Saturday, April 9, 2016

The Tax Man Cometh

Want to know about Conway taxes in 1916? We have you covered at the Conway Public Library's Henney History Room.




Here you can find a remarkable set of one hundred year old records. They are large, heavy, unwieldy books 15 x 17 inches and almost three inches thick. They are truly a pleasure to behold. The leather bound binding is a work of art in itself. 


 

They are finely embossed and engraved with red Moroccan leather corners, gilt lettering, marbled end papers and so on. Each page is a pre-printed two page spreadsheet with columns that document taxable property. The details are hand written in an elegant script.  
 
 
 


Reading from left to right the column headings are designed to record the following: names, land, buildings, horses, mules, oxen, cows, sheep, hogs, fowl, vehicles including automobiles, portable mills, boats and launches, and other details. There are many interesting facts that can be seen from studying these records.

Please comment if you would like to learn more.




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