On Friday I had a great time exploring life in Chester County circa 1919, thanks to the microfilm collection at the Chester County History Center on North High Street in West Chester (formerly the Chester County Historical Society).
At the Cloud family reunion back in August, I had volunteered to research whether the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic had affected the family's 1919 reunion. Back then, stories about family gatherings were a fixture of the Daily Local's society pages, so I asked the library staff if I could take a look at the appropriate reel of microfilm. They very kindly set me up at a microfilm reader, dimmed the lights for better viewing, and I started my trip back in time.
I got my answer within an hour. The Aug. 4 issue carried a lengthy account of the Cloud reunion in East Goshen (we still meet at the East Goshen Park), but it didn't mention the Spanish flu at all. More evident was the long shadow of World War I: the entertainment portion of the gathering included the WWI songs "Keep the Home Fires Burning" and "Good Morning, Mr. Zip Zip Zip" (Google the latter; it's a snappy tune).
There was a lengthy account of the annual "base ball" game, which featured a pitcher who in his college days at the "State Normal School" had been known for his "cannon-fire speed." (There's no longer a baseball game, but we did have a heated cornhole competition last year.) The luncheon menu included ham, beef, potato salad, ice cream, jellies and lemon butter (still a staple at today's reunions).
After finding the reunion story, I spent another hour browsing through the paper. The Daily Local must have had a huge staff at the time because they ran detailed first-person stories about everything from car crashes, industrial accidents, arrests, and court trials to births, deaths, marriages, club meetings, and church activities.
One reporter was sent out to find out why a politician decided to drop out of a race. The reporter quoted the man as saying "for party unity," before noting that he turned away from the journalist and busied himself with some paperwork. Can't you imagine his gritted teeth and the horse-trading back-story there!
Police officers were much more willing to provide colorful, on-the-record comments about arrests. One provided an account of how a youth ratted on his friends and turned them in for breaking into houses. And there was certainly no Patient Privacy Act; the paper ran a list of hospital admissions, sometimes giving details of the person's illness and prognosis. A reporter interviewed one recuperating patient who had received several blood transfusions; the enthusiastic patient was happy to share his experience and said he felt years younger.
Some things remain the same over time, of course. According to a letter to the editor, a road south of Oxford was in such rough shape that it would produce indigestion in the soundest constitution. And a West Grove resident complained that the placement of a billboard was an accident waiting to happen because it blocked motorists' visibility. One wonders what they would think about today's distracting video billboards on highways!
