Ghosts of Christmas Past

As Christmas 2016 winds down we take one last holiday trip in the NCCHP Wayback Machine to 1889 and 1903 to look in on two young people who had interesting connections to Granville, Noble & Cooley, and each other.

On Christmas Day 1889 in Granville, 21 year-old Mary E. Noble, received a Bible. Mary would soon wed John H. Rowley and move to Hartford where he became a successful builder. Mary and John's fathers, Edwin Noble and William Rowley, were both long time Noble & Cooley workers. Edwin Noble was the cousin of Noble & Cooley co-founder Silas Noble. Like many Granville children of the time Mary was well schooled and a competent artist and pianist. As a devout Methodist, her Bible was very well-worn by the time of her death on December 23, 1957 at the age of 89.

(Courtesy of the Rowley family. NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

Moving forward to Christmas 1903 we pause at the Holcomb household in Granville to visit 17 year old Harry Holcomb, who you may remember from our post describing Harry's racing adventures with the Springfield-based Knox Motorcar Company. Harry had worked on and off at Noble & Cooley during school breaks and eventually moved to Springfield to become part of the emerging automobile business. His uncle John Rowley was married to Mary Noble.

As with so many of Granville's young population, the opportunities presented in cities by the industrial revolution were a powerful attraction, especially coming from a town like Granville where Yankee ingenuity was such a highly valued trait. People like Harry, John and Mary understood where their futures lay and they had been brought up with a powerful work ethic. Along with many thousands of others like them, they established the foundation for the "middle class" that has been the backbone of our country during the 20th century and into the 21st.

But in 1903 Harry was an industrious student attending school in Westfield. A small collection of his books indicates he was an excellent student who took his education seriously and had a bright future. For 1903 he received two books for Christmas:

Courtesy of the Gilbert family. NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

Courtesy of the Gilbert family. NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

The mystery of these two books is the handwriting, which does not match that of Harry or either of his parents.

On that note we return to 2016, with a wish that everybody received a gift that mattered enough to be inscribed and which will still be with us (maybe not "us" but somebody) over 100 years from now.

Christmas Drums, Part 4: Line 207 13" Drum

The final Christmas drum for this year's holiday is the 13" line 207 drum. This was the largest toy snare drum of the series and unlike the drums in Parts 1-3, this drum is constructed with the more traditional twine securing the hoops and drum heads, and leather adjusting ears.

(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

Line 207 was the production designation for this style drum, which was available in 6, 6 1/2, and 7 thru 13 inch diameters. The "0" in 207 indicated it had two fibre heads. Drums offered one fibre head and one sheepskin head had a "2" as the center digit, and drums with 2 sheepskin heads had a "4" as center digit.

The following pictures may be of use to collectors and restorers and show details of how the strap, twine and snares were attached.

The line 207 Christmas drum is listed at prices ranging from $3.34 for the 6" drum to $13.96 in an undated N&C price list. The drum is not shown as being available in the more expensive sheepskin head versions which would have added from $0.36 to $4.26 depending on the drum size.

Attachment of the original drum strap.

Knots used to attach original twine (NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

Knots used to attach original twine, bottom inside of drum hoop (NCCHP photo www.ncchp.org)

The snares are pulled across the inside of the bottom drum head and secured between the hoop and shell
(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

Drums were not marked with the line number so the marking on this particular drum indicates it was used as a sales sample. The N&C sales force travelled the country visiting retail outlets, typically department stores, with large trunks that were custom designed to fit and carry samples of the latest drum lines. Next time you watch "Miracle on 34th Street" consider that behind those Macy's doors are some Granville-made Noble & Cooley toy drums!

 

Hope the holidays are enjoyable for one and all.

HO, HO, HO!!!!!

Christmas Drums, Part 3: Two Color Drums

Noble & Cooley had a keen awareness of the need to make quality toy drums at a low price for those who couldn't afford N&C's higher end lines. In today's more affluent world most people find it hard to imagine that a 50 or 75 cent price difference might determine whether some parents could afford to buy their child a toy drum as a Christmas gift, but that used to be one of life's realities.

N&C's higher end toy drums were printed on an 8 color printing machine invented by Noble & Cooley. It was unique in the business and was a big competitive advantage. However N&C also made some 2 color Christmas drums with fabric drum heads. These were cheaper to make and we can surmise that thanks to these less expensive drums more than a few children unwrapped a toy drum on Christmas morning who might otherwise have gone without.

So far we have found only one complete 2 color Christmas drum in the collection. The basic graphic design is the same as the drums shown in Part 2 but as you can see white ink has been used in place of what was black in the 8 color drums, and the white is on a solid red background. The drum has a white silk strap with a red stripe, the hoops are held on with springs, and the drum is identified as "Made in the U.S.A. by Noble & Cooley" (as always, click on an image for a larger version):

The next 2 color drum is only the shell, with no hoops or heads. This was probably set aside during manufacturing due to flaws in the printing. In this case red was used in lieu of black, all other colors are omitted, and it is printed on a cream colored background. There is no manufacturer's mark::

Finally we have an unbent drum shell that was printed on flat metal stock but never completed. It is on a whiter background and printed with a slightly orangey red ink, with no manufacturer's mark::

And now you know all about the 2 color Christmas drums!

Christmas Drums, Part 2: A Tale of Two Drums

At first glance these two Noble & Cooley Christmas drums appear to be identical, other than minor variations in color due to the particular way in which each drum has aged. But a closer look reveals a significant difference, driven by major world events 75 years ago (click on the images for larger versions).

The drum on the left has a metal drum shell with metal hoops, while the drum on the right has a cardboard shell with the same color and style metal hoops. So, why make exactly the same drum but with a cardboard shell?

The drum on the left was made before or after World War II, whereas the drum on the right would date to the World War II era, during which metal was largely consumed by the wartime manufacturing of weaponry. Companies like Noble & Cooley had to come up with alternative materials, and cardboard had to suffice.

Aside from the cardboard shell, what makes the drum on the right interesting is that it has metal hoops. The drum may have been made early in the war and used metal hoops that were already on hand. Other World War II drums in the archive collection used cardboard hoops held on by springs. Over time the cardboard hoops would deform due to the spring tension, as has occurred with the cardboard hoop drums in the archives collection.

Let's take a look at the rest of the graphics on these old drums.

The only difference in the graphics on the war-era cardboard drum is that the country of manufacture is identified as "U.S.A." No such marking is on the metal drum. This is probably because both Japan and Germany were significant toy importers to the U.S. during the 1930's and Noble & Cooley wanted the country of origin clearly visible to customers.

Note in the picture above that the metal drum on the left has a joined seam where ends of the shell meet, while the cardboard drum has an overlapping seam held together by staples.

And that is the tale of the two Christmas drums!

Noble & Cooley Catalogs Now Digitized In Internet Archive

The NCCHP effort to make our archives available to researchers and collectors digitally is off to a successful start, with the digitization of many Noble & Cooley catalogs dating from the 1800's into the 20th century. Many, many more books and documents are yet to be done but this first step is an important one.

To view the material digitized so far CLICK HERE. We believe you'll be amazed. USER TIPS: To digitally "open" a catalog and to turn the pages, just click on the image. It's also a good idea to maximize/enlarge the image for easier viewing by clicking on the icon for fullscreen view (it is the icon with the 4 outward-pointing arrows).

One of the more interesting volumes is a collection of notes dating from around 1928 to 1932 documenting the exact specifications of N&C drums and drum sets. CLICK HERE to see that.

We wish to express our appreciation to everyone at the Boston Public Library, Massachusetts SHRAB, Digital Commonwealth and the Internet Archives who worked to make this first step a reality.

Update on Archives Climate Monitoring

In July, 2016 NCCHP began monitoring the climate inside the archives facility (the 3rd floor of Building 15). The space is unheated so we knew the results would be enlightening. To see the original post CLICK HERE.

On December 15th we downloaded the first set of data for the July-December timeframe and sure learned a lot. Here's a graph showing temperature, humidity and dew point. You will definitely want to click on the image below to view a larger version:

The fascinating thing about this graph is how high the relative humidity is for the colder months. We posed the question to Rachel Onuf, Massachusetts SHRAB's Roving Archivist and NCCHP's guiding light in all matters relating to the archives project. Rachel points out:

"Consider the importance of dew point (DP), which is the temperature at which the air cannot hold all the moisture in it and water condenses. Unless it is mechanically humidified or dehumidified, the air circulating through the building will have the same absolute moisture content, or dew point, as the outdoor air. The dew point determines what combinations of temperature and relative humidity (RH) are possible in the storage environment. At a constant dew point, when the temperature goes up, the RH goes down and when the temperature goes down the RH goes up."

The Image Permanence Institute (IPI) has a great on line tool that allows the user to change one variable (temp, dew point or relative humidity) and solve for the other variables. It then provides a risk summary based on those outputs. To try out the model CLICK HERE It's fun and fascinating. For example, using the recent NCCHP temp of 30 and RH of 70, the model produces a dew point in the low 20's (matching our on site data logger) and the risk evaluation shows no mold risk but a metal corrosion risk (condensation).

Our graph is a textbook example, especially in December where the lower dew point drives humidity over 90%, higher than the muggiest days of August. When the dew point drops with the temperature the humidity percentage is driven up. Without dehumidification equipment there is no way to bring the humidity down to the 30% to 50% recommended humidity range for archives storage. As the IPI reinforces, " controlling dew point is the key to managing to managing material decay."

Setting aside the science, what it means is that one of our long term goals will need to be the achievement of a more stable archive environment. Things like insulation and heat are good starters, with humidity controls and dare we say "air conditioning"? On a day like today in Granville we'd settle just for some heat. So if you are planning on donating a large (or small) bundle of money this year, you still have time to donate to NCCHP!

Christmas Drums Part 1: Santa Claus Band

This holiday season the NCCHP Wayback Machine brings you a series of Noble & Cooley toy Christmas drums, beginning with the oldest Christmas drum in the collection, made during the early 20th century. This particular drum has spent its life at 42 Water Street in the Noble & Cooley main office. As you can see from the pictures the paint has checked with age but the original strap is still tucked neatly away as it has been for the past 100 or so years.

The 11" diameter drum shell shown below is actually made of two identically lithographed metal sheets attached end-to-end then formed into the shell. To see the Noble & Cooley catalog page for this drum with a picture and description of the drum sizes made, CLICK HERE. Long before the walrus was Paul, this was Santa and the Fab Four (you can click on any image for a full screen version):



(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

Noble & Cooley "Santa Claus Band" drum (unused printed drum shell) showing another color scheme.
Click on image for a larger version. (NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

Have You Checked out NCCHP's Web Site Pictures?

The NCCHP site (www.ncchp.org) has a wonderful photo collection of images taken by Carol Jones. The collection covers the early days of the museum and many of the more recent events held at the museum. It's a great collection to browse during the chilly weather ahead of us here in the Northeast and brings back reminders of pleasant days at NCCHP.

Here's the link: CLICK HERE

And by the way, it's getting to be time to mail in your 2017 dues!

New Donations to the Equipment Collection (or, "More Restoration Projects")

NCCHP was pleased to accept two donations recently! The first is a vintage cordwood saw; the second is a mortising machine. The saw is from Will, a long time Granville resident and supporter of NCCHP; the mortising machine is from his daughter Sara, who has a very keen eye for spotting old machinery in need of a home.

NCCHP's "new" 1929 mortiser arrived in November, 2016. Thanks Sara! (NCCHP photo)

What does this thing do? How does it work? Cue the YouTube video to see a similar machine in action- CLICK HERE. Our machine needs the hollow chisel(s) in case you have any to donate to the cause.


This dangerous-looking thing is a belt-driven cordwood saw. It doesn't just look dangerous- it is. Thanks Will!
(NCCHP photo)

What does a thing like this look like in action? Put on your safety glasses, work gloves and ear protection, CLICK HERE and stand back!

As always, one thing has led to another. The cordwood saw was designed to attach to a three point tractor hitch, and then run off a large belt driven by the tractor's PTO (power take-off). This provided an excellent excuse for another NCCHP supporter to obtain a 1941 Ford 9N farm tractor which will be on long term loan to the museum beginning in 2017. The result should be a working example of farm ingenuity.

1941 Ford 9N tractor, estimated build date early December 1941 (NCCHP photo)

The 1941 Ford 9N tractor will be made more presentable and we are hoping it will join the NCCHP collection in the spring of 2017. This particular tractor has a serial number that indicates it was built around early December, 1941. The tractor is turning 75 years old, sharing that anniversary with the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) and the start of the United States' involvement in World War II.

NCCHP thanks it's generous supporters who have donated their time and/or artifacts to continue growing the museum collection. And just to show that we DO have standards, we turned down the offer of a free Studebaker pickup, which would be delightful if it hadn't already made significant progress in reuniting with the earth:

Some things are past saving. But kitty seems to think the trailer might have potential. (NCCHP photo)

Progress Update: NCCHP Archives Project

Volunteers continue to make progress on the archives, generally devoting a day a week of on-site work to the task. The 3rd floor of Building 15 is now almost fully occupied by books, documents and drums that have been collected and organized from various storage locations scattered around the 85,000 square foot Noble & Cooley complex.

Most recent additions to the facility include additional metal shelving for document storage, another 100 acid free archival boxes, wood drum storage shelves moved from the attic of Building 14, and a variety of conservation supplies. The majority of the new additions are thanks to the recent SHRAB grant, for which we are very grateful. We also want to thank John Dunphy and the people at University Products in Holyoke, MA. for their support and their amazing ability to provide us with the best archival supplies at unbeatable prices.



University Products, Holyoke, Ma. (NCCHP photo)

If you ever visit Holyoke be sure to check out the Holyoke Canal System, an amazing 19th century engineering feat.

A portion of the Holyoke Canal System (NCCHP photo)

Now that the grant money has gone to good use we are back to being entirely dependent on the generosity of museum members and supporters. Please consider becoming a NCCHP member or if you are already a member, making a year-end special donation.

We are also pleased to report that the Machine Shop now has a new roof. This was a critical need since the old roof was leaking. It's not just any machine shop; it houses the only known machinery from the original Stevens-Duryea automobile plant in Springfield, MA. Noble & Cooley purchased the equipment when Stevens-Duryea went out of business in the late 1920's.

Contribute to NCCHP When You Shop Amazon- At No Cost to You!

If you plan to use Amazon to do any of your holiday shopping and are not yet using Amazon's charity benefit program PLEASE KEEP READING because you can easily benefit NCCHP at no additional cost to you.

When you use AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate a portion of the sale amount to the eligible non-profit organization of your choice.. They will charge you the same amount for your purchase whether or not you use the charity feature, so why not help the Noble & Cooley Center for Historic Preservation while you shop? It's free for you and good for NCCHP.

Although the donation percentage may seem small, when enough people participate it can really add up because it is applied to every eligible purchase made on AmazonSmile throughout the year, not just at the holidays.

A few NCCHP museum supporters are already signed up and their experience has been simple and trouble-free. The sign-up process is also simple and one-time.

For more information and to select Noble & Cooley Center for Historic Preservation as your AmazonSmile non-profit of choice, go to: AmazonSmile Information

When Halloween Comes to the Museum........

It has been said that if you listen carefully enough to the many drums in the NCCHP Archives collection on Halloween you will hear the faintest of sounds, "rat-a-tat.... rat-a-tat.... rat-a-tat-tat-tat" very slowly at first, then louder and louder until at the stroke of midnight, like thunder, "BOOM!" from the bass drums, followed again by the soft "rat-a-tat" of the snares fading into silence by the break of dawn.

Some say it is the spirit of Phil Collins haunting the place where his famous Noble & Cooley snare drum was created but his new memoir "Not Dead Yet" reminds us he is alive and well. Perhaps the spirits of the old Noble & Cooley Drum Makers Band are having some fun after hitting a case of hard cider, just to take the chill off of course. But in some parts of the world the explanation is simple: talking drums. Each drum finds its voice.

Our NCCHP blog theory on the matter is this: The Archives collection includes not only a wealth of books and documents, but hundreds of toy drums that never left the Noble & Cooley factory. They were never a birthday or holiday gift so have existed for the last 100 years, more or less, as orphan drums. Every year at Halloween the spirits of children who wished for a toy drum but never received one come to the museum and treat themselves to a night of fun, while tricking we mortals with the mystery of the drums. Why else would some claim that the last thing they heard coming from the building with the break of dawn was the mischievous, fading laughter of children?

Just imagination? Maybe. But before writing the story off as fiction consider the photo below, taken of what had been a plain drum prior to Halloween and discovered the next day to have been painted with an eerie Halloween scene, well and truly tricking and perplexing we grown-up mortals. Pretty scary!

The mysterious NCCHP Halloween Drum
(Photo courtesy of Robert Watrous)

HAPPY AND SAFE HALLOWEEN TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!

1918 Draper Loom Arrives at NCCHP

NCCHP welcomed a new addition to the collection of manufacturing equipment: a 1918 Draper loom. Noble & Cooley President Jay Jones and museum member Tom McCabe took on the task of transporting the loom from Hopedale, MA. to Granville. Matt Jones, NCCHP President, pitched in with unloading it and placing it in the building where it will be displayed once a suitable exhibit can be put together.


L-R: Matt Jones, Jay Jones, Tom McCabe. Unloading at NHHCP.
If the Egyptians could use rollers to build the pyramids, why not? (Carol Jones photo)

Here comes the modern technology! (Carol Jones photo)

The 1918 Draper loom typifies the beauty of late industrial revolution equipment design.
(Carol Jones photo)

Joyce Jones with the 1918 Draper loom. (Carol Jones photo)

Stand by for a future article about the history of the Draper loom. We are seeking contributions to support the creation of a suitable exhibit to feature the loom. As always, your contribution would be most welcome. Better yet, become a museum member! NCCHP is a 501(c)3 charity. For more information go to www.ncchp.org


Jordan Freeman- The Fight to Set a People Free

On October 19th NCCHP presented Kevin Johnson as Jordan Freeman, an African-American servant of John Ledyard and the body servant of Col. William Ledyard in the Revolutionary War. Jordan Freeman was an actual person, a native of Old Lyme, Connecticut. He witnessed and participated in key events of the war while with Col. Ledyard.

Jordan Freeman was a hero at the Battle of Groton Heights, one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolutionary War. To give you some idea of the scope of the bravery of the patriot militia defending New London, they were approximately 150 in number under the command of William Ledyard, facing a total invading force of 1700 British regulars under the command of the traitor Benedict Arnold, 800 of whom were directly involved in the attack on Fort Griswold at Groton Heights.

Kevin Johnson as Jordan Freeman

Kevin Johnson's moving portrayal, his 151st performance as Jordan Freeman, was brilliant. The audience was completely absorbed in the moment, breaking into applause several times during the performance.

Historians estimate the number of black soldiers in this war to have been about 5,000 men who served in militias, seagoing services and support activities. Some enlisted because they felt it was their duty; others because they were offered their freedom in return for satisfactory completion of a set period of service.

Mr. Johnson recommended several additional resources:

The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution, by William C. Nell (1855), available in reprint from Amazon and other sources.

"The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution" by Wm. C. Nell, 1855

 

Facsimile of document signed by George Washington granting freedom to a former
slave in return for service during the Revolutionary War (Wm. C. Nell book)





Connecticut's Black Soldiers 1775-1783, by David O. White (1973), available from Amazon and other sources.



Other black patriots mentioned during the presentation includes Granville's own Lemuel Haynes, Venture Smith, Crispus Attucks and Prince Estabrook.

The Jordan Freeman presentation is based on extensive research in the collections of the Connecticut State Library and the Museum of Connecticut History at 231 Capitol Ave., opposite the state capitol in Hartford.

Kevin Johnson is an employee of the State Library's History and Genealogy Unit. In addition to portraying Jordan Freeman, he has been presenting as Pvt. William Webb, a soldier in the Civil War, for more than 18 years and has given more than 500 presentations.

So concludes NCCHP's 2016 Living History series. It was an outstanding year of wonderful presentations. If you missed this year please resolve to join us in Granville for the 2017 series, and if you joined us in 2016 thank you for supporting NCCHP, dedicated to keeping the drumbeat of history alive.


2016 Granville Harvest Fair Joins the History Books

The Harvest Fair wrapped up yesterday after three days of fun and festivities, despite a bit of uncooperative weather on Sunday. OK, basically a washout Sunday, but Monday brought us a cool, crisp, bright, classic New England fall day. Everyone who decided to come to Granville for their Columbus Day holiday made a great choice, as confirmed by the cheerful voices and laughter of the fair-goers as they congregated at the various Fair venues, including NCCHP.

The major fair location was in on the green in Granville Center but a regular bus schedule to the Noble & Cooley and NCCHP location at 42 Water Street meant there was a regular stream of visitors throughout the 3-day fair.

NCCHP museum tours were very active, keeping Matt, Liz and Jay hopping. Several people even asked for a tour of the archives project and seemed fascinated by the amazing historical documents and artifacts we've been gathering and organizing.

One item conspicuous by its absence was the huge American flag that is traditionally on display. The flag pole has deteriorated over a period of many years so we'll have to come up with some fundraising ideas to remedy that problem.

Thanks go to the small cadre of volunteers who oversaw various displays, the raffle, and so on. The Cummins diesel and the Lister Bruston were on display and running thanks to engine restorers Bob Alden and Cal Pixley, and a local friend of the museum brought his 1923 Model T which was a big hit, resulting in many smiles and cheers as it arrived. The help of all the NCCHP volunteers is very greatly appreciated.

Fairgoers visit with blacksmith Eric Krusz, who specializes in handmade iron work.
His handmade iron puzzles had everyone entertained and entirely bamboozled.

 

Engine restorer Cal Pixley has the Cummins diesel fired up. It didn't like the chill in the morning air but
as the day warmed up the engine was happy as a clam.

The Ryder Erickson hot air motor developed a problem later in the weekend but engine restorer Bob Alden was on the case and it should be sorted out soon. The hot air motor runs on the Stirling Cycle principle.

The '23 T was a popular display on Monday afternoon.

Westfield River Brewing Company was one of several vendors on hand.

A QUICK REMINDER- NCCHP will be winding down for the winter season by the end of November so be sure to plan your visit SOON. Fall foliage it at its peak so now is the time! For museum hours go to www.ncchp.org 

NCCHP Hosting Harvest Fair Attactions, Oct. 8-10, 2016

The Southwick News published a nice recap of NCCHP's Harvest Fair attractions in their September 23rd edition; see below for the full article (click on the image for a larger version):

If you haven't put the Harvest Fair on your calendar now is the time to make plans to come to Granville and NCCHP!

Gettysburg Address: New Addition to Civil War Exhibit

Jeff Rowley has been kind enough to provide his family's copy of the Gettysburg Address to NCCHP to be exhibited as part of the Civil War exhibit, on a long term loan basis. According to family legend the address was given to his grandmother, Anna Schusler, when she was a small child (very early 1900's). She had recited the Gettysburg Address at her school in Hartford, CT and the document was presented to her at that time.

The actual age of the document, which measures approximately 19" by 24" is unknown but it is interesting that it is not titled as "The Gettysburg Address" but rather "President Lincoln's Great Speech." It was later framed by Jeff's grandfather, Levi Rowley in 1910 (based on a copy of the Hartford Times newspaper that was used as backing during the framing process). Levi Rowley's ancestors were from Granville, many of whom had worked at Noble & Cooley.

The first display of the Address at NCCHP coincided with the "Letters Home During the Civil War" presentation and triggered a number of impromptu memorized recitations from those of certain generations who were in attendance (do school kids still memorize the Gettysburg Address?).

Everybody knows "Four score and seven years ago..." but reading the speech today with the benefit of age and presumably wisdom, the most remarkable portion of the speech is the final paragraph and Lincoln's uncanny sense of the importance of being "dedicated to the great task remaining before us" that the nation "shall have a new birth of freedom." His call to action could just as well be in response to the events we still see nearly every day on the news.

After more than 150 years it is still "for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work... for which they gave the last full measure of devotion." Isn't it time to remember those who gave the last full measure of devotion and rededicate ourselves to achieving the new birth of freedom Lincoln dreamed of and for which our ancestors died?

Digitization Project Update

On September 22nd NCCHP hosted Nichole Shea and Jake Sadow to discuss and kick off our first Digital Commonwealth digitization project. Nichole and Jake work at the Boston Public Library, which is the headquarters of Digital Commonwealth and a major service hub for the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). Digital Commonwealth focuses on digitizing collections held by Massachusetts institutions; DPLA is the national platform.

Once the material we select has been digitized it will be hosted on a dedicated Institution Page within the Digital Commonwealth site. To see what institutions are already in Digital Commonwealth, you can click on this link to see a list, then you can click on any institution to see their on line collections.. Caution: The content is fascinating so it may be habit-forming!

NCCHP's first collection will be our Noble & Cooley catalog collection, which currently covers approximately 1890 to 1935. We believe the material will be of interest to collectors, researchers, etc. and will provide information that has been unavailable outside NCCHP until now. We expect the first collection to be available within 3 months or so. After that we plan to add more content and collections on a regular basis.

Until then here a few examples (as always, you can click on an image for a larger version):