In celebration of two years of blogging I’m posting a second round-up of surprising discoveries of historical documents. All year I’ve been collecting stories of these finds. Some simply give insight into everyday life in the past, while others are long-lost writings by famous artists, rare maps, and even a copy of the Declaration of Independence.
This story is a few years old, but I thought it was worth sharing that a complete unpublished Dr. Seuss manuscript with illustrations was rediscovered in the author’s California home in 2013.
A hand-drawn map of Detroit from 1790 was found in an Ontario home.
Wouldn’t it be nice if something you found in your garage sold at auction for $24,000?
Any guesses as to what’s on a 17th century shopping list?
A recording of songs sung by Holocaust survivors was “lost” in a mislabeled container for 70 years.
An auction house specialist discovered this photo of Harriet Tubman in her 40s. (Notice that in most pictures she’s much older?)
Trinity College, Cambridge, received a bequest of a private library which includes “previously unknown manuscripts of Napoleon Bonaparte, George Washington, Florence Nightingale, and Charles Dickens.”
A rediscovered 1858 newspaper column by Walt Whitman teaches men how to be manly.
Newly discovered letters by Sylvia Plath include “shocking” claims.
A manuscript of the Declaration of Independence has been dated to the 1780s. (This is a good article to read if you’re interested in the research done to identify historical documents.)
Walt Disney’s original 1953 Disneyland map was rediscovered. (It later sold at auction for $708,000.)
While cleaning out her father’s house Verna McLean stumbled upon boxes full of paintings by a forgotten Canadian artist.
Two scholars uncovered a lost Edith Wharton play.
Twenty-one lost stories by L.M. Montgomery are gathered in a new volume titled After Many Years.
A botanist at the Missouri Botanical Garden discovered a 257-year-old colouring book.
Finally, this is my favourite story of the whole bunch: “72-Year-Old Love Letter Returned to WWII Veteran.”
A whole bunch of amazing stories! I do agree that the lost love letter is very sweet, but I’m also excited by the 17th century shopping list and the Dr Seuss book. Perhaps a certain little girl will soon be reading “What Pet Should I Get”.
She’s whipping through the Little Bear books, so I think you’re right!
How have I never seen that picture of Harriet Tubman!?