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  • About Us
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    • Contact Us
  • Visiting
  • Timeline
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    • The Communiqué
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  • Events
  • Virtual Events
  • Collections
    • Newest Aqusitions
    • Finding Aids >
      • Eliza Elvira Kenyon Papers, 1800-1911
      • Harold Family Papers, 1906-1995
      • Kenyon Gardens Association Records, 1916-1929
      • Plainfield Ephemera Collection, 1830-2017, with gaps
      • Plainfield Families Collection, 1761-1969, with gaps
    • Exhibits >
      • Plainfield During WWI and the Influenza Pandemic Exhibit
    • Restoration
    • Medal Of Honor
    • Roll Call Of Honor
    • The Last Will & Testament of Isaac Drake, 1756
    • Ephemera
    • Donate To The Collection
  • Education
    • At Home Learning
    • Historic Districts
    • Historic Places
    • Architectural Walk: VWB
    • Historic North Plainfield
    • Did You Know?
    • Links To The Past
  • Memberships/Donate
    • Memberships
    • Restoration 2023
    • Volunteer
  • Shop

Plainfield Ephemera Collection
​1830-2017, with gaps ​


Finding aid published in 2017. Copyright Historical Society of Plainfield.
Created by the Historical Society of Plainfield
Dates: 1830-2017, with gaps
Extent: 1 document case

Abstract: The Historical Society of Plainfield Ephemera Collection contains a wide variety of ephemera examples that span nearly 200 years of Plainfield area history. Local businesses, events, locations, and individuals are documented through advertising, promotional materials, programs, and other materials. 

Language: English
Repository: Historical Society of Plainfield, Drake House Museum, 602 West Front Street, Plainfield, NJ 07060, 908-755-5831, drakehouseplainfieldnj@gmail.com, www.drakehouseplainfieldnj.org
Conditions Governing Use: This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Reproduction: Copyright restrictions apply. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility rests exclusively with the user.
Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], Plainfield Ephemera Collection of Historical Society of Plainfield, Plainfield, N.J.
Physical Access: The items in this collection may be used by patrons who abide by the guidelines of the Historical Society of Plainfield Archive.
Technical Access: No additional technology is required to use this collection.
Collection Processed by: Debra Schiff, Archivist, in 2016-2017
Finding Aid Author: Debra Schiff, Archivist
Description Control: Description based on DACS.

Administrative History:
Since its inception, the Historical Society of Plainfield has collected ephemera for a variety of reasons. First, the members collect donations to document businesses, people, and places of the Plainfield area. Second, they collect ephemera for display and exhibit purposes. While ephemera also is found in other collections, such as the Ephemera Series within the Historical Society’s records, this collection is a grouping of materials without associations to other collections held at the Drake House.

Scope and Content:
The materials in this collection span the period from 1830-2017, with large gaps in the mid-1800s and latter 1900s. Nearly half of the collection is undated.
The types of materials include calling cards, funeral cards, postcards advertising local businesses, greeting cards, programs, promotional materials, ration books, tickets, and others. Of note are the World War II items, early promotional materials, and programs for local events.

Organization and Arrangement:
The Ephemera Collection is primarily divided into 10 series: Calendars, Calling Cards, Funeral Cards, Greeting Cards, Postcards, Programs, Promotional Materials, Ration Books, Tickets, and Works on Paper. Within the series, it arranged by date and alphabetically. Some of the ephemera fall outside of those series, and those items are arranged alphabetically.

Index Terms:
Corporate Names/Organizations:
Boises’
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Grand Army of the Republic
Liberty Theatre
Mill End Shop
Nechin’s Pipe Shop
Netherwood Heights Association
Plainfield Mendelssohn Glee Club
Plainfield Musical Club
Plainfield Outdoor Festival of Art
R.J. Goerke Co.
Silver East
Subjects:
Advertising
Air mail service
Funeral rites and ceremonies
Funeral prayer cards
Grand Army of the Republic
Local currency
National Airmail Week
Poetry.
Political campaigns
Ration books
Rationing
World War II, 1939-1945
People:
Cembrola, Orestes (Rusty)
Chapin, Clara E.
Collier, Paul R.
Gilby, Emily E.
Goerke, R.J.
Kimball, Thomas
McPhereson, James B.
Places:
Plainfield (N.J.)
​Union County (N.J.)
Genre Terms:
Calendars
Calling cards
Catalogs
Ephemera
Funeral cards
Greeting cards
Local currency
Membership cards
Poetry booklets
Postcards
Programs
Promotional materials
Ration books
Stationery
Tickets
Works on paper

Container List

Box 1, Ephemera, undated and 1830-2017, with gaps

Folder Number

Series

Folder Title

Date

1        

Calendars

Netherwood Heights Association Calendars

2007-2017

2        

Calendars

Plainfield, N.J. Visions of Yesteryear Calendar

1990

3        

Calling Cards

Calling Cards

Undated

4        

Catalogs

Boises’ Gift Catalog

Undated

5        

Envelopes

Nechin’s Pipe Shop

Undated

6        

Funeral Cards

Funeral Card for Gilby, Emily E.

1886

7        

Greeting Cards

Florist Cards

Undated

8        

Greeting Cards

Greeting Cards

Undated

9        

Greeting cards

Holiday Greeting Cards

Undated

10     

Labels

World War II Bond Labels

1944

11     

Local Currency

Union County Three Dollar Bill

Undated

12     

Membership Cards

Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle Membership Card

1883

13     

Poetry Booklets

Christmas Poetry Booklets

Undated

14     

Postcards

Cembrola, Orestes (Rusty) Re-election Campaign

1966

15     

Postcards

Collier, Paul R., Advertisement

Undated

16     

Postcards

McPhereson, James B. Calendar Card

1928

17     

Postcards

New Year’s Postcard

1924

18     

Postcards

Non-Plainfield Area Postcards

1906, 1909, Undated

19     

Programs

Liberty Theatre program

1930

20     

Programs

Local Musical Events programs

1921-1980, gaps

21     

Programs

National Music Week Celebration

1927-1928

22     

Programs

Plainfield Mendelssohn Glee Club

1942

23     

Programs

Plainfield Musical Club

1934

24     

Programs

Spielkartenfest and Plainfield Amateurs

1904, Undated

25     

Promotional Materials

Airmail envelopes, stamped

1939, 1946-1947

26     

Promotional Materials

4th of July Celebration Flyer

1840

27     

Promotional Materials

40th Annual Plainfield Outdoor Festival of Art

2003

28     

Promotional Materials

Junior Four Minute Men War Savings Contest

1918

29     

Promotional Materials

Mill End Shop

Undated

30     

Promotional Materials

Plainfield Area Industries

Undated

31     

Promotional Materials

R.J. Goerke Co.

Undated

32     

Promotional Materials

World War II Home Card

c. 1940s

33     

Promotional Materials

World War II War Work Campaign Flyer

c. 1940s

34     

Ration Books

Ration Books, Chapin, Clara E.

1943, Undated

35     

Stationery

Silver East Invitational

Undated

36     

Tickets

Grand Army of the Republic, Convention Tickets

1921-1924

37     

Tickets

Central Railroad of New Jersey Cancelled Tickets

1872-1874

38     

Works on Paper

Plainfield Centennial, Sketches of Plainfield Buildings by Thomas Kimball

1969