1893 Handwritten Business Letter Galloway & Meek Borough Mitten Property Lease For Sale

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1893 Handwritten Business Letter Galloway & Meek Borough Mitten Property Lease:
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1893 Handwritten Business Letter Galloway & Meek Borough of Mitten Property Lease Sale Real Estate Antique Ephemera

3 pages 5" by 7.75".

Offered here is an original handwritten business letter dated January 15, 1893, addressed to Galloway & Meek, Gentlemen. Written in purple ink on lined paper, the letter discusses a property lease and potential sale, offering the property for $1,800 with financing at 4½ percent interest. The writer notes that the Borough of Mitten bonded $15,000 at the same rate. He further references tax receipts on file described as complete except County, School, and Poor of 1886, with a notation that "Gregg Lot" is missing. Signed with the initials H.K.H. with a notation "over," indicating continuation on the reverse.
A compelling snapshot of late 19th-century small-town real estate and municipal finance dealings. The paper is toned with age but the ink is bold and legible throughout. A fine piece for collectors of Victorian business correspondence, Pennsylvania ephemera, or American real estate history.
LISTING 2 — Reverse (Sept 9, 1871 copy letter + figures)
Title:1871 Handwritten Business Letter Daniel Fisher Grain House Sale Offer Slifer PA Antique Ephemera Copy
Description:
Offered here is an original handwritten letter marked "Copy" at the top, dated September 9, 1871, from Slifer P.O., Pa., written by Daniel Fisher to Mr. Charles Hastentine. In this candid business communication, Fisher makes good on a promise to provide figures on a grain house similar to one owned by a Mr. Datesman — quoting $1,450 (fourteen hundred and fifty dollars) not including scales, plus $400 for carpenter work, with the first price covering stone work and all. Fisher urges the recipient to decide quickly, noting that "the present offer will not be kept open indefinitely."
The right-hand column, annotated in the same hand and initialed H.K.H., provides a summary valuation drawn from papers at hand:
- 2 Lots: $650.00
- G. House: $14.50 (likely $1,450)
- Scales: $1.35 (likely $135)
- Freight: $4.50 (likely $4.50)
- Total: $2,239.50
A closing remark observes that "most people look ahead when April is only a little more than 2 months distant."
This letter is a fascinating piece of rural Pennsylvania commercial history, touching on grain storage infrastructure, property valuation, and negotiating tactics of the Reconstruction era. Ink is strong and legible; paper shows expected age toning. An excellent addition to any collection of 19th-century American business correspondence or Pennsylvania ephemera.