arts/Leisure, Women

    The image of the southern lady in the post-Civil War period was of the utmost importance. A woman's image described her lifestyle and stature. It was through image that personal wealth was shown. When the Richmond Standard newspaper wrote an article critiquing the new fashions of the fall, it helped the southern woman perfect her look. The article first described the stock available...

  8. Son Writes to His Mother from School in Baltimore
    date October 14, 1878map BALTIMORE, Marylandtags Arts/Leisure, Economy, Education, Urban-Life/Boosterism, Women

    Shirley, going to school in Baltimore, Maryland, wrote his mother about his life in Baltimore and also reflected on how he wished to take care of her. He talked about how he was in the fourth grade, and depending on his examination grades, he would move to the third, second, and first grades. He then mentioned that he could go on to Baltimore College. He liked this idea but he also quickly stated...

  9. In Cahoots With the Foxes
    date October, 1878map TALBOT, Marylandtags African-Americans, Arts/Leisure, Race-Relations, War

    Fox-hunting was the most popular sport on the Eastern Shore, especially in the bountiful counties of Talbot, Somerset, and Queen Anne. To preserve and encourage this particularly Southern sport, Hanson Hiss and other Maryland gentlemen founded the Elkridge Fox-Hunting Club in October of 1878. George S. Brown assumed the Presidency, but only on the condition that no bag-fox be used in any hunt. The...

  10. Sanitary Reform in Wake of Epidemics
    date October 19, 1878map GALVESTON, Texastags Government, Health/Death, Law, Science/Technology, Urban-Life/Boosterism

    "It is now eleven years since the fever was epidemic in Galveston, and the citizens believe that with proper attention to sanitary precautions they need never suffer again." Referring to an epidemic of the yellow fever in 1867, an article in the Scientific American used Galveston, Texas, as an example for sanitation standards when quarantining the yellow fever in 1878. The article continued...

  11. Transportation Takes Over
    date July 14, 1878map Alexandria City, Virginiatags African-Americans, Economy, Migration/Transportation, Urban-Life/Boosterism

    It was the middle of October in Alexandria. The fair had just finished last weekend, and the town was beginning to quiet down again except for the hubbub over the railroad steamer. Mr. John W. Thompson was the one who had brought news of this to the town including a long freight and passenger list. On this list, all kinds of people were added as passengers for the next trip. Mr. Thompson and everyone...

  12. Women in Education During the 19th Century
    date June, 1878 to 1878map AUGUSTA, Virginiatags Education, Women

    “From my own personal knowledge of the school, I cordially commend it, as one of the very best female schools within my knowledge, in the Southern states”. This is just one of many testimonials taken from an advertising pamphlet from the Virginia Female Institute, published in June 1878. During the 19th century, women were finding new ways to exert freedom and attempt to obtain power....

  13. Youthful Misconduct in Celebration of Christmas
    date December 24, 1878 to January 8, 1879map AUGUSTA, Virginiatags Arts/Leisure, Church/Religious-Activity, Crime/Violence, Law, Urban-Life/Boosterism

    The members of the City Council of Staunton, Virginia voted against the suspension over the Christmas holiday of an ordinance that forbad the use of pop-crackers in the streets. Christmas was to be celebrated in a joyful, yet quiet manner, not with the use of small explosives, which are noisy and might interfere with private celebrations. On the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth of December, a serenade...

  14. Youthful Misconduct in Celebration of Christmas
    date December 24, 1878 to January 8, 1879map AUGUSTA, Virginiatags Arts/Leisure, Church/Religious-Activity, Crime/Violence, Law, Urban-Life/Boosterism

    The members of the City Council of Staunton, Virginia voted against the suspension over the Christmas holiday of an ordinance that forbad the use of pop-crackers in the streets. Christmas was to be celebrated in a joyful, yet quiet manner, not with the use of small explosives, which are noisy and might interfere with private celebrations. On the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth of December, a serenade...

  15. Youthful Misconduct in Celebration of Christmas
    date December 24, 1878 to January 8, 1879map AUGUSTA, Virginiatags Arts/Leisure, Church/Religious-Activity, Crime/Violence, Law, Urban-Life/Boosterism

    The members of the City Council of Staunton, Virginia voted against the suspension over the Christmas holiday of an ordinance that forbad the use of pop-crackers in the streets. Christmas was to be celebrated in a joyful, yet quiet manner, not with the use of small explosives, which are noisy and might interfere with private celebrations. On the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth of December, a serenade...

  16. The Inquest of a Dead Black Man in a Richmond City Jail
    date January 8, 1879map RICHMOND, Virginiatags African-Americans, Crime/Violence, Health/Death, Law, Race-Relations

    According to a Richmond jury, George Fagan, a black prisoner in the city jail, "came to his death on the 8th day of January, 1879, from consumption," and "the officers in charge are no way responsible." The State, a Richmond City newspaper relayed this story to the public as front-page news the following morning. The article went on to describe the jury's view that a hospital should...

  17. Open letter to the women of Virginia about what they can do to help the state debt
    date May, 1878map HENRICO, Virginiatags Economy

    Worry over the enormous state debt consumed the minds of many Virginians during 1878. From political forums to private discussions people tried to come up with ways to solve the problem of the state debt and to hopefully to not increase taxes. In an open letter to the women of Virginia, Miss E. Maury came up with a plan to fix the state's problems by the mobilization of women. She reasoned that...

  18. Desolating Epidemic in San Antonio
    date January 30, 1879map MILAM, Texastags Health/Death, Economy

    An unknown epidemic struck the community of San Antonio, Texas, in January of 1879. There had been much disease spread throughout Texas in this time, but this epidemic was unrecognizable. The symptoms were such as cholera or yellow fever, which had previously desolated the population in San Antonio, and more widely, throughout Texas.

    Cholera is usually transmitted through either the consumption...

  19. Letter from African American addressing white Democrats
    date February, 1879map JACKSON, Mississippitags African-Americans

    In early 1879, a black man anonymously wrote to Governor John Marshall Stone chastising white Democrats in Mississippi. The letter addresses many things, such as the myths about black men wanting white women. No document better captures the anger that black men from Mississippi reserved for those most directly responsible for stealing the promise of Reconstruction away from them.<br />An...

  20. Chas. M. Evans, Manufacturer of Artificial Limbs
    date February 16, 1879map WARREN, Mississippitags Health/Death, War

    Chas. M. Evans, Manufacturer of Artificial Limbs of the best quality, solicits a share of the Southern patronage the ad read. Prices have been reduced and other special inducements are now offered Southern citizens and soldiers. To insure satisfaction, each leg may be fitted and test fully before any payment is required. Mr. Evans, purveyor of prosthetics, provides the Rev. C.K. Marshall of Vicksburg,...

  21. Revivals occurring in black churches throughout Richmond
    date April, 1878map HENRICO, Virginiatags African-Americans, Church/Religious-Activity

    In Richmond during April 1878, many black churches in Richmond, Virginia began having revivals. The revivals drew large crowds and lasted for several days. It was so startling and peculiar the Daily Dispatch ran a large article about the uprising in religious activity among blacks. It dramatically stated the revivals had “no parallel in our history and is remarkable alike for the suddenness...

  22. Remarks of Governor Holliday about the current situation of Virginia
    date March 7, 1878map HENRICO, Virginiatags Economy

    Communicating with the General Assembly, Governor Holliday of Virginia spoke about the dismal financial situation of the Old Dominion. According to The Washington Post he declared “he could find no excuse for the denial of the debt' and that the state was “bound morally and legally to pay this debt.' In response to calls for a constitutional convention to solve remedy the situation,...

  23. Letter to Thomas Butler Concerning Selling His Land in Woodruff County
    date April 2, 1879map WOODRUFF, Arkansastags Agriculture, Economy

    The letter to Thomas Butler concerning his property holdings in Woodruff County,

    Arkansas was sent to him by his lawyer, J. Cole Davis. In the letter, Davis was writing to inform

    Butler that he believed that it was possible to receive at least 2,500 cash for his land in

    Woodruff County. Butler's land has been leased to tenants through Davis's business for some

    period...

  24. Lien law passed in South Carolina
    date March 1, 1878map CHARLESTON, South Carolinatags Agriculture

    The South Carolina legislature passed a new and improved lien law on March 1, 1878, to help farmers get credit in order to plant. This law and the benefits it brought helped the agricultural sector of South Carolina's economy to survive following the havoc of previous years. Also the lien law boosted Gov. Wade Hampton's popularity with voters even higher during a reelection year campaign...

  25. Methodist Preacher Attacked
    date March 26, 1879 to April 23, 1879map PULASKI, Arkansastags African-Americans, Church/Religious-Activity, Crime/Violence

    When Reverend W. M. Todd came to his new district, he heard threats that the white men in the area had a way of getting rid of men who came from the North to preach to the colored people. Todd may or may not have taken the threat seriously. Regardless, he worked with his superior Reverend I. G. Pollard to organize services that were open to mixed congregations. It was after such a service on March...