Charles Eastman & Co. Letterbook, 1828 – 1834
The South Hadley (Massachusetts) Canal opened in 1795 to bypass waterfalls on the Connecticut River and it was one of the earliest canals in the United States. Steamboat traffic on the canal began in 1828. This letter book was kept by Charles Eastman (1803 – 1884) and contains copies of outgoing correspondence. Charles Eastman and Co. was engaged in the manufacturing and wholesale trade of buttons, lastings, sheets, fabrics, pins and hardware. His letterbook contains over 100 letters relating to his business trade on the canal. The volume also contains two inventories, apparently for a store, from 1829
