Long-lost letter arrives 60 years late
1948 marked KU's first Orange Bowl appearance. Dewey defeated Truman for a day. It's also the year Gertrude Gilmore of Old West Lawrence mailed a letter to her friend Sally in Connecticut. 6News reporter Lindsey Slater delivers the story. Enlarge video
A letter that a Lawrence woman received last week gives new meaning to "It got lost in the mail."
Xan Wedel opened her mailbox Friday and found a letter postmarked Nov. 11, 1948.
It was sent from her home at 700 Ohio that year by Gertrude Gilmore, who lived there at the time.
"The plaque on the front of our house says 'Gilmore,' so I assume the Gilmore family built our home in 1890, and I think this must have been one of their daughters," said Wedel, who has lived in the Old West Lawrence home for almost four years.
Gilmore was trying to mail the letter to someone named Sally in Connecticut. It's unclear where the letter spent the last 60 years.
"It's impossible to really know what may or may not have happened," said Lawrence Postmaster Judy Raney. "No matter what, we always take it and go ahead and send it on."
Wedel noted that stamped on the envelope was "Return to Sender" and "Found in supposedly empty equipment."
"I'm not sure what that means from the postal service, but it finally got returned 60 years later," Wedel said.
The letter mentions that "All Lawrence is in mourning since the election," during which Harry S. Truman beat Thomas E. Dewey for the presidency of the United States. She also talks about her new Westinghouse electric refrigerator and the new pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church, Dale Turner.
"Just a fascinating glimpse of Lawrence at that time," Wedel said.
And it's not exactly a regular occurrence to have historical missives arrive in mailboxes.
"Every so often you'll hear about it somewhere in the country that a letter showed up," Raney said. "We don't know if it was within our own system or reintroduced into the system by someone else."
But Wedel is preserving her piece of history. She took photos of the envelope and four-page letter and scanned them both into her computer. The arrival also piqued her interest in the family that built her home.
"It would be really interesting to see if they are still in town or have any descendants that would know the history behind her and who she was writing," Wedel said.
Comments
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igby (anonymous) says…
Tom Dewey! ha, mourning, ha!When Obama, loses this November, 19 cities across America will be under marshal law. Half burnt out with billions of property damage from weeks of rioting, the FBI will have over 8 million people in federal holding camps pending court hearings. They will be tried under the terrorism act, I'm sure. Lol.
clyde_never_barks (anonymous) says…
Isn't it a Federal Crime to open mail not addressed to you?
kujayhawk (anonymous) says…
Didn't this happen a few years ago in Lawrence, too?
tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…
Talk about yer snail mail!
gontek (anonymous) says…
Good thing it wasn't something important like a check or tickets to the IRL races in 2005. It would be a real bummer to get something like that a month late in the mail.
gabbo (anonymous) says…
Doc, Whatever you do, please open the letter before 1985. Libyans!!!Love,Marty
gkwhdw (anonymous) says…
Maybe the Lawrence historical society or the Watkins Museum would be interested in the letter. It would be a nice place to preserve its pristine state. Myself I love old memories like this especially this one. I'm getting older and have been around these parts forever, born and raised here. Hope the new owners of this piece of history take good care of it.
Solomon (anonymous) says…
I yearn for the Lawrence of my youth. The Lawrence that would mourn the election of a Democrat.
Sen_Fudgepack (anonymous) says…
Has nothing to do with the fact that he was a democrat... It was because he was from missorry... You must be a newb to KS...
DanAlexander (Dan Alexander) says…
I've opened junk mail envelopes with more care. Seriously though, tell me she didn't rip into it like the picture would suggest.
unite2revolt (anonymous) says…
Its likely that what happened was that the letter got jammed inside a peice of sorting equipment, which was where it was torn. I have actually received very small portions of destroyed mail in plastic bags from the post office. I would'nt be suprised if this one came in a bag as well.
Sen_Fudgepack (anonymous) says…
They said it was found in supposedly empty equipment...That makes me wonder how equipment has been sitting around the post office for 50 years without being used... Another fine example of our tax dollars at work...
LawrenceTownie (anonymous) says…
It would be nice to see this letter and envelope at the Watkins Museum. I would also be interested if the sender is still alive living in Lawrence or elsewhere. And what about the intended receiver, is she still alive also?
Marty_McFly (anonymous) says…
gabbo (Anonymous) says: Doc,Whatever you do, please open the letter before 1985. Libyans!!!Love,Marty--------------I couldn't have said it any better.Marty McFly
thebigspoon (anonymous) says…
Do Not Open Until Nov. 12, 1955 Dear Marty, if my calculations are correct you will receive this letter immediately after you saw the DeLorean struck by lightning. First, let me assure you that I am alive and well. I've been living happily these past 8 months in the year 1885. The lightning bolt that hit the DeLorean caused a gigawatt overload which scrambled the time circuits, activated the flux capacitor, and sent me back to 1885. The overload shorted out the time circuits and destroyed the flying circuits. Unfortunately, the car will never fly again. I set myself up as a blacksmith as a front while I attempted to repair the damage to the time circuits. Unfortunately, this proved impossible because suitable replacement parts will not be invented until 1947. However, I've gotten quite adept at shoeing horses and fixing wagons. I have buried the DeLorean in the abandoned Delgado Mine, adjacent to the Old Boot Hill cemetery, as shown on the enclosed map. Hopefully, it should remain undisturbed and preserved until you uncover it in 1955. Inside you will find repair instructions. My 1955 counterpart should have no problem repairing it so that you can drive it back to the future. Once you have returned to 1985, destroy the time machine. Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to come back here to get me. I am perfectly happy living in the fresh air and the wide-open spaces, and I fear that unnecessary time travel only risks further disruption of the space-time continuum. And please take care of Einstein for me. I know that you will give him a good home. Remember to walk him twice a day, and that he only likes canned dog food. These are my wishes; please respect them and follow them. And so Marty, I now say farewell and wish you Godspeed. You've been a good, kind, and loyal friend to me. You've made a real difference in my life. I will always treasure our relationship and think on you with fond memories, warm feelings, and a special place in my heart. Your friend in time, Doc, Emmett L Brown. September 1st, 1885.
Marty_McFly (anonymous) says…
Doc Brown is alive and well at the 3:33 mark.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxQ04LNjaPo
suz0430 (anonymous) says…
Gertrude Gilmore sold 700 Ohio to my parents : John Thomas and LouAnn Adams on or about 1960. Gertrude has since died. I grew up and enjoyed living at 700 Ohio until my marriage in 1977. I moved with my husband, Ted Sharp, to Enfield, CT in 1978, but my parents continued to live at 700 Ohio. My mother sold the house to the woman in your article a couple of years ago. My mother, LouAnn Adams, continues to live in Lawrence and is a wealth of knowledge about Ms. Gilmore and that historical piece of property, so I recommend that you contact her for the rest of the story! Thank you for the opportunity to comment, Suzanne Adams Sharp
bad_dog (anonymous) says…
Thank you for the courteous, on point and apolitical post Ms. Sharp!