100 years ago on this day (July 12), the above ad ran in the Courier. It caught my eye initially because of the spelling error (editor missed the "t" in Knowlton), but it also reminded me that some designs truly have endured. The bottom photo is the sharpener in the Archives, probably quite similar to the one described in the ad. After many attempts with an electric sharpener, the department went back to an old, reliable manual model a couple years ago. (Thanks, Becky B.!)
Patrons young and old are happy to have a well-sharpened pencil to use for their research. Folks from other departments in the Library are also known to stop by to use this modern miracle. My point? There's always something fascinating to discover in the Champaign County Historical Archives! (mh)