Very rare title from the "broom corn capital of the world"...
Item # 707404
March 28, 1867
THE ARCOLA RECORD, Illinois, March 28, 1867
* Rare post Civil War Midwest publication
* Frontier railroad town - Reconstruction era
This is the volume 1 issue of a very scarce newspaper, as Gregory (Union List of American Newspapers) lists only two institutions having just a single issue each (1876 and 1883) and another institution having only issues dated after October, 1914.
Various news & ads of the day, four pages, an archival mend at a portion of the blank spine, some light staining and a small piece from the top margin not affecting type.
Background: The publication of the first volume of The Arcola Record on March 28, 1867, serves as a vital primary source for the Reconstruction Era in the Midwest, documenting the civic maturation of a frontier railroad town during a period of intense national transition. Following the 1859 incorporation of Arcola, Illinois, and the expansion of the Illinois Central Railroad, this newspaper emerged as the town's primary information engine, providing a rare window into local political discourse, agricultural shifts, and the economic development of Douglas County just two years after the Civil War. Its existence challenges existing bibliographic records, such as the Union List of American Newspapers, by proving the publication's longevity began a full decade earlier than previously verified by many institutional holdings. As a Volume 1 specimen, it likely contains the editor’s original manifesto, offering an unfiltered look at the social "boosterism" and Republican-leaning politics typical of the post-war Illinois prairie, while its advertisements preserve the price of commodities and the identity of the early merchant class that built the town's infrastructure.
* Rare post Civil War Midwest publication
* Frontier railroad town - Reconstruction era
This is the volume 1 issue of a very scarce newspaper, as Gregory (Union List of American Newspapers) lists only two institutions having just a single issue each (1876 and 1883) and another institution having only issues dated after October, 1914.
Various news & ads of the day, four pages, an archival mend at a portion of the blank spine, some light staining and a small piece from the top margin not affecting type.
Background: The publication of the first volume of The Arcola Record on March 28, 1867, serves as a vital primary source for the Reconstruction Era in the Midwest, documenting the civic maturation of a frontier railroad town during a period of intense national transition. Following the 1859 incorporation of Arcola, Illinois, and the expansion of the Illinois Central Railroad, this newspaper emerged as the town's primary information engine, providing a rare window into local political discourse, agricultural shifts, and the economic development of Douglas County just two years after the Civil War. Its existence challenges existing bibliographic records, such as the Union List of American Newspapers, by proving the publication's longevity began a full decade earlier than previously verified by many institutional holdings. As a Volume 1 specimen, it likely contains the editor’s original manifesto, offering an unfiltered look at the social "boosterism" and Republican-leaning politics typical of the post-war Illinois prairie, while its advertisements preserve the price of commodities and the identity of the early merchant class that built the town's infrastructure.
Category: Post-Civil War
