In 1846, the first plank road in the United States was completed between Salina (Syracuse, New York) and Central Square. Another plank road nearby, the Auburn and Moravia Plank Road, was organized in 1848. It’s 18-mile length connected Auburn and Moravia. Recently an interesting lot of 45 items relating to the A and M was offered on Rare Book Hub's eCatalogues. It was a mixed group of printed and manuscript material that captures the spirit of that time. I have long been interested how the New York road system developed. When I saw it, I pounced.
In the documents dating from 1848, one name consistently appears, David Wright, who served as the company’s president from its early stages through to at least 1862. Among the documents are six appealing stock certificates, all signed by Mr. Wright. Fittingly, No.1 was both issued and signed by Mr. Wright.
Other stock certificates are interesting. No. 79 was issued to Samual Eddy, a well-known figure (and constable) in the Auburn/Owasco area. No. 81 was issued to Theron Green, who represented the established village leadership. No. 93 was issued to John H. Chedell who was known as heavyweight in 19th-century finance and infrastructure.
Another printed document was one of the Auburn and Moravia Plank Road Company’s bonds. From what I gather, that bond, No. 3, was being paid up to November 7th, 1862.
That one and others, probably did not fare as well. This plank road was organized in the late 1848 during what has been described as the Plank Road Craze. Both investors and their engineers overestimated the useful life of the planks. The wood rotted more quickly than expected.
In addition to the printed documents, 38 manuscript documents related to this project including correspondence, invoices and payments to and from related parties were included.
Looking back, after the planks rotted, not all was lost. The road they built would become part of New York’s Route 38. If you by luck or chance make that drive, as you pass by Auburn, you’ll be on the very path this plank road made possible.
And how did I encounter this wonderful lot? It was posted by Michael Brown, ABAA, on eCatalogues on Rare Book Hub. I was lucky to see it before others did. His complex lots are significant additions to collections.
Sotheby’s, July 14: Henry De La Beche. "Awful Changes," 1830. $6,000 to $9,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: [Apollo 11]. Flight Plan, Complete Original Printing Signed by Buzz Aldrin. $5,000 to $8,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: Thomas Alva Edison. Documents Establishing and Ending the Edison Electric Railway Company. $20,000 to $30,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: Richard P. Feynman. Feynman's Lectures on Gravitation 1-16, Including the Original Transcriptions of Lectures 12-16 by Morinigo and Wagner, With Richard Feynman's Manuscript Notations, 1971. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: [Apollo 9]. A Group of Manuals and Mission Documents used by Stuart Roosa as a member of the Astronaut Support Crew. $5,000 to $8,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: [BYTE: The Small Systems Journal]. A collection of early foundational issues of Byte: The Small Systems Journal, with rare hardcover editions. $5,000 to $8,000.
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Inundation papyrus. P.Michael 4, the ‘Inundation papyrus’, a geographical account of the Nile near Canopus, in Greek, remains of two columns from a manuscript scroll on papyrus, Egypt, second century CE. £12,000-18,000
Forum, July 16: Book of Hours, use of Sarum, manuscript on vellum, 6 full-page miniatures, with famous Middle English inscriptions, Southern Netherlands for the English market, [c.1430]. £30,000-50,000
Forum, July 16: Qu'ran, Arabic manuscript on burnished, stencilled, and gold-flecked paper, 447ff., Sultanate Gujarat, Ahmadabad, [after 1411 but no later than 1442]. £15,000-20,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Turner (William). A New boke of the natures and properties of all wines that are commonly vsed here in England, rare first edition of the first English book on wine, By William Seres, 1568. £20,000-£30,000
Forum, July 16: Spenser (Edmund). The Faerie Queene. first edition, Printed [by John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, 1590. £30,000-40,000
Forum, July 16: Shakespeare (William). The Comedie of Errors, extracted from the first folio, Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount, 1623. £15,000-20,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Fleming (Ian). Casino Royale, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author, 1953. £40,000-60,000
Forum, July 16: d'Agoty (Jacques-Fabien Gautier). Anatomie de la Tête, first edition, Paris, chez le Sieur Gautier, 1748. £10,000-15,000
Forum, July 16: Martial Arts.- Lee (Bruce). 'Praying Mantis style' Kung Fu book, containing numerous annotations, diagrams and graphs in Bruce Lee's hand, c. 1960. £50,000-70,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Warre (Capt. Henry James). Sketches in North America and the Oregon Territory, first edition, rare hand-coloured issue, 1848. £30,000-40,000
Forum, July 16: Norie (John William). The Marine Atlas, or Seaman's Complete Pilot for all the principal places in the known world..., 1826. £30,000-50,000
Forum, July 16: Mao Tse-tung.- Kim Il-sung.-[Note book for visitors from China to Korea], signed by Mao and Kim, [Beijing, 1954]. £10,000-15,000
