Easter Fun in the Archives

Easter Parade on 5th Ave, New York City in 1899, from Alamy

Since I discovered the local newspaper archives, I have been like a little kid in a candy shop. Every day I am amazed and excited at the variety of things to discover which are right at my fingertips. This access has now sparked an idea that just won’t leave my head. I have been battling with finding time to write and how to keep myself motivated for several years. I do want to finish the story of Ophelia and Asher, but I am also letting my muse do her thing. And right now, my muse is purely focused on writing about history as seen through the eyes of the local historical papers.

With today being Easter, I thought it would be fun to track down a specific Easter in history and share what those of the past had to say about it. My search led me to 1899 and I started with the Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle edition of Monday, April 3.

That year in Poughkeepsie, it seems that Winter was holding on a bit more strongly than in past years, according to our writer. The Eagle reported that there were snow flurries and a wind so biting that there was a lack of traditional Easter hats and mens Easter suits to be found. The same thought was mirrored in the Putnam County Courier’s recollection of Easter in their April 7, 1899 edition as well: “Owing to excessive cold weather, very few Easter hats or spring costumes were worn last Sunday in Brewster. Instead, the heaviest wraps of Winter were worn.” The sky was overcast, yet the flowers at the local churches were overflowing with blooms: Easter lilies, palms, red lilies, azalea and genestas (which I discovered is a plant similar to a bush with little yellow flowers) abounded everywhere. The flowers “excelled that of former years” and it is noted across mentions of multiple churches, that extra people were brought in for the choirs and instrumentals.

At the First Reformed Church of Poughkeepsie, a quartette sang with an additional tenor and bass and “several fine anthems were rendered.” The evening service was comprised of the Sunday School children singing carols.

At most of the other churches mentioned, it was a much simpler fare of music, with just the choir and organ playing carols and anthems, and occasional solos mentioned. The day was closed out with evening services for the Sunday School children.

Hedding Sunday School, which was a part of the Hedding Methodist Church that my Nan and Poppy attended about 40 years later, had a special program they called “Gethesmane.” This was a series of exercises led by Mr. Peter Monroe, the superintendent, and consisted of singing, recitals, responsive readings and scripture readings.

There is a section of these older papers that covers personal notes and goings-on, very similar to today’s social media on the internet. From the Personal Mention section of the Eagle issue, there are a lot of notes about who was visiting whom or the holiday:

“Among former Poughkeepsians home for Easter are E.C. Mott, G.S. Odell, H. R. Frost, all at present of New York City.”

“Mr. Theodore Lange, of the firm Lange & Clark, the tailors, on Garden Street, spent Easter in New York.”

”Mr. Geo. H. Huber returned from Brooklyn last evening, where he had been spending a very pleasant Easter with friends.”

And even in the late 19th Century, it wouldn’t be the day after a holiday, if there were no mentions of sales. Easter cards are set at half price at Ambler’s, which was located at 254 Main Street and The Elting Store (which no longer exists but you can see the building is still named for it on Main Street) ran an ad regarding Spring Top Coats and an entire floor dedicated to children’s clothes: