Junior Order of the United American Mechanics Good Hope Council Member No. 153, Good Hope, W. Va.
Date:
ca. 1900-1920
Description:
An unidentified man sits in front of a hanging quilt. The ribbon fastened to his jacket collar indicates he is the 153rd Good Hope Council member for the Junior Order of the United American Mechanics, an American fraternal order. It began as a youth affiliation of the Order of United American Mechanics, but seceded to become its own organization and eventually absorbed its parent order. Originally, it was an Anti-Catholic, Nativist group, but eventually abandoned this position and became a general fraternal benefit society open to people regardless of creed, race or sex.
Grand Army of the Republic Gun Exhibition, Clarksburg, W. Va.
Date:
ca. 1900-1920
Description:
The Grand Army of the Republic, or G.A.R., was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, Union Navy, Marines and the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War for the Northern/Federal forces. Its peak membership, at more than 490,000, was in 1890, a high point of various Civil War commemorative and monument dedication ceremonies. It was succeeded by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, composed of male descendants of Union Army and Union Navy veterans.The G.A.R. was organized into "departments" at the state level and "posts" at the community level. This old artillery gun monument was dedicated by the G.A.R. Department of West Virginia, Custer Post No. 8.The plaque beneath the gun reads, "This gun was cast at Sevilla Spain, May 9th 1795, is 12 ft. in length, Caliber 6 3/8 inches weighs 6283 lbs. It was captured from the Spanish by Admiral Dewey, at Cavite Arsenal, near Manila, P.I. [Philippines] in May 1898, brought to N. Y. Navy Yard in the U. S., S. Buffalo [South Buffalo, New York]. Loaned by the Navy Department to Custer Post No. 8 G.A.R. was Mounted on Platform June 23rd, 1899. On July 4th, 1899, the Gun was unveiled by members of Custer Post with suitable ceremonies."
A Performance Group in Costume likely in Harrison County, W. Va.
Date:
ca. 1900-1920
Description:
Nine unidentified individuals pose in costume. Three of them sit on horses. Five of them stand on a carriage drawn by those horses, two of which wear large pots against their bellies. The man in the forefront, dressed in two, vertical striped colors, holds what appears to be a jousting rod.
Horse-Drawn Mower Harvesting Hay likely in Lewis County, W. Va.
Date:
ca. 1900-1920
Description:
A man stands on top of a giant heap of hay, while another lifts hay onto the heap. A third man sits at behind the mower, holding the reigns of the horses that are pulling the large mowing machine across the field.