Pocahontas Times Historical Newspaper Study Guide

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the purpose of the "Stony Bottom September 19, 1903" event advertised in the Pocahontas Times?
2. What kind of business did J. O'Leary operate, and what special offer did they have in the Pocahontas Times?
3. According to an advertisement, why should someone buy their shoes from Paul Golden?
4. What kind of services did the Hinton Marble Works provide, as advertised in the Pocahontas Times?
5. What was the "BIG 4 ROUTE," and where could you go using their services, according to their advertisement?
6. What did the United States Leather Co. want, as advertised in the Pocahontas Times?
7. Who was "Uncle Dick," and where could you find him in 1903?
8. What writing style is used in the "Ranger's Story" articles printed in the Pocahontas Times?
9. Name at least three types of businesses that placed ads in the Pocahontas Times.
10. What can you determine about the time period of these newspapers based on the products and services advertised?

Short Answer Key

1. The Stony Bottom event was a grand picnic welcoming everyone to celebrate with food, beverages, games, and prizes.
2. J. O'Leary ran a livery, selling buggies and harnesses, and offered a valuable premium of a lady's side saddle to anyone who purchased a buggy, harness, and other goods amounting to $60 or more.
3. Paul Golden claimed that he offered the lowest prices on shoes and stated that if you paid more for the same quality elsewhere, you were "paying for nothing but air."
4. The Hinton Marble Works specialized in monuments, headstones, tablets, iron fencing, curbing, tiling, mantels, grates, and all kinds of cemetery work.
5. The "BIG 4 ROUTE" was a railway connecting passenger routes Northwest and Southwest. Destinations included Chicago, St. Louis, Peoria, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Columbus, Dayton, Sandusky, Benton Harbor, and all points North, South, East, and West.
6. The United States Leather Co. wanted to purchase lumber, specifically oak and hemlock bark.
7. "Uncle Dick" was the name of a popular Percheron Stallion, known for his breeding quality. He was kept by David Grogg, a breeder in Arbovale, West Virginia.
8. The "Ranger's Story" articles were written in the style of serialized fiction, commonly found in newspapers of that era. They featured adventure, suspense, and often dramatic cliffhangers to keep readers engaged.
9. The Pocahontas Times featured ads from a variety of businesses including general stores, livestock breeders, tailors, pharmacies, furniture stores, and marble works, among others.
10. The advertisements indicate that the time period of these newspapers was likely in the late 19th or early 20th century. This is evidenced by products like buggies and harnesses, the focus on agricultural supplies, and the lack of modern technologies in the advertisements.

Essay Questions

1. Analyze the content of the advertisements in the Pocahontas Times. What do these ads reveal about the economy, social values, and everyday life in this specific time and place?
2. Examine the language and tone used in the "Stony Bottom September 19, 1903" advertisement. How do the organizers of this event appeal to potential attendees, and what does this suggest about community life in early 20th-century West Virginia?
3. Compare and contrast the advertisements for Paul Golden's Bargain House and McClung & Co. in Academy. What are the key similarities and differences in their marketing strategies, and what might this tell us about consumer choices in this market?
4. Imagine you are a historian studying these excerpts from the Pocahontas Times. What specific historical questions could you investigate using these newspapers as primary sources?
5. The "Ranger's Story" exemplifies the serialized fiction popular in early 20th-century newspapers. Why do you think this type of storytelling resonated with readers of the time, and how might it have shaped their understanding of the world beyond their community?

Glossary of Key Terms

1. Percheron Stallion: A breed of draft horse known for its strength, intelligence, and willingness to work. Percherons originated in the Huisne river valley in western France. 2. Livery: A stable where horses and carriages are kept for hire or boarding. In this context, J. O'Leary's business involved selling and likely renting buggies and harnesses. 3. Premium Offer: A marketing tactic where a business offers an additional item or service as a bonus for purchasing a particular product or reaching a specific spending threshold. 4. Side Saddle: A type of riding saddle designed for women to sit with both legs on the same side of the horse, common in the past due to societal conventions. 5. Gaited Stallion: A horse bred for its smooth gaits, which are variations on a horse's walk, trot, and canter, prized for their comfort for the rider. 6. Iron Fencing and Curbing: Durable and decorative materials used for boundaries and borders in gardens, cemeteries, and other outdoor spaces. 7. BIG 4 ROUTE: A major railroad system in the Midwest and eastern United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 8. Hemlock Bark: The bark of the hemlock tree, historically used in tanning leather due to its high tannin content. 9. Serialized Fiction: A format of storytelling where installments of a larger narrative are published in sequential parts, often with cliffhangers to keep the audience engaged. 10. Bargain House: A type of retail store, common in the past, that offered a wide range of goods at discounted prices. 11. Dry Goods: Textiles and other fabrics used for sewing, clothing, and household items, often sold in general stores. 12. Notions: Small items like buttons, thread, ribbons, and other sewing accessories, usually sold alongside dry goods. 13. Proprietary Medicine: Also known as patent medicine, these were commercially marketed pharmaceutical products, often with exaggerated claims of effectiveness, common before modern drug regulations.