Two broadside advertisements for excursions of the steamer Rose Standish from Boston to a 4th of July celebration in Eastport, Main and the New England Fair at Portland, Maine by James L. Thompson, Manager - 1898

Both broadsides measure 6" x 17" and feature an illustration of steamship. Both have been glued to pages from an old ledger. They are in nice shape with toning and some edge wear.

The Rose Standish, named for the first wife of Myles Standish, was one of several ships in the Nantasket Beach Steamship Company's excursion fleet. It was based, along with the other Nantasket Beach ships at the company's wharf in Hull, Massachusetts, a small town on a peninsula at Hingham Bay at the southern edge of Boston Harbor. From newspaper accounts, there appear to have been three different steamships named Rose Standish based in Boston between 1860 and 1929, however, it is possible that the first ship was rebuilt after sinking in Boston Harbor. Regardless, in 1900, the Rose Standish featured in these broadsheets was "totally destroyed by fire at Calais, Me." while "out of commission and undergoing repairs." (See The Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector General, U.S. Stameboat-Inspection Service . . . 1901.)

The New England fair was a major annual fund-raising event of the New England Agricultural Society which for a number of years had consistently lost money. The 1897 fair in Portland, however, was a financial success and completely "wiped out" the society's debts. The week-long fair featured "seven large war-ships of the North Atlantic Squadron, the parade of the Naval Brigade, the U.S. Cavalry Troopers, Firemen's Muster, and all the exciting and novel attractions massed in Rigby Park in connection with the attractive races and extensive show of stock, the largest in the history of New England. . .." (See the Portland Board of Trade Journal, Vol. X, No. 5 1897.)

The Eastport 4th of July Celebration was first held in 1820, and has consistently been the largest Independence Day celebration in Maine ever since. (See "U.S. Independence Day: 4th of July" online at Los Angeles Community Policing.)

Scarce. At the time of listing, no similar Rose Standish broadsides are for sale in the trade, and the Rare Book Hub shows none have been sold at auction. OCLC shows no institutional holdings for this Rose Standish, although there is one for the first vessel with this name.