Biography of George H. Newton
George H. Newton was born June 13, 1831 in Monson, Massachusetts. He was a man with many occupations, including lawyer, insurance agent, real estate broker, auctioneer, lecturer, showman and promoter. On November 22, 1880 he purchased a Right Whale carcass at Provincetown for $450.00. The whale was then towed to Boston, where it was hoisted out of the water, put aboard two 32′ railroad flatcars, and transported to Chicago, Illinois for exhibit. Arriving in Chicago on December 20th, the exhibition was put into the hands of Fred J. Engelhardt, who purchased a half interest in the whale from Newton, and became its manager. The partnership was known as the Pioneer Inland Whaling Assocation, with Newton the senior partner acting as pitch man, and presenting a discourse on the whale to all those paying admission (10 to 25 cents each.) After a four week stay in Chicago, the Show hit the road (by rail), visiting Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, and Detroit, before finally renting a camp site, named “Camp Baliene,” near Bay County, Michigan in May, 1881. Here they attempted to embalm the deteriorating carcass, and otherwise prepare for another exhibit season. By the end of June they were back on tour again, but with much less success than before. Traveling through the Mid-West, South, and East, they fought continuous financial problems. Newton and Engelhardt eventually dissolved their partnership, and the show finally went bust at Poughkeepsie, N.Y. in September 1882, when the troupe could not pay their bills to get out of town. The fate of the rotting whale carcass remains unknown.
George H. Newton died May 6, 1895.
Restrictions
Restrictions on Access
Available for use in the Manuscripts Division
Restrictions on Use
Various copying restriction apply. Guidelines are available from the Manuscripts Division.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the G. W. Blunt White Library. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Persons:
Engelhardt, Fred J.
Corporate Bodies (Including Vessels):
Pioneer Inland Whaling Association.
Places:
Monson (Mass.)
Subjects:
Entertainment events–Illinois–Chicago.
Right whales.
Whales. Whaling–Exhibitions.
Document Types:
Advertisements Tickets.
Occupations:
Entertainers Promoters.
Administrative Information
Coll. 197, Manuscripts Collection, G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
| Box | Folder | |
| 1 | 1 | Papers related to whale exhibition in Mid-West, 1880-1884 |
Papers and Correspondence, 1880-1884
| 2 | Papers and Correspondence, 1880 |
|
| 3 | Papers and Correspondence, 1881 Jan – Apr |
|
| 4 | Papers and Correspondence, 1881 May – Dec |
|
| 5 | Papers and Correspondence, 1883-1884 |
Whale Show- Broadsides, Advertisements, Clippings, undated
| 6 | Whale Show- Broadsides, Advertisements, Clippings, undated |
Business Cards, undated
| 7 | Business Cards, undated |
Miscellaneous, undated
| 8 | Miscellaneous, undated |
|
| 9 | Admission tickets, undated |