Letters to the Editor

Written by in the Letters category and the Fall 1989 issue Topics in this article:
Letters presents readers' comments and reactions to specific articles in Pennsylvania Heritage, the initiatives of PHMC, and other developments in the historical, cultural and museum communities of Pennsylvania.

Lottery Fever!

Yes, I, too, confess that I am an aficionado of Pennsylvania’s lotteries, and I really enjoyed the article by Trina Vaux in the summer 1989 edition entitled “An Evil and a Remedy: The Lottery in Pennsylvania.” I just wanted you to know that I received my copy of the sum­mer issue shortly after Penn­sylvania awarded the largest lottery jackpot in North Amer­ica. Although I didn’t win the fifty million dollars, this coin­cidence made the article even more fascinating – so much so that the magazine is still mak­ing the rounds among my friends and neighbors.

Jack T. Horner
Pittsburgh, Pa.

Thanks for the great account of the history of the lottery in Pennsylvania. It was (pun intended) a “winner.”

William H. Landes
Reading, Pa.

The article on lotteries in Penn­sylvania was truly astounding. Never had I realized that such games of chance date to before the American Revolution! Where did you find the beauti­ful photographs of the old lottery tickets that accompa­nied this exciting story?

Emily E. Prezele
Camp Hill, Pa.

All of the photographs illustrating “An Evil and a Remedy: The Lottery in Pennsylvania” were generously lent by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, head­quartered in Philadelphia.

 

Historic Places

My family and I are ardent followers of the Pennsylvania Trail of History, and I was delighted to read in the “Exec­utive Director’s Message” in the summer 1989 issue that a new book has been published to describe these historic sites and museums. Now my ques­tion: How do I order a copy?

Julian W. Marsh
Philadelphia, Pa.

Pennsylvania’s Historic Places, published by Good Books in coop­eration with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commis­sion, made its national debut on June 14 [1989] and is now available at the twenty-seven historic sites and museums along the Pennsylvania Trail of History, as well as by mail order. In addition to showcasing the PHMC’s attractions, Pennsyl­vania’s Historic Places features four sites administered by the National Park Service (see “Book­shelf” in the fall 1989 edition for a review).

 

The Prince of Uniontown

My wife and I marveled at the lifestyles of the Uniontown coal brokers and bankers in the spring 1989 edition (“Uniontown’s Prince of the Gilded Age” by Richard Rob­bins). My degree in business administration doesn’t make me an expert in all things financial (especially other people’s), but was Josiah V. Thompson’s idea of a good investment in 1902 two hun­dred and sixty-eight acres of land in Greene County for forty million dollars? That’s $149,253.73 per acre!

Donald A. Ball II
Washington, D.C.

In 1902, J. V. Thompson met with Henry Clay Frick and Andrew W. Mellon to raise forty million dollars to purchase two hundred and sixty-eight thousand acres of coal lands in southwestern Penn­sylvania. Both Clay and Frick declined to participate in the venture. The editor regrets this error.

 

A Governor, A General

The account of Edward Martin (“In the Public’s Best Interest” by Elizabeth A. Early) in the summer 1989 issue brought back a lot of memories. Not only did I train at Fort Indian­town Gap Military Reserva­tion, but I met General Martin when he later campaigned for the United States Senate. He certainly was a gentleman!

L. B. Kauffman, Jr.
Allentown, Pa.