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📜 DOCUMENT OVERVIEW
Original May 7, 1894 billhead from THE FRANK E. MORSE COMPANY of New York City, a commission wholesale concern dealing heavily in ROCKLAND LIME, ROSENDALE CEMENT, PORTLAND CEMENT, brick, plaster, fire clay goods and related construction materials.
The invoice documents the sale of an impressive 100 BARRELS OF CEMENT, billed at 85¢ per barrel, for a gross amount of $85.00. A 2% deduction of $1.70 brings the final amount to $83.30.
🏪 PRINTED LETTERHEAD — TOP TO BOTTOM
The company officers printed across the top are:
FRANK E. MORSE, PREST.
BENJ. H. BELKNAP, VICE-PREST.
DEF. C. WILSEY, SEC’Y & TREAS.
The telephone information reads:
Telephone Call,
“3154 Cortlandt.”
The invoice is headed:
NEW YORK, May 7, 1894
The handwritten customer name appears to read:
Mr. Fred Freeman
The ornate printed heading continues:
BOUGHT OF
THE FRANK E. MORSE COMPANY,
COMMISSION WHOLESALE AGENTS FOR
ROCKLAND LIME, ROSENDALE & PORTLAND CEMENT,
followed by the company’s broader product line:
IMPORTED & AMERICAN PORTLAND CEMENTS, PENNSYLVANIA CEMENT, GOAT AND CATTLE HAIR, CALCINED PLASTER,
ORNAMENTAL FRONT BRICK, FIRE BRICK, FIRE CLAY GOODS, COLORIFIC—RED MORTAR COLOR.
The address is:
7 Coenties Slip, cor. Water Street.
A printed notice states:
PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
Another printed line reads:
All claims for deduction must be made immediately on receipt of goods.
🧱 HANDWRITTEN ITEMIZATION
The merchandise line reads:
100 Bbls. Cement @ .85
That calculates to:
100 barrels × $0.85 = $85.00
The accounting columns then show:
$85.00
2% — $1.70
NET — $83.30
The math is exact:
$85.00 − $1.70 = $83.30
💵 PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS
At the lower left, the printed form reads:
Make Note Payable to
and beneath it:
“ Check ”
These were blank accounting instructions incorporated into the firm’s invoice form.
🖋️ RECEIPT / PAYMENT MARKINGS
The center of the bill carries overlapping purple receipt stamping and prominent red handwritten accounting notations. The red writing includes a date that appears to be May 11, 1894.
Because portions of the purple stamp are obscured by the red writing and the original folds, I would describe it in the listing as an original period RECEIVED/ACCOUNTING stamp and payment notation rather than inventing any obscured wording.
🏗️ 100 BARRELS OF CEMENT
The scale of this transaction is what makes the piece interesting. This was not a retail sack or small local purchase but a wholesale shipment of 100 BARRELS, demonstrating the bulk building-material trade of the 1890s.
🧱 Cement was commonly shipped in barrels during the 19th century before paper sacks became dominant. New York wholesalers served as important distributors between manufacturers and rapidly growing urban construction markets.
🏛️ ROCKLAND LIME
The company prominently advertised itself as an agent for ROCKLAND LIME. Lime production was a major Maine industry, particularly around Rockland and Rockport. Historical accounts describe the Rockland region’s lime industry as supplying cities farther south for mortar and plaster, with shipping, barrel making and other industries developing around the trade.
🏛️ ROSENDALE & PORTLAND CEMENT
The oversized typography for ROSENDALE & PORTLAND CEMENT reflects an important transition in American building technology. Natural Rosendale cement had become a major 19th-century construction material, while Portland cement was increasingly competing with and eventually replacing natural cement for many applications.
⭐ WHY THIS STANDS OUT
This is a particularly strong piece of 1890s BUILDING MATERIALS AND INDUSTRIAL EPHEMERA because the billhead itself prominently advertises:
ROCKLAND LIME
ROSENDALE CEMENT
PORTLAND CEMENT
FIRE BRICK
FIRE CLAY GOODS
CALCINED PLASTER
ORNAMENTAL FRONT BRICK
🧱 The handwritten sale of 100 BARRELS OF CEMENT for $85.00 gives the document an unusually substantial and easy-to-understand industrial transaction.
🏙️ The 7 Coenties Slip / Water Street New York location also connects the document with the old Lower Manhattan waterfront commercial district, where heavy materials could be received and distributed efficiently.
📌 CONDITION
Original 1894 commercial billhead with strong period typography and extensive original accounting use. The sheet has its original horizontal and vertical folds, light general toning, scattered handling marks and minor edge wear. Period purple receipt stamping and bold red handwritten payment/accounting annotations cross the center of the invoice. Despite the overlapping markings, the major company heading, merchandise line, pricing and $83.30 net total remain clearly readable. Please examine all supplied front-side photographs closely for complete condition.
