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