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Annie E. L. Hobbs, of Laconia, New Hampshire, wrote this journal during her trip to the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. In detailed passages, she described the various exhibit halls visited and her reactions to the sights of Philadelphia and the spectacle of the exhibition.

Aware that she would be taking part in an historic event, Annie Hobbs decided to keep a record of her trip to the Centennial Exhibition, and she filled 31 pages with her account, which she titled, "Wayside notes to the Centennial." Although her description of the contents of Hall after Hall is slightly repetitive, Annie is often specific -- and humorous -- about what she is seeing. In the Women's Pavilion, for instance, she saw Martha Washington's slippers, feather flowers, and "a novelty -- in the form of a woman's face made of Butter -- we have often heard of Dough faces but never before of a Butter face" (p. 6). In addition to providing detailed information about the exhibits, this account also shows a woman from the country's reactions to the big city and the exciting spectacle of the exhibition.

From the moment she arrived, Annie was happy she had come: "As I gazed at the various Buildings on the outside -- before seeing their interior, I felt that this view alone would pay for the trip, so colossal in their proportions -- so beautiful in their design and finish that one can only behold and admire" (pp. 4-5). Attending the exhibition also reinforced her patriotic sentiments. Even after appreciating the foreign exhibits, she would reiterate how magnificent "our own" had been and how proud she was of her country's achievements. Touring Independence Hall also fired up her enthusiasm: "While visiting these interesting, time worn relics, a feeling of awe and reverence came over us -- They seemed sacred inasmuch as they had been owned and handled by those great and good men" (p. 19). Annie was also impressed that even in the throngs of people, a "uniform politeness and courtesy had seemed to be possessed both by visitors and officers and servants in the various departments" (p. 28).

Annie did have some predictable complaints, shared by tourists of all eras. Sore feet, fatigue, and overpriced souvenirs all annoyed her, but did not interfere unduly with her enjoyment of the exhibition. Having to rely on restaurants for food was another obstacle, and Annie retained her sense of humor while recording all of the terrible food they ate, including watery oyster stew and bad pickles. She was also saddened by the news that their church back home had burned during their absence. By the time her party boarded the train for home, she was suffering from a severe cold, and was glad to finally arrive there two days later.

The Emilie M. Bennett and Phoebe Baker Grand Tour diary chronicles a 1910 journey through England, Holland, Germany, Austria, and France.

The Emilie M. Bennett and Phoebe Baker Grand Tour diary chronicles a 1910 journey through England, Holland, Germany, Austria, and France. The diary, embossed with "My Trip Abroad" in gold on its cover, was presented to Emilie M. Bennett and Phoebe Baker by Margaret Burton on May 24, 1910, just prior to their Grand Tour of Europe. The volume contains supplemental information for overseas travelers, including color illustrations of semaphore and national flags, information on nautical terms and sailing, conversion charts for time and currency, a loose printed map of the world, and instructions on how to play shuffleboard, complete with a diagram. The authors added a list of hotels and of people they met during the trip. In the first entry, made on June 8-13, 1910, Emilie and Phoebe wrote about their experiences traveling to London on the Lusitania, and pasted in several printed illustrations. They wrote daily about social and sightseeing activities, including descriptions of scenery, hotels, and local food; the authors frequently visited art collections and attended musical and theatrical performances, and recorded general impressions of Europe. The two companions felt as if they "were really in a foreign land" from the time they were in London until they reached The Hague, Holland, and throughout the remainder of the trip to Germany, Austria, Hungary, and France. They returned to New York on the Oceanic in late September.

This 72-page diary is an account of the five-month trip Sophia Cumming McCormick took with her uncle, aunt, and cousin from Savannah, Georgia, to New York City and along the East Coast in 1811. A second, shorter portion of the diary consists of nine entries from 1818, in which McCormick reflected on her spiritual state.

This 72-page diary is an account of the five-month trip Sophia Cumming McCormick took with her uncle, aunt, and cousin from Savannah, Georgia, to New York City and along the East Coast in 1811. A second, shorter portion of the diary consists of nine entries from 1818, in which McCormick reflected on her spiritual state.

The first 65 pages of the diary (May 22, 1811-November 4, 1811) contain daily entries chronicling McCormick's travel experiences. She recorded details about the geographic, physical, and historical features of the cities and towns she and her family visited or passed through. Her accounts of New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Richmond are the most extensive, and include details about specific streets, buildings, and bridges. McCormick's descriptions of Charles Wilson Peale's natural history museum in Philadelphia (located in what is now the basement of Independence Hall) and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., are particularly colorful.

McCormick's entries from July to September 1811, written while she attended Miss Scribner's School in Morristown, New Jersey, are often brief, though she commented more extensively about Fourth of July celebrations and recorded her thoughts about leaving the school. She also mentioned a Morristown funeral custom, a solar eclipse seen from Trenton, a visit to Thomas Jefferson's birthplace, public water supplies, a Gaelic-language sermon near Fayetteville, North Carolina. Throughout her travels, McCormick recorded the names of churches she attended, along with the ministers' names and sermon topics.

The second part of the diary (7 pages) consists of 9 entries dated between July 11, 1818, and November 1 [1818?]. In these entries, McCormick primarily reflected on her spiritual well-being. She appears to have been traveling during this span of time as well, staying with cousins near Augusta, Georgia.

This diary was kept by a woman travelling to Charlotte, New York, in 1865 via the Potomac River (Va.), aboard the ship Little Ada.

She made notes and observations about daily life aboard the ship, the fine accommodations, clothing, children, St. Lawrence River travel, food, and "making fun of the yanks." The woman wrote about the funeral of an indigenous child near Novia Scotia on page three of folio seven. In some entries, the writer used racial epithets.