Grad's gift brings history alive

By Wendy Lovell

A stack of old newspapers seems anything but invaluable. But Fred Farrar's collection of hundreds of papers dating from 1559 is a goldmine for Washington and Lee University.

"This is one of the most valuable gifts special collections has ever been given," said Vaughan Stanley, Leyburn Library's special collections librarian. "There's nothing like seeing the real thing in front of you, spelling out history through descriptions and emotions. Our students and faculty are very fortunate."

Farrar's collection ranges from a 1559 copy of the German newspaper Newe Zeitung to 18th and 19th century English and Colonial newspapers. It also covers Union and Confederate accounts of the Civil War, as well as news coverage of every U.S. presidential election from 1789 to 2000.

"People from history come alive when you read about them in newspapers," said Farrar, a 1941 graduate of W&L. "You learn about the way they lived back then. These papers are filled with interesting stories, humor and riddles."

The department is making plans to develop a history course based in part on the Farrar collection.

Farrar began collecting historical newspapers and rare books during his 33-year career as an advertising executive in New York. He became so intrigued by his collection that he pursued a master's degree in history to learn more about the events covered in his collection. In 1980, that knowledge combined with his experience in advertising parlayed into a teaching position at Temple University in Philadelphia.

There, Farrar used part of his collection to teach the history of journalism. Colonial papers including The Pennsylvania Packet, The Boston News-Letter and the New-England Chronicle brought the American Revolution to life, while issues of The Gentleman's Magazine and The Morning Chronicle and London Advertizer told the British side of the story.

"The difference between students reading real papers and history books is incredible," said Farrar. "They don't believe the books, but they will believe the papers."

At 85, Farrar remains active on the lecture circuit and draws on his historic newspapers in addressing a variety of audiences. His eagerness to share his treasures with students' young and old compelled friends and fellow historians to supplement his collection. He attributes other additions to being in the right place at the right time.

Farrar's most prized newspaper, the July 18, 1776, issue of The New-England Chronicle, was the first printing of the Declaration of Independence to reach the citizens of Boston. He received it from a rare book collector and dealer on the condition that he never sell the newspaper and that he make copies of it for students.

Farrar has held up his end of the bargain, estimating that he has shared that 1776 issue with about 20,000 people over the years. Now, it is W&L's responsibility to follow in his footsteps.

To date, Farrar has given the University 30 British newspapers from 1756 to 1816 and 300 issues of The Morning Chronicle. He plans to return to Lexington several times a year to transfer more of his collection, as well as his knowledge about the newspapers.

"What even better (than the gift) is to learn about these papers from Mr. Farrar himself," said Stanley. "He's as much a social historian as a journalist, and he knows so much about these papers. Absorbing this information from him is truly invaluable."