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CARRIE C. BROWNE : 1852 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY OF A NOTED SCHOOL FOR GIRLS PROVIDING A SUPER LOOK AT THE STATE OF EDUCATION IN PRE CIVIL WAR PENNSYLVANIA

8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. On offer is unique and quite rare diary/journal written by a young woman in pre-Civil War America. The book itself is a mixture of diary and journal created by Carrie C Browne a young woman attending the Tuscarora Female Seminary. It is important to note that the term 'seminary' in the 19th Century did not have any religious connotation. It signified an institution of higher learning. It was started by a wealthy farmer named Alexander Patterson in 1847 and it educated young women for almost twenty-five years before closing. Carrie Browne was likely about 15 or 16 years of age when she began this. It appears Tuscarora Seminary did not survive the Civil War as many students were young women from the aristocratic families south of the Mason-Dixon Line and, if the school did not close immediately after the declaration of war, it was abandoned soon after because of lack of patronage. The ruins of Tuscarora Female Seminary are still standing. Over time, legends of hauntings and other mysterious goings-on have grown up and some consider it a major haunted site. Entries in Browne's journal are not necessarily contiguous - there are both small and large time gaps in her entries as well as a number of missing pages. Taken together though, they span a period from 1852 to 1857. Most of the entries are from 1855. They offer a rare glimpse into life in mid-19th century rural America in the years immediately preceding the Civil War. Here are samples of entries that she made: 'Started for [ ] Mills to visit Bell Patterson, Miss Hutchins, Mattie [ ] and myself. Jamie Patterson took us up. Started a little after Seven O'clock and arrived there about a quarter of eleven o'clock. Has a pleasant ride up Rode through a great deal of woods saw squirrels and various kinds of birds when we when we arrived there, Bell came out from the [ ] to meet us seemed glad to see her old schoolmates After dinner John Laughlin, a young gentleman clerk in her father's store came over to see us he took us to the factory to show us how they [ ] leather etc. I got on the wheel and rode with him then we got weighted then we took a walk up what the call the "Lovers Path" called on Uncle Mr. Patterson they have a Piano there ... [June 8, 1855] Arose before the bell rang arranged my room went to study hour. In school all day. After wrote a letter to [ ] 4 pages long had a thundershower in the evening met in the students parlour for our class in sacred vocal music Mattie got some tomatoes and vinegar up together with some bread and butter returned 9 o'clock [July 24, 1855] Matilda Gale, John White and Charles Everett Pratt came from New York and stayed all night. Called on [ ] Craig Pratt played and sang divinely and was remarkably handsome [Aug 19, 1857] He obviously made an impression from this entry 6 days later: engaged myself to be married to "Charles Everett Pratt'. Had a very pleasant tete-a-tete in the front parlour on the "sofa" ... [August 25] The journal is chock full of side notes, poems, short notes from friends, etc. It is full of names of those in her life. Patterson, a prominent name in that area, figures frequently. For a historical researcher focusing on life in rural southeastern Pennsylvania or life immediately prior to the Civil War, this journal is a goldmine. Names, local places, daily activities and routines - Carrie's chatty, forthright style gives a very clear impression of what that world would look like through the eyes of a school girl. In just 5 years, her world would dissolve in war and the bloodiest Civil War campaign - Gettysburg - would reach to with 35 miles of her school. It measures 8 inches by 7 inches and contains approximately 144 pages. There is evidence of pages torn out, some have been partially torn and others have had portions cut out. The cover is worn but intact. The pages are 100% complete.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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