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J.E. PRATT : 1924 - 1927 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT HANDWRITTEN JOURNAL AND DIARY OF THE GARDENER AND GROUNDSKEEPER OF DENISON UNIVERSITY

4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. On offer is the original manuscript journal and diary handwritten by Mr. J. E. Pratt of Granville Ohio. Dated 1924 through 1927 Mr. Pratt was the grounds keeper for the area college which research suggests is today Denison University with numerous mentions are around the campus, including Stone Hall, Talbot Hall and King Hall. Over 121 handwritten densely filled pages Pratt writes about his home life, the work he does especially around the campus and of course, the weather. Personal entries are abundant as we sadly record the death of his mother and his thoughts on that. Here are some snippets: 1924-1927 "Cloudy. Looks like snow or rain. A very, very cloudy day. No rain, no sunshine, just clouds and more clouds. Not above 36 degrees all day. Topped and sawed down the old mulberry tree south of Pres. House. An old landmark. Mr. D. L. Davis thinks it was almost 100 years old. He used to climb it in his boyhood days." Moonlight, few clouds. Foggy. Springy. 26th anniversary of coldest Feb. day on record. Feb. 10th, 1899. A very heavy frost. Sunshine and clouds. A very pleasant day. Clouds and stars tonight. Birds sang like spring. Spread cinders on walk to Prof. Stickney's and on College Avenue". "Scattered clouds. Very warm day. Moved Million D.U.C. 2 hrs. Trimmed vines on Pres. House's porch and made general cleanup around house. . Watered all medium shrubs there. Total 8 ½ hrs. Clouds on horizon, moon into crescent." "Moonlight with few clouds. Hazy, mostly sunshine today. Much warmer. Moved around Baker, East, Cottages, Conservatory and the front lawn along each and some others in forenoon. 5 hrs. Not working after noon. It seemed to be a day off with a good many." "Scattered clouds and some fog. Everything looks refreshed. A rather warm day, clouds and sunshine. Thunder in distance at times. Little sprinkle of rain. At church in morning. Communion services. At home in afternoon. P.m. carried Anna Marie up Mt. Parnassus. A great girl." "Clear low fog. Mother resting. Very sick 2-5 a.m. then quieted by medicine and gradually failed and became unconscious. Last word was the name of her brother James (Jim) as she opened her eyes and saw him standing at foot of bed. Death near 4 p.m. Rain and hail. 3-4 p.m. and much cooler this evening. A pleasant evening. A sad one to us all." "Cloudy, foggy. Cleared and became much warmer. Made arrangements for burial. Bought part of H. L. Bancroft lot no 55. Selected casket with Delbert. A solemn day to us all. Purchased lot and made arrangements for grave." "Hill, valley, grove and town" are alike covered with snow this morning and still it snows. It turned to rain about 10 a.m. A good deal of rain in the afternoon…." "Scattered clouds, frost, fog in valley. A very fine day with a large bit of sunshine but clouded towards eve. Noon and later I walked up town and over the Ship. Campus, up Burg St. then across to graveyard then to Marsh, Pre. House, ex Phi Delta, new dorm, down to P.O. and then home." "Clouds. N.E. wind. A cool wind all day but quite warm notwithstanding. A good day to work. Mowed mountains near Cleve. Hall and Tennis Courts, Mrs. Herrick's and W. Cottage and near Marsh Hall. Clouds and stars 9 p.m." The diary is 8" x 10" and he uses every available space to write on. The cover is very, very worn and torn and the first couple of pages are loose. Overall Fair+.. Manuscript. Book Condition: Fair+

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