[Pair of Mid-19th Century Broadsides Celebrating the Fourth of July at the Ninth Street Baptist Church in Cincinnati]

Cincinnati, 1842. Very good.. Two letterpress broadsides, 16 x 7.25 inches and 17 x 6.25 inches, respectively. Old folds, noticeable foxing, moderate edge wear, two-inch vertical closed tear to bottom edge of one broadside. A handsome pair of patriotic broadsides printed in Cincinnati for two separate celebrations of July 4th by the city's Ninth Street Baptist Church and Sabbath School. The first broadside was printed for the Independence Day celebration in 1842, and contains an imprint line reading, "Printed by S.W. Johns, Cincinnati." The second broadside contains neither a date or an imprint. Both of the broadsides feature a schedule of events celebrating the Fourth of July, with a couple of the same religious officials delivering prayers, songs, addresses, and readings, most notably of the Declaration of Independence on both pieces. For example, each broadside includes an address by Robert Lynd; also, John M'Lean Staughton delivers a poem in one case and a "Temperance Address" on the other. In fact, the second broadside seems to focus on temperance as a theme for the day. Both broadsides are emblematic of the patriotic fervor that was rekindled during the religious revivals of the 1830s and '40s.

The Ninth Street Baptist Church in Cincinnati was founded in 1830, and after congregating in various temporary locations, built its own house of worship in 1836. The leader of the early church was Rev. Samuel W. Lynd, who delivers the closing address on the undated broadside here, perhaps indicating it was printed before the 1842 example. Since Reverend Lynd left the Cincinnati church in 1845 for another church in St. Louis, the undated example certainly dates from before then. No copies of either broadside are reported in OCLC.