Banned Book Week

It all began with The Meritorious Pride of Our Redemption by William Pynchon in 1650 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Not only was the religious treatise banned, but it was burned in the market and a day of “fasting and humiliation” was proclaimed.[1] Ironically, Pynchon fled to England where he wrote and published his religious tracts until his death in 1662.

Following in this puritanical stride, “Banned in Boston” became the catch-phrase for censorship of literary works because the “Watch and Ward Society” compelled Boston’s city officials to ban anything they found offensive. It was not until the Warren Court (1953-1969), Supreme Court Justices under Chief Justice Earl Warren, upheld civil liberties that censorship was reduced in Boston. The last major literary battle was over Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs. It was banned in Boston in 1962 for obscenity, but the decision was overturned in 1966 by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Judith Krug, (1940-2009) was the Director of the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom and, later, the Executive Director of the Freedom to Read Foundation. In 1982 she founded Banned Book Week. She was often criticized for her views on libraries and children, to which she responded: “We know that there are children out there whose parents do not take the kind of interest in their upbringing and in their existence that we would wish, but I don't think censorship is ever the solution to any problem, be it societal or be it the kind of information or ideas that you have access to."[2]

The Sport of Kings-The Beast of Burden: Excellent Horses in Rockingham County

The first of an occasional article on the history of horses in Rockingham County

The Elkton and Timberville Horse Shows

During the last century somewhere in the region a horse show was scheduled almost every weekend. Many of these shows no longer occur. The Elkton Lions Club hosted a show from the end of WWII until the 1960’s, which featured a race track as part of its program.[1] Horse shows in Broadway, Bridgewater and Weyers Cave are also no longer on the calendar. Countering this trend, the Rockingham County All-Breed Horse Show was resurrected three years ago.

Two horse shows are on the calendar for September 2011. The Elkton Historical Society is the sponsor of the event that was held on September 10th at the Blue Ridge Park at the north end of Elkton on Route 340. The event has been held continuously since 1983 when it was organized by Jane Cline, a local horse show organizer since the 1960’s, to help pay-off the debt incurred by the Town of Elkton for its centennial celebration.[2] After the first year, the event has been under the auspices of the Elkton Historical Society.

Constitution & Citizenship Day

Congress has set aside September 17th to observe Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. Citizenship Day was established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1940 to be celebrated on the third Sunday in May and designated as “I Am An American Day.”

In 1952 Congress repealed this resolution and passed a new law that moved the date to September 17th, which commemorated the date that the Constitution was signed in 1787, but retained its original purpose to honor those who had obtained citizenship status. The law urged civil authorities to make instruction available on citizen responsibilities.

September 11th 10 year anniversary

Do you remember where you were? Members of the staff at Massanutten Regional Library were in various places on September 11, 2001. Here are a few stories of where some of us were 10 years ago.

One staff member was still in Library School, and actually teaching college freshmen how to use the catalog at Florida State University in Tallahassee. In a closed classroom no one there knew what was going on outside until the class was interrupted because the University was closing. Many hours were spent trying to contact family in northern New Jersey.

Labor Day, An American Celebration

The Library will be closed on Labor Day, as should all work places. Other countries have an International Workers Day, but Labor Day is a United States federal holiday.  It became a federal holiday in 1894 because of the deaths of workers by the U.S. Military and the U.S. Marshals sent by President Grover Cleveland to end the Pullman Strike. 

Fearing more violence, President Cleveland made peace with the labor movement his top political priority. (It was an election year!)  Legislation making Labor Day a national holiday swept through Congress unanimously and was signed into law within six days of the end of the strike.  All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of the US made it a statutory holiday. (1)

How to celebrate Labor Day was actually laid out in the original proposal for the holiday:  a parade to show “the strength and espirit de corps of the trade and labor organizations,” followed by a party for workers and their families. (2)  In 1898, Samuel Gompers, head of the American Federation of Labor, called it "the day for which the toilers in past centuries looked forward, when their rights and their wrongs would be discussed...that the workers of our day may not only lay down their tools of labor for a holiday, but upon which they may touch shoulders in marching phalanx and feel the stronger for it."

This Labor Day, as we fire up the grills or take a final summer vacation, remember those who struggled for your right to a day off--and enjoy your holiday!

Cheryl Metz, Reference Librarian

1)      Origins of Labor Day.  pbs.org

2)      The History of Labor Day. US Department of Labor.

Civil War Commemorations

Now that the first salvos have been fired to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, one wonders what memories were being provoked fifty years after the conflict when some of those who participated were still alive.  The few available newspapers for April 1911 in Rockingham and Page Counties seem nearly mum on the subject of the battles.  A typical concern focused on the assembly of memories of comrades.  The Page Courier printed on April 6, 1911 an open letter by C. W. Finter to members of Company D, 7th Regiment Va. Cavalry. CSA.  In the letter Mr. Finter requested a “muster roll” call of the first company from Page County, which reported for duty on June 1, 1861.  The Company began with 93 men in the ranks, at times increased to over 100 men, and near the end of the war had less than fifty men in this company who were incorporated into the Laurel Brigade. 

The Finter letter listed over 190 names of men who may have mustered with the company at one time or another.  The letter concluded with an invitation to a reunion on July 21, 1911 “for old confederates” before the “taps for lights-out will sound for the last of us.”

Do you have a relative who answered this “muster” in 1911.  Please, share your memories or knowledge in the box below.

If you want more information, the Main Library Branch has The Rockingham Register and the Page Public Library has The Page Courier on microfilm.  Also, the Main Library Genealogy room has materials on many of the names listed in the letter. 

Virginia Theatre Wedding

Massanutten Regional Library patrons pose a variety of research related questions to the reference department librarians. Some of those questions are easier to answer than others. Earlier this year a former Harrisonburg resident asked the reference department to help her locate information about the marriage of her parents which took place on the stage at the Virginia Theatre. The patron provided her parents’ names, the location and year of the wedding, and the name of the business which sponsored the wedding contest. In the age of the Internet this sounds like a lot of information to use in a search, but when one is searching through old newspapers on microfilm searching an entire years worth of newspapers is quite daunting.

At this point we enlisted the help of our wonderful reference volunteers. Two volunteers took up the task of looking through the 1929 Daily News-Record newspapers on microfilm. The first volunteer began searching the January 1929 newspaper in case the contest had been held in conjunction with New Year’s or Valentine’s Day. Two hours later having perused two months of newspapers this volunteer was ready to give up the search. Having a year, but no month, for the wedding ceremony the second volunteer decided to start the search in May as he figured that month begins the most popular season for weddings. Four hours later after having searched three months worth of newspapers this volunteer was looking for a new angle for the search.

So, his next stop was the courthouse. There our volunteer was able to look at the marriage record for the couple in question. The record revealed an important detail that our patron had incorrectly communicated to us. Her parents’ marriage took place in 1930 rather than 1929. Now with a corrected year and an exact month we began our search again. This time the microfilm of the Daily News-Record newspapers proved to be extremely helpful.

The Virginia Theatre formerly located on Main Street in downtown Harrisonburg was a Warner Bros. theater. In 1930 Warner Bros. was celebrating its 25th anniversary of participation in the motion picture industry. Celebratory events were taking place in various Warner Bros. Theatres across the country. Here in Harrisonburg those events included special movie showings and a wedding contest. [1] The July 21, 1930, Daily News-Record included an entry blank for the contest, which asked interested parties to submit the names of the bride and groom along with the groom’s address and telephone number in order to obtain further details about the contest. [2]
 

Looking north along Main Street in the 1920's. Image from Harrisonburg volume of the Images of America Series by Scott Hamilton Suter and Cheryl Lyon.

An advertisement in the Daily News-Record on July 29, 1930 listed the numerous gifts that would be given to the bride and groom by various local businesses.

Franklin Furniture Co. – Table Lamp

Friddle’s – Wedding Supper

Kavanaugh Garage – Transportation

McCrory’s – Dishes

Merit Shoe Co. – Shoes

Murphy’s – Helen Rubenstsin Cosmetics

Jos. Ney & Sons Co. – Suit for Groom

J.E. Plcker & Co. – Corsage

Ralph’s – Wedding Gown

Schewels – Lane Cedar Chest

Taliaferro’s – Wedding Ring

Ye Valley Beauty Shoppe – Beauty Treatment

Friddle’s Bakery – Wedding Anniversary Cake [3]

On August 5, 1930 an advertisement appeared in the Daily News-Record inviting readers to attend a wedding to be held on the stage of the VirginiaTheatre at nine o’clock the following evening. The advertisement promised that the wedding service would be “conducted in a most impressive manner.” [4]

The Virginia Theatre was packed on the evening of August 6, 1930. First the crowd saw a showing of the movie “Son of the Gods” starring Richard Barthelmess and Constance Bennett. After the movie the theatre goers witnessed the wedding of Miss Elsie Charleton and Mr. Albert Hockman who were united in matrimony on the stage of the Virginia Theatre as part of the Warner Bros. silver anniversary celebration.

After the movie ended the stage curtains were pulled back to reveal a stage decorated with ferns and cut flowers. As the wedding march played the bride and groom entered the theatre, the bride marched down the left center aisle and the groom used the right center aisle. The bridal couple was accompanied by their witnesses Mrs. Charles Charleton, maid in waiting, and Charles Charleton, best man. The Reverend B. J. Earp officiated and Miss Virginia Harlin, organist, provided the music. [5]

Entrance of the Virginia Theatre and the Arcade, 1926-1927. Image from the Harrisonburg volume of the Image of America Series, by Scott Hamilton Suter and Cheryl Lyon.

The Reference department truly enjoys assisting patrons with their research. And though this search had a successful ending, unfortunately we can not always find the information for which a patron is searching. Had our diligent reference volunteer not gone the extra mile in conducting research at the courthouse we most likely would not have found any answers. For more information and fees for having the Reference Department conduct this kind of research please consult our Website at http://www.mrlib.org/MRL-Services/Information-Searches.aspx or call the Reference desk at 540-434-4475 x 122.

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[1] “Warner Bros. Silver Anniversary Will Open Here Thursday Night.” Daily News-Record [Harrisonburg, VA] 29 July 1930: 1.

[2] Daily News-Record [Harrisonburg, VA] 21 July 1930: 3.

[3] Daily News-Record [Harrisonburg,VA] 29 July 1930: 2.

[4] Daily News-Record [Harrisonburg, VA] 5 August 1930:2.

[5] “Couple Married on Theatre Stage.” Daily News-Record [Harrisonburg, VA] 7 August 1930: 6.