Monday, May 23, 2005

Ah, the Good Old Days

Last week, while preparing old registered land documents for scanning, registry employees found portions of several newspapers from 1937 & 1938 (The Lowell Sun, The Lowell Sunday Telegram, The Lowell Courier Citizen and The Lowell Evening Leader). The newspapers were recorded by Lowell Tax Collector, Albert Blazon as exhibits to documents recorded for non-payment of taxes. Of course, the papers are filled with fascinating news items and advertisements. It would take many blog entries to list them all…so I have selected a few of the more interesting onesto mention:

This week at the Strand Theatre (or should I say June 5, 1937)- Claudette Colbert stars with Robert Young in I Met Him In Paris.

Don’t like the movies? You can go to the “Ward One Bingo Night” at the Memorial Auditorium (that’s if you can afford it)…admission $.40 cents.

Hungry? The Rex is offering a Southern Fried Chicken Dinner…complete… you get corn fed chicken, soup, tomato juice, fresh rolls, potato croquettes and dessert…all for $.50cents…(to tell the truth…I think this is a better deal than the Bingo Night).

The papers have numerous comic strips: “Tarzan”, “Neighborly Neighbors”, “Dickie Dare”, “Big Sister”…(nope, “Charlie Brown” wasn't born yet).

Another article gives the details of a Lowell Commercial College social held at Vesper Country Club. Among those in attendance was the Honorable Mayor Dewey Archambault.

I love this headline from 1938…“Pedestrians Urged To Use More Care”…(hey, what about the drivers?).

On a more serious note… one of the papers contains an article concerning the Mayor of New York City, who apparently said something “hateful about the ruler of Germany”. The remark infuriated the ruler (whose name is never mentioned) and an apology is demanded of the US government, which appears to have been given.

As the weeks go on we will probably re-visit these newspapers…fun stuff. By the way in case you were wondering...June 5, 1937 was a Saturday.

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