1885 HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT DIARY OF A BOSTON BASED STUDENT, COURT REPORTER, SERIOUS HIGH WHEEL [PENNY FARTHING] BICYCLIST AND FUTURE EDUCATOR OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION

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On offer is a fascinating piece of 1885 handwritten manuscript Americana being a diary by a young man who appears to be the son of a ship owner of increasing commerce and a detaile d look at a serious high wheel bicyclist. The diary begins in New York on January 1st when he apparently arrived with the Bark Haydn Brown of Boston which his father had part ownership. He writes about the Bark going into dry-dock, being towed to 31st pier in New York and loading oil. He most of his time New York and particularly Brooklyn and attends theatre, opera and other events. Watches "100's, thousands skating on the ice" at Central Park. From New York he sails on the Fall River Line steamer Providence and arrives in Newport Rhode Island then takes boat for Boston, his home. He appears to be grooming himself to be an educated gentleman and athlete. He takes lessons in German from the Berlitz School, dancing lessons, classes at Tuft's and plays polo. In April he begins work as a court reporter. Our author is keen on keeping fit and begins working out at a gymnasium. In June he goes to work at the W&N RR Co. in Worcester Mass. He also gets involved with going to sports events, racing. He begins to intersect shorthand characters in his entries. In August our writer gets into high wheel bicycling. He buys a Royal Mail 58 inch bicycle for $140 [another clue to his financial status given the cost of the high wheel is approximately 6 months of the average worker's pay at the time] and starts riding all over the Boston area noting some remarkable times. To the Point of Pines in Saugus, Chestnut Hill, Allston. He rides to Dedham and then all the way to Attleboro. He goes up to Searsport Maine and rides around there as well as going to the skating rink. He and a friend took their high wheel bikes on board the steamer Cambridge bound for Belfast but she ran aground so, they rode the rest of the way to Belfast. Watches a baseball game between "The Duffers" and "Muffore Comics". Returned home of the steamer Penobscot. In September at auction, his father buys shares in the Bark Abbie Carver of Boston. Our boy seems to spend all his time riding his bicycle over considerable distances. In one entry Sept 17th he records riding: " ...Lewis & I started for Waltham at 2:25. Got there at 3:15. Rode back after a little business of ¾ of an hour to City of Waverly, Belmont, Arlington, Cambridge. Turned back & went to Allston and from there in Milton? Brighton, rode home, making Gym at 5:30. Making 28 miles in 2 h 15 minutes". At the end of Sept. He leaves Boston for New York to take charge of teaching at the Gymnasium at Sing Sing. He returns to Boston in mid October via Fall River steamer Pilgrim. He evidently is on a career of being a Gym teacher and he talks about teaching "the apparatus". He goes to other cities in this capacity: Norwalk Conn. and Bangor Maine where he sets up the apparatus and heads up classes. He also meets Congressmen and other higher social strata persons. He ends his daily entries at Bangor where he is employed at the Gymnasium and the last entries most interestingly are written in shorthand. In addition, he keeps a detailed record his expenses for the year. At the top of the list is his high wheel bicycle in which he gives detailed description. Also he kept a detailed record of his bicycle rides by date, distance and length. This pocket diary lacks its covers but otherwise G+ overall and measures 4 ¾ almost 3 inches. Written in pencil and quite legible. ; Manuscript; 24mo - over 5" - 5¾" tall; HIGHWHEEL BICYCLES, HIGH WHEEL, PENNY FARTHING, HI WHEEL, CYCLING, VELOCIPEDE, TUFTS UNIVERSITY, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, DIARY, JOURNAL, LOG, KEEPSAKE, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, DIARIES, JOURNALS, LOGS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, PERSONAL HISTORY, CANADIANA, TRAVEL, GERMANY, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, Show more