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https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/e4f4e8c5-3494-49ec-9562-210099148520

Collection: Willie Siple Collection

Title: The Willie Siple Collection

Object ID: MG0006

Date Range: 1935-1962

: Boxers Correspondence Letters Newspaper vendors Blind People with visual disabilities Manuscript groups Finding aids Folder 1 Photographs: Most relate to Willy and his newsstand. One is of Archie Moore, and several of Willy in his boxing stance. Photographs transferred to the Photograph Collection, 3

1 document

Collection: Willie Siple Collection

Title: The Willie Siple Collection

Description: The Willie Siple Collection includes photographs, postcards, correspondence, and newspaper clippings about Siple and related to his business and boxing career.

Admin/Biographical History: Wilbur "Willie" Siple (1904-1966) was the operator of Siple's News Stand for many years. He was originally a professional boxer when he was younger, and he had a successful, but short, boxing career. During those six years, Willie fought in 131 exhibitions with 71 wins, 9 losses, 22 draws and 29 KO's. Willie was what was called a "flyweight," weighing only 102 pounds in his heyday. However, Willie's boxing career was cut short after a 1925 automobile accident. Although many people speculated that Willie's loss of his eyesight was because of his boxing career, Willie explained the accident to a local newspaper. According to a sports news article that can be found in the Willie Siple Collection here at LancasterHistory.org, Willie was attempting to fix a car when a car tire exploded in his face, damaging his eyesight beyond repair and blinding him.; However, despite this tragedy, Willie didn't let the accident and blindness take over his life. On September 28, 1935, during the Depression, Willie made a brave move and opened his news stand in the Lancaster City Post Office, and named it Siple's News Stand. Due to an act of Congress, the Rudolph-Sheppard Act of 1935, Willie became "one of the first blind operators to set up shop in Federal Buildings," according to an article in the Willie Siple collection. Willie's news stand featured free news and weather reports, and sold newspapers, magazines, and candy. Rare coins and stamps, a personal passion of Willie's, were also available for purchase. Willie would travel far and wide in order to acquire rare stamps to be sold to stamp collectors. Willie would travel to places like Washington, D.C. Princeton, New Jersey, and Philadelphia in order to buy what were then called "first day issues" of stamps. One newspaper article even calls him a "philatelist," or a stamp expert, much to Willie's surprise. Siple was also extremely passionate about coin collecting, and could identify and appraise coins without needing to see them. Willie also loved to travel, and had even traveled to Canada and all around Pennsylvania with the help of friends.; Willie then became a well-known public figure. He was known for his friendly, talkative personality, and his eye-catching and "loud" shirts. WDAC-FM radio, then a Christian radio station, featured an editorial on Willie, which was subtitled "the personification of good humor." In this editorial, Willie is said to have had a "flamboyant and winning personality," as well as a "belief in man's basic honesty." Despite the fact that Willie was often taken advantage of because of his blindness, and that he "was the victim of an average of $40 worth annually in pilfered stock or dishonest dealings," Willie held on to the belief in the goodness of mankind all his life. This is not to say that Willie was completely dependent on the honesty of his customers. He was able to read dollar bills with his hands, and could tell the difference between each, much to the wonder of skeptical customers, and probably to the dismay of the rare customer who would try and take advantage of him.; Willie became a well-loved figure in the community, and anyone looking through his collection will be able to see just that. Siple was a philanthropist who supported the Tuberculosis Society with the proceeds from sales of Christmas seals (or stamps) for their charity. Willie would also dress up like Santa Claus every year, and would visit infantile paralysis victims. There are also multiple thank-you notes from school classes and the local boys club for his generous gifts of candy.; Many of Willie's friends also willingly helped him with his business, helping him with bookkeeping, driving him to and from work, taking him to lunch, helping take over the stand during lunch, and much more. He called these people his "assistants," and most of them were local business men and women who would take time out of their days to help. These people were unpaid friends, just willing to give Willie a hand. Their kindness, as well as Willie's generosity, show the kinship and kindness in the community that surrounded him in Lancaster city.; written by Elizabeth McIlhenney, 2016

Date Range: 1935-1962

Creation Date: 1935-1962

Year Range From: 1935

Year Range To: 1962

Creator: Hauck, Johnny

Storage Location: LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA

Storage Room: Archives South

Storage Wall: Side 01

People: Siple, Wilbur H. "Willie"; Moore, Archie

Subjects: Blind; Boxers (Sports); Letters; Newspaper vendors; People with visual disabilities

Search Terms: Boxers (Sports); Correspondence; Finding aids; Letters; Manuscript groups; Newspaper vendors; People with visual disabilities

Extent: 1 box, 3 folders, 2 cubic ft.

Object Name: Archive

Language: English

Object ID: MG0006

Related Item Notes: Johnny Hauck Collection, MG0063; Photograph Collection

Notes: This material was part of the Johnny Hauck Collection, MG-63. Because of the specific nature of the material, it was extracted to create a separate manuscript group.; Photographs transferred to the Photograph Collection, 3 November 2017.

Access Conditions / Restrictions: No restrictions.

Copyright: Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.; Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.

Credit: Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Other Numbers: MG-6

Classification: MG0006

Description Level: Fonds

Custodial History: This material was part of the Johnny Hauck Collection, MG-63. Because of the specific nature of the material, it was extracted to create a separate manuscript group.; Cataloged prior to July 1997; added to database 8 February 2018.

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https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/89baf468-c5e9-41c1-8be3-814758295981

Collection: John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection

Title: John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection

Object ID: MG0019

Date Range: 1850-1993

September 1955. Insert 7 Letter from Robert C. Batchelder of Saint James’ Church to John Andrews commenting on the paper he wrote on John Wise. Invitation to the Lancaster Public Library. 2-21 April 1956. �230 North President Avenue • Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603-3125 717.392.4633

1 document

Collection: John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection

Title: John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection

Description: The John Wise and History of Ballooning Collection contains material about John Wise, a pioneering balloonist from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and the history of ballooning. Articles written by and about John Wise provide information about the man and his career. The bulk of Series 1 is correspondence, research notes, and drafts of "The John Wise Story," by John H. Andrews. Series 2 contains material about the ballooning hobby, other early aircraft, and the history of air mail.

Admin/Biographical History: As an adventurous and inquisitive young boy, John Wise was drawn to the skies above his native Lancaster County. He was fascinated by aerial pursuits and began to conduct experiments. He tied his cat to his homemade parachute and observed the cat's safe descent from a local church steeple.; A keen interest in ballooning developed and Wise became a famous aeronaut. Although balloon ascensions were common at county fairs and carnivals he had never observed an ascension before he made his first one in Philadelphia in 1835. John Wise completed 462 balloon ascensions including Lancaster ascensions from Penn Square and the prison yard.; In the nineteenth century many ascensions were made just for the novelty of the event, but John Wise's approach was from a scientific perspective. Each ascension gave him a chance to conduct scientific investigations of the atmosphere, pneumatics and hydrostatics.; It also gave him the opportunity to develop a more advanced flying machine. Wise was the first to observe the "great river of air which always blows from west to east" in the higher regions of the atmosphere. Today we call this phenomenon the jet stream. He also developed the ripcord safety mechanism.; John Wise promoted the advantages of balloon transportation. In 1843 he conceived a project for crossing the Atlantic Ocean and asked Congress to appropriate $15,000 for the project. Congress rejected the appropriation. Wise suggested a plan to bomb the Castle at Vera Cruz during the Mexican War and during the Civil War the Bureau of Topographical Engineers requested his services as a balloonist. He is credited with the first airmail transportation in 1859.; Detailed descriptions of his ascensions and experiments are found in his book, Through the Air, published in 1873. The last ascent of John Wise took place on September 29, 1879 from St. Louis, Missouri. This flight ended disastrously in Lake Michigan where his balloon fell and his remains lie.; Prepared by the Lancaster County Historical Society, ca. 1995.

System of Arrangement: This collection is arranged into two series.; Series 1 John Wise; Series 2 History of Ballooning

Date Range: 1850-1993

Creation Date: 1850-1993

Year Range From: 1850

Year Range To: 1993

Date of Accumulation: 1850-1993

Creator: Andrews, John H.

Storage Location: LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA

Storage Room: Archives South

Storage Wall: Side 01

People: Albertson, Catherine; Andrews, John Henry; Atkinson, S. C.; Bache, Hartman; Ball, Charles I.; Bartlett, Mrs. R. A.; Batchelder, Robert C.; Beckwith, A.; Beller, William; Black, J. W.; Blanchard, Jean Pierre; Blitzstein, Madelin; Bradbury, Ray; Brown, Elizabeth B.; Bruce, George; Burlingame, Roger; Burr, George; Byars, W. W.; Casey, Louis; Cessna, Clyde; Coffman, Ramon; Cornish, Joseph Jenkins, III; Cox, Palmer; Douty, Esther; Douty, Esther M.; Drepperd, Carl W.; Edwards, Vincent; Elvin, Thomas; Evans, William; Field, Francis J.; Fischer, Hans; Fleck, Glen; French, Melvin; Galzer, Emmett J.; Gambetta, Francis Leon; Greeley, A. W.; Grimm, Janet; Gryzewski, Tad; Halmi, Robert; Harrell, D. Tudor; Hautrive, M.; Hayden, F. Stansbury; Hopkins, Philip S.; Hunt, E. F.; Ingle, Harold E.; Kehr, Ernest A.; Keith, Barbara; Kessler, F. W.; Klein, Frederic S.; Kouwenhoven, John A.; Kreider, Ira; Kriebel, Robert C.; Kriebel, Robert G.; Lamorisse, Albert; LaPaz, Lincoln; Lindbergh, Charles; Lindquist, H. L.; Long, Elmer R.; Lundgren, Laura May Gross; Madsen, Peter; Maier, Alfred D.; Maxwell, George T.; McCloskey, Lores; McDevitt, William; Mills, James; Myers, Wilfred; Naves, Glen W.; Nicklin, John; Pasquarella, Gus; Peers, W.; Prevost, John W.; Roland, John; Rosenfeld, Albert; Sanabria, Nicolas; Schatvet, H. C.; Serviss, Garrett P.; Smith, Philip R., Jr.; Stehling, Kurt R; Steinmetz, Rollin; Stilphen, George F.; Taylor, Florence; Thompson, Howard; Topping, A.D.; Waitt, Robert; Warner, B. H.; Watson, Marion A.; Wetherill, Richard B.; Whipple, A. W.; Wilbur, W. H.; Wise, John; Wiseman, Frederick J.; Wolcott, Charles; Wolf, Constance; Woodruff, J. C.; Wright, Wilbur; Young, Pearl

Other Creators: Lancaster County Historical Society (Pa.)

Subjects: Hot air balloons; Hot air balloons--Launching; Airships; Aeronautics; Letters; Air mail service; Hindenburg (Airship); Reconnaissance aircraft; Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)

Search Terms: Aeronautics; Air mail service; Airships; Aviation; Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.); Correspondence; Finding aids; Hindenburg (Airship); Hot air balloons; Letters; Manuscript groups; Newspaper clippings; Obituaries; Reconnaissance aircraft

Extent: 3 boxes, 40 folders, 1 scrapbook, 1 cubic ft.

Object Name: Archive

Language: English

Object ID: MG0019

Access Conditions / Restrictions: No restrictions.

Copyright: Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.; Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.

Credit: Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Other Numbers: MG-19

Classification: MG0019

Description Level: Fonds

Custodial History: This collection was cataloged prior to 1997; added to database on 28 February 2018.

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Finding Aid

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Wallet

https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/85bac1c5-4213-4e92-9e6c-089118124528

Collection: History Collection: Person, Johnny Hauck

Object ID: 2004.039.5

Date Range: 1950-1970

Collection: History Collection: Person, Johnny Hauck

Description: Wallet embossed with boxing gloves, gift to Johnny Hauck from Lena and Guy

Date Range: 1950-1970

Year Range From: 1950

Year Range To: 1970

Last Owner: Hauck, Johnny

Storage Location: LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA

Storage Room: DAC

Storage Wall: North Wall

Storage Cabinet: Unit 04

Storage Drawer: Drawer 16

Subcategory: Personal Gear

Object Name: Wallet

Material: Leather

Length (in): 5

Width (in): 7

Condition: Good

Object ID: 2004.039.5

Accession Number: 2004.039

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Wallet

https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/85bac1c5-4213-4e92-9e6c-089118124528