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J.M. (or GEORGE) WEATHER and SAMUEL BENN : c1904 THREE (3) ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN FIELD BOOKS OF THE EXTENSIVE, DETAILED AND PLANNED WORK REQUIRED TO REBUILD THE TOWN OF ABERDEEN, WASHINGTON AFTER IT HAD BURNT TO THE GROUND A YEAR EARLIER

8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. On offer are three (3) original field books, most probably written in 1904, and detailing the rebuilding of the city of Aberdeen, Washington after a raging fire destroyed the town. On October 16, 1903, a raging fire destroyed 140 buildings in the center of Aberdeen, Washington. A city constructed primarily of wood (including sidewalks), Aberdeen had little chance of stopping the fire once it began to spread. Obviously, the city needed to rebuild its streets after the fire. Two people, one by the name of Weatherwax and the other by the name of Benn seem to have been hired to do the task. Weatherwax is most probably J.M. Weatherwax or George Weatherwax, two men who owned a large lumber company in Aberdeen, and Benn is most probably Samuel Benn. The three books are labelled P-138 (book 44), P-214 (book 105) and P-215 (book 106). Each book contains an index at the beginning which lays out what streets in the city are written about. For example, book P-215 deals with information on old planks, new elevations, storm sewers, street levels and more on the 20 different street including ‘Michigan Ave,’ ‘Jefferson St.,’ ‘Washington St.,’ and more. The books are excellent artifacts of city construction from the early 20th century, containing dozens of pages of detailed schematics, drawings, charts, and figures, for the city of Aberdeen in the wake of its destruction. There are approximately 450 handwritten pages over the three books. The books each measure 7 ¼” by 4 ¼” inches. All three show sustained use and strong wear. For the most part, the structural integrity is still there, however, the last book P-215 shows the most wear, with parts of the book disconnected from the binding. Two of the books shows evidence of taping to the spine and boards. These books are a fascinating look at the intricacies and details of rebuilding a city after its destruction and an intimate part at the history of Aberdeen, Washington, a place that Kurt Cobain would eventually call home. (Background: On October 16, 1903, a fire destroys 140 buildings in the center of Aberdeen. Fed by wood-frame structures, wooden sidewalks, and sawdust fill, the fire rages unchecked until some 20 acres have burned. The fire will spur the city leaders to enact a more stringent fire code. On the morning of October 16, 1903, a resident of the Arctic Hotel began making breakfast in his room. An accidental fire started, and the room was quickly engulfed in flames, killing the lone occupant. Within minutes, the three-story frame structure was ablaze and the fire spread to adjoining buildings, including the fire station and jail.. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good +

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