Heel History
By Billy Arthur
Blum ’s Almanac
Since 1828, this indispensable journal has provided all North
Carolinians need to know alxnit life in the
'Гаг
Heel State.
In the l.SSO.s when Tar Heel
educator», editors and politicians
were proposing establishment of
an agricultural college, the
respec ted General Thomas L. Cling-
man spoke his piece, too. declaring,
"College! Godamightv. all you need is
North Carolina soil, sweat *n work and
HI inn's
Митинг
Thai congressman, scientist, lawyer and
fanner, who has been called by one his¬
torian "probably the best informed man
North Carolina ever produced," should
have known what he was talking about.
For many years he had referred to Ilium's
Farmer's and Planter's Almanac Un its long-
range weather predictions and for plant¬
ing and harvesting traditions.
Appealing for the liist time in 1828.
Blum's Almanac is the state's oldest con¬
tinually published magazine and has
thereby satisfied Old Salem publisher
John Christian Blum's hopes of it being
"an indispensable journal."
Kxccpt for the price, the upcoming
1 994 issue in format and content is
much like the first and all in between. It
informs, enlightens and entertains. It
Continues to devote two pages to each
month in the year, one being a calendar
page* of astronomy, sun risings and set¬
tings. notable weekdays, holidays and
Sundays (with suggested Bible read¬
ings). The facing page bears the tradi¬
tional woodcut, depicting jobs to be
done during the month, plus dates and
times of the moon's phases, weather
forecasts, planting tables and "best days"
for specific tasks in both urban gardens
and on rural farms.
The remainder of the annual contains
general-interest articles, proverbs on
moral precepts, household and health
hints, recipes. Ik*si days for catching fish,
philosophy, jokes and riddles. Again this
year Winston-Salem's Phil Woods' unique
weather forecast appears as an accompa¬
niment to the syndicated feature.
I wice, Blum's Almanac has made the
Congressional Record when U.S. Rep¬
resentatives Thurmond Chatham, first,
and William Neal pre¬
sented copies to their
colleagues. Congress
was told: "In North Car¬
olina we live and die by
Blum s Almanac. We plan
our trips according to
the weather forecast, we
do our tooth-pulling
when the sign is in the
feet, expect our babies
in the full of the moon
and plant our turnips on
the dark nights of
August. The splendid
anecdotes, jokes and sto-
ries have been used by
generations of teachers,
preachers and politi¬
cians. ...”
A reviewer has said. "It has no peer
when it comes to the wide variety of
information offered in a magazine . . .
and (it) combines the handiness of the
Reader's Digest with the euridilion of the
Encyclopedia Bn tan nica. ~
It is also closely connected with the
Christmas and New Year holidays. John
Christian Blum, publisher of three week¬
ly newspapers who had come from the
almanac country of Pennsylvania, was
working on the first to Ik* issued in this
state at Salem. Also an agent of the Cape-
Fear Bank of Wilmington, he kept it in
his home to Safeguard his and the bank's
cash.
On the night of December 21. 1828.
he prepared to go to the Moravian
Church to perform his customary duties
as coffeemaker and server at the Chi ist-
mas love feast. Traditionally, too. he lit
a candle in his room. And departed.
Within 10 minutes a fire was dis¬
covered and quickly extinguished. The
Moravian Minutes, meticulously kept
each day by the Historian of Unitas
Fiat rum in Old Salem, noted: "Great was
the escape of the house and the whole
town; great, however, was also the loss in
the burned paper money, for a careful
investigation showed that in the time of
10 minutes SIO.OOO had been destroyed.
"Instead of preaching, a special service
was held in which we brought our thanks
to God our I.ord for the protection
given: we thought with sympathy of oui
hard hit and deeply depressed Christian
Blum."
Nothing is further recorded whether
and how the loss was re¬
couped. but it was thought
the government made-
good the destroyed cur¬
rency. Nevertheless. Blum
worked his pre-ss hands day
and night to get out the
first almanac on time.
That same year of 1828,
in Raleigh. Turner's
Almanac was laum heel. It's
unusual to find two well-
known kindred publica¬
tions in the same state; so
Blum's purchased Turn¬
er's in 1921. Today Blum's
is called Turner's from
Raleigh east, but the con¬
tents arc identical.
Tin* press on which the
first almanac was printed was purchased
by Blum in Hillsborough and brought
there bv British General Cornwallis. But
the Patriots didn't let him stop long
enough in one place to do any printing.
Made almost entirely of wood and capa¬
ble of 240 impressions an hour, it was ex¬
hibited and demonstrated many years in
this century in the Moravian Museum at
Old Salem. Now in storage, it may Ik* put
on display again when a new museum is
built.
In time for Christmas giving and the
beginning of a new year, more than
G00.000 copies of the 1994 issue have
been distributed mostly cast of the Mis¬
sissippi River for sale in stores and news¬
stands at S2.25 per copy. In contrast, the
first issues in tin* 19th century sold for
10 cents per copy and 75 cents per
dozen.
Since the Blum family, the almanac
has had but three owners, all in U’inston-
Now in its 165th year. Blum's
Almanac has survived the test
of time.
the Slatf/Dcvcmbcr 199)
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