Historic Almanacs Collection

The collection consists of 73 agricultural, medicinal, and family almanacs, with dates ranging from 1814-1955, the bulk being from 1861-1949. Most were published in the Midwest or northeastern United States. Two titles in particular constitute over half the total issues: The Hagerstown Town and County Almanac and Agricultural Almanac.

The collection includes 24 issues of The Hagerstown Town and County Almanac, published at Hagerstown, Maryland, by John Gruber. The issue dates are scattered from 1866 to 1949, with the bulk being from the 1930s and 1940s. Several issues from the 1930s and 1940s have the following additional stamp on the front, presumably the store from which the copy was purchased: “Schmidt’s Drug Store, 63 W. Main St., Springfield, Ohio.”

The collection includes 16 issues of Agricultural Almanac, published at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, by John Baer’s Sons, with scattered dates from 1886 to 1931, with the bulk being from the 1880s and 1890s.

Other titles include Farmer’s, Hostetter’s (Pittsburgh), McLean’s (St. Louis), Jayne’s (Philadelphia), Housekeeper’s (Philadelphia), Wright’s (New York), Ransom (Buffalo), Cottage Garden (Philadelphia), and The Herbalist (Indiana Botanic Gardens), among others.

The oldest item in the collection is a German language almanac published in 1814 by Johann Ritter at Reading. Two of the almanacs have local interest, having been published in Ohio: Kimmel & Rice’s Almanac (Dayton, 1894) and A. L. Scovill & Co.’s Farmers and Mechanics Almanac (Cincinnati, 1868).