Author: columbiahistory

Gorgeous Replica Omega Seamaster Gold Watch

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I have two questions “Did they do it? Did they do the Worldtimer in steel?” It was only the second day at Baselworld 2019, and already the replica Omega was showing its newest novelties in secret, but to retailers only —no media was present and no photos were taken. For the past two exhibition cycles, I’ve been anxiously waiting for the 2015 platinum halo edition to make its way into the regular collection — and this must be the year.
“It’s amazing. It’s seriously gorgeous,” he added breathlessly, as though adjectives failed him in that particular moment. What I didn’t know is that fake Omega had not just shown him the blue-dialed Worldtimer in steel, but also an equally gorgeous Sedna gold variant with a stark white dial that complements the laser-ablated map relief in the center perfectly. Wait, laser-what?
It is just the laser-ablated. It is how Omega replica has rendered the gnomonic projection of the earth at the center of the dial in such staggering detail. Actually, the dial center’s grade 5 titanium surface is zapped with a laser at varying levels of intensity, creating chemical reactions that yield an equal variety of intense textures and colors, meant to evoke the planet’s seas and landmasses, encircled by a glass 24-hour ring. But what really surprised me about seeing this dial in the flesh is just how much depth and dimensionality it hides — not the same with the textured rotating globe that you might remember from geography class. The visually striking end result uses super-modern manufacturing methods to achieve the time-honored tradition of putting a map in the center of a world timers dial.
The rest of the eggshell-white dial is rendered in a somewhat traditional world timer manner: You have the beveled applied hour markers, a deep, tonneau-shaped date aperture at 6 o’clock, and subtle longitudinal striping, which seems a bit like the vertical “teak-deck” style dials from the 8500-series generation of Aqua Terra watches.
Functionality-wise, fake Omega’s new Worldtimer runs similar to a traditional GMT watch, albeit one whose information is simply presented in a different way. Rather than a 24-hour hand running around the center of the dial, as Omega did with its Calibre 8605-powered Aqua Terra GMT of year’s past, we now have a rotating 24-hour disc, which simply reads the local time in each of the world’s primary time zones.
Speaking of which, I had a love or dislike relationship with the Aqua Terra GMT of year’s past. On one hand, it was amazing, super legible, strongly water-resistant, and was full of a globetrotting movement that dunked on any of its contemporaries, making it a serious contender for true GMT supremacy.
At 43mm by 15.5mm, the new Worldtimer is hardly a small watch, but the fake Omega’s edits to this larger case included shortening and sharpening its twisted lugs, which now taper in a steeper downward angle, cutting the overall lug-to-lug measurement to 50mm and enabling the Rolex replica watches to sit closer to the wrist. Even in solid gold, and weighing just over 150 grams, it still wears comfortably, owing to the highly supportive leather strap which pushes directly downward from the lugs, rather than out and down, as stated in the previous generation. Everything about the redesign reinforces the fact that the original case size, and even weight, of the watch, is secondary to the design of the earpiece — Omega nailed it here.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it, that the world time traveler’s good watch is conspicuously lacking. When I say “yes,” I mean those that can easily adjust the hour hand while observing “family” or “global time,” and that is waterproof enough that the wearer doesn’t stop when looking at a hotel pool or seaside vacation halfway around the world.

watches

Pure Gold Rolex Submariner 1680

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Actor, executive producer, writer, Justin Theroux wears many hats. He has also become a style icon, though he doesn’t stick to the tradition of leading menswear in high-end designer threads (though he seems to like replica watches). Instead, he likes the skinny black jeans and leather motorcycle gear he has worn since college.
While he has appeared on the cover of GQ – and countless supermarket tabloids courtesy of his more famous predecessor – we admire his bucking trend, most other Tinseltown types blindly follow. Theroux’s clothes were sometimes criticized for being stuck in the 1990s, but his watch game was so powerful that all other tailors’ sins could be forgiven.
Theroux (of course) is a Rolex fan and prefers vintage models, and again he chooses fake watches less popular but with no lack of cool. Take the 18k gold Submariner Ref. He was recently found wearing it in 1680. Solid gold sub-dials are kind of rare because the model’s most popular and collectible reference is stainless steel. But wavering is a strong statement.
Theroux’s Rolex replica watch is actually from the year he was born in 1971. Prices are in the $40,000 range and are hard to find. It’s very similar to gold 16618, and it will cost you half as much (and is a good buy), but it has more vintage feelings, such as a “nipple” dial and acrylic glass. The story goes that Theroux began hunting down submarines as a birthday gift to himself in 1971.
Theroux is also known for his sturdy gold Rolex date President, which isn’t the first watch you’d expect from someone with his style, but he’s doing pretty well. He also saw Audemars Piguet, Cartier, and IWC sports in various red-carpet shows and magazine features. But we suspect it comes from his personal collection. So what replica watches should Theroux be wearing? We highly recommend the 1955 Rolex Explorer II 1655 – this was the first year that the reference made its debut. The watch became known as the Steve McQueen, and although there was little evidence that the actor had worn it, it was still a relatively unpopular watch. Rolex uses some design cues for the 40th-anniversary edition, but classic retro references are certainly rarer.

You know Texas Timex? Yes, it’s an Amazing Replica Rolex

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Fans of Rolex replica watches are familiar with the plethora of nicknames on some models. Some are fitting, like the “Paul Newman” while others are rather unlucky, like the “Smurf. So, “whatever you think about Rolex nicknames, they’ve been around for a long time and don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Rolex’s chief executive has been a nickname for decades, and the watch’s official name is Rolex Day-Date. But did you know that Rolex’s iconic precious metal dress watch is also known as Texas Timex?
Texas native Lyndon B. Johnson acted as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. In Rolex collecting communities, he was also famous as the first U.S. President to wear the Rolex Day-Date watch publicly and it is presumed that he is the reason that the replica watch picked up the “Rolex President” nickname. Actually, Rolex released an advertisement in 1966 proclaiming that the Day-Date was “The President’s Watch,” no doubt alluding to President LBJ’s timepiece choice.
Fellow Texans became so addicted to the solid 18k yellow gold Rolex status watch that local jewelers couldn’t keep up with demand and waitlists for the Day-Date began forming. Oil-producing Texas was flush with cash and the state’s mantra of “Everything’s Bigger in Texas” was just the right environment for Rolex’s flashiest watch to become the essential timepiece.
By the mid-1980s, more and more fake Rolex watches were sold in Texas than in any other state in the country. In 1983, a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date started at $7,950 at retail. Yet in spite of the hefty price tag, the replica watch became so popular in certain circles that it was taken as the Texas Timex. This is surely in reference to the cheap and common watch brand. The “Texas Timex” name soon expanded to refer to any solid yellow gold Rolex watch.
The appeal of Rolex is still powerful in Texas. Apart from being home to one of Rolex’s own Service Centers, the brand’s official website lists 33 authorized retailers in the Lone Star State, including a stand-alone boutique in Houston. Only California surpasses it with 40 authorized retail locations present in the state.

rolex watches from China

A Famous Mountaineer’s Rolex Replica

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British army officer and renowned mountaineer Tony sterilizer Aube was the first man to reach two mountains above 25,000 feet. Phillips will always be the auction house’s new platform, designed to “provide the best collectors of replica watches with private sales planning, programming, private sales, exhibitions, and innovative partnerships”- a move associated with the classic car market, where many truly top dollar examples such as the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO are offered through private sales. The Rolex Explorer 6105 is expected to be sold at a bargain price, which could be much higher if it piqued collectors’ interest.
Streather was given the fake watch by Rolex in 1955 when he was going to climb Kangchenjunga, one of the world’s highest peaks, located on the border of Nepal and India. He had scaled K2, the world’s second-highest peak, in 1953, the same year Sir Edmund Hillary, whose feat encouraged the Explorer, famously conquered Mt. Everest.
Leather, who later reached the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army’s famed Gloucestershire Regiment, died last year at the age of 92, and the watch now comes from his estate. Leather wore this ref. 6105 Explorer on the historic climb, proving Rolex’s claims about its reliability, and helping to establish the brand as the pinnacle of luxury sports watchmakers.

“Tony Streather was an amazing man,” says James Marks, Phillips’ International Specialist and Director of Watches. “His Rolex 6150 Explorer is a particular piece of history for the brand. Phillips Perpetual is proud to present the watch worn by Streather
In the 1960s, while furthering this military career, Streather was given a NATO strap for the replica watch which is now featured on it to this day. This historically meaningful replica Rolex Explorer also comes accompanied by an assortment of Streather memorabilia, which surely adds to its appeal in our mind and provides context for an important timepiece that should probably be in a museum.

Popular Apparel Trends Report in 2020

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What is new and popular in the promotional field? Vantage Apparel’s director of sales, Lauren Cocco, Shared the latest trends, including fashion impact, key industry products, and new decor concepts.
Look for “versatile” or transitional items that can be worn all day and have multiple USES. These styles can have different looks and can easily range from casual to athletic to complex, depending on their style.
For instance, the same promotional quarter-zip pullover comes in a variety of styles: add a layer of Henley on top of a sweater for a casual look with jeans and sneakers; Pair a shirt with a button-down for a more upscale look;
Custom Lightweight pullovers, button-down shirts, and Henry shirts are great year-round and year-round options. These can be worn individually or in layers.
Like everyday wardrobes, customers are looking for comfort. Comfort is usually associated with comfortable cotton, softness, and stretch.
Many performance-based fabrics are blended with natural fibers or designed to have a cotton-like feel. Stacked jumpers and layered vests are a good example of this natural trend in the promotional field.
Spandex or stretch fabrics are also more popular — consider more elastic and less restrictive fabrics. Greg Norman Foreward polos are performance-based fabrics. These promotional polos are blended with cotton, ultra-soft to the touch, lightweight and breathable.

2018 Columbia Historic Preservation Society Exhibits

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“Columbia Railroad” located in Banner Hall
“Tow Hill, freedom in the photographs”

Located in the original English Evangelical Lutheran Church, Columbia Historic Preservation Society is dedicated to the preservation of the river town, formerly known as Wright’s Ferry and Shawana Town. Once considered as a possible site for locating our nation’s capital, Columbia was once the gateway to the American West.

In addition to offering published articles and books on the town’s history, the museum houses a model train display, artifacts, a research room, microfilm archive, and publications pertaining to the history of this Susquehanna river town.

19-21 North Second Street
Columbia, Pennsylvania 17512

General inquiries can be directed to Christopher Vera.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Contact information:

Christopher Vera
President
717.684.2894: Office
717.572.7149 : Cell
[email protected]

We have volunteer opportunities available and invite the public to assist in keeping CHiPS active and open to the public!

Monthly meetings are scheduled for every first Monday of the month at 7 PM.
We also have a Membership Meeting to elect new officers once a year on the second Sunday in April.

Columbia Historic Preservation Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Wright’s Ferry

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In 1724, John Wright, an English Quaker, traveled to the area (then a part of Chester County) to explore the land and proselytize to a Native American tribe, the Shawnee, who had established a settlement along a creek known as Shawnee Creek, which is still called that today. Wright built a log cabin near there on part of a tract of land first granted to George Beale by William Penn in 1699 and stayed for more than a year. The area was known as Shawanatown. When Wright returned in 1726 with Robert Barber and Samuel Blunston, he and the others began developing the area, with Wright building a house about a hundred yards from the edge of the Susquehanna River, in the area of South Second and Union Streets. This structure eventually became home to the Wright family, including sons John Jr. and James. Daughter Susanna, born in England in 1697, arrived in the area in 1718 and later moved to the family residence to help take care of her brothers and sisters after her mother died.

Robert Barber constructed a sawmill in 1727 and years later built a home near the river, on the Washington Boro Pike, along what is now Route 441. The home still stands across from the Columbia Wastewater Treatment Plant and is the second oldest in the borough, after the Wright’s Ferry Mansion.

Samuel Blunston constructed a mansion, which he named Bellmont, atop the hill next to North Second Street, near Chestnut Street, at the location of the present-day Rotary Park Playground. Upon his death, Blunston willed the mansion to Susanna Wright, who had become a close friend. She lived there, occasionally visiting brother James, ministering to the Native Americans, and raising silkworms for the local silk industry, until her death in 1784 at the age of 87. The residence was demolished in the late 1920s to allow for the construction of the Veterans’ Memorial Bridge.

In 1730, John Wright was granted a patent to operate a ferry across the Susquehanna River and subsequently established the ferry, known as Wright’s Ferry, with Barber and Blunston. He also built a ferry house and a tavern on the eastern shore, north of Locust Street, on Front Street. The two-story log tavern, operated by John Wright, Jr. until 1834, consisted of a large room on either end connected by a passageway. When John Jr. married, he moved to York County’s western shore, in what became Wrightsville, and built a ferry house and tavern. The ferry itself consisted of two dugout canoes fastened together with carriage and wagon wheels. When numerous cattle were moved, the canoeist guided a lead animal with a rope so that the others would follow. If the lead animal became confused and started swimming in circles, however, the other animals followed until they were tired and eventually drowned.

Pavel-Petrovich-Svinin-A-Ferry-Scene-on-the-Susquehanna-at-Wright_s-Ferry-near-Havre-de-Grace

A Ferry Scene on the Susquehanna at Wright’s Ferry, near Havre de Grace. Pavel Petrovich Svinin (1787/88-1839), 1811-13. MMA 42.95.37.

Traffic heading west from Lancaster, Philadelphia, and other nearby towns regularly traveled through Columbia, using the ferry to cross the Susquehanna. As traffic flow increased, the ferry grew, to the point of including canoes, rafts, flatboats, and steamboats, and was capable of handling Conestoga Wagons and other large vehicles. Due to the volume of traffic, however, wagons, freight, supplies, and people often became backed up, creating a waiting period of several days to cross the river. With 150 to 200 vehicles lined up on the Columbia side, ferrymen used chalk to number the wagons. Typical fares were as follows: Coach with four passengers and drawn by five horses-9 shillings; 4-horse wagon – 3 shillings and 9 pence; Man and horse – 6 pence. Fares were reduced in 1787 due to competition from Anderson’s Ferry, located further upstream, near Marietta. Wright’s Ferry was located immediately south of the Veterans Memorial Bridge along Route 462. In later years, Wright rented the ferry to others and eventually sold it. In 1729, after Wright had petitioned William Penn’s son to create a new county, the provincial government took land from Chester County to establish Lancaster County, the fourth county in Pennsylvania. County residents – Indians and colonists alike – regularly traveled to Wright’s home to file papers and claims, seek government assistance and redress of issues, and register land deeds. During this time, the town was called “Wright’s Ferry.” In 1738, James Wright built the Wright’s Ferry Mansion, the oldest existing house in Columbia, for his family. The structure can still be seen at Second and Cherry Streets.

Source: Wikipedia, and The Still Room blog. Painting from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection; A Ferry Scene on the Susquehanna at Wright’s Ferry, near Havre de Grace, by artist Pavel Petrovich Svinin (1787/88-1839), 1811-13. MMA 42.95.37. Special thanks to The Still Room blog for information about the painting by Pavel Petrovich Svinin. Please visit the blog for more interesting information such as Crossing Wright’s Ferry on the Susquehanna, 1787.

Stephen Smith

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Born: ±1795, somewhere near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
(However, other sources say, 1797, Cecil County, Maryland)
Lived: ±1816-1830s, Columbia, Pennsylvania
Died: November 4, 1873, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The colorful, rags-to-riches saga of Stephen Smith traces his rise from slavery and poverty to wealth. Smith learned the lumber business while still a slave and, when free, owned a thriving lumber enterprise. Smith found a way to manage his various business ventures and at the same time become immersed in antislavery and religious activities. Called the richest antebellum black, he shared his wealth generously with a number of institutions.

Born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County around 1795, Stephen Smith was the son of a slave woman, Nancy Smith; his father was unknown. Young Stephen was indentured to General Thomas Boude on July 10, 1801, when he was four or five years old. Boude was a former Revolutionary War officer from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania who allowed Smith to manage his entire lumber business as Smith approached manhood. Smith borrowed $50 on January 3, 1816, to purchase his freedom, and in that same year, he purchased release from his indenture. On November 17, 1816, Smith married Harriet Lee, who worked as a servant in the Jonathan Mifflin home. Already equipped with entrepreneurial skills, Smith opened a lumber business and became involved in lucrative real estate operations while his wife operated an oyster and refreshment house.

Stephen Smith became involved in civil rights activities early on. He opposed the policies of the American Colonization Society and demonstrated his opposition in 1831 when he led free blacks in Columbia in a public meeting. In 1834, Smith joined such men as David Ruggles, John Peck, Abraham Shadd, and John B. Vashon who were the first black agents for Freedom’s Journal and later for The Emancipator. They were asked to secure subscriptions to the papers and collect what was called arrearages.

The astute businessman opened a lumber business in Columbia, Pennsylvania, and soon prospered. The risky work on the Underground Railroad did not intimidate such abolitionists as Smith and William Whipper. These two abolitionists and businessmen of Columbus, Pennsylvania escaped bodily harm and jail sentences for secreting slaves. Smith’s success in real estate ventures and work as an abolitionist disturbed whites who led a mob in an attack on his office in August 1834, spurring a race riot, followed by a second one in October. They wanted to frighten Smith and force him and other black real-estate owners to sell their property below market value and leave town. They also accused Smith of inflating the value of his property. William F. Worner’s account of the Columbia riots noted the letter that Smith received in 1835: “You must know that your presence is not agreeable, and the less you appear in the assembly of the whites the better it will be for your black hide, as there are great many in this place that would think your absence from it a benefit, as you are considered an injury to the real value of property in Columbia. You have [sic] better take the hint.” In the 1830s, Smith and several antebellum blacks were members of various boards; for Smith, it was the Columbia Bank. He may have been the bank’s largest stockholder, yet he could not become president due to bank rules preventing blacks from holding that post. His status, however, allowed him to name the white man who would be president.

Reginald Wright Kauffman

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Born: September 8, 1877, Columbia, Pennsylvania
Died: April 25, 1959, Roanoke, Virginia

The writer of numerous works of fiction and Hollywood film productions, Reginald Wright Kaufman was born to Andrew John Kaufman (a prominent Columbia attorney and president of the Central National Bank) and Anne Fausset Bruner.

Reginald embraced socialism and secular humanism about the time he entered Harvard. Although raised Episcopalian, he intellectually explored Mormonism, yet later actually joined the Russian Orthodox church, where he took the name ‘Basil.’ Some references suggest this was more a maneuver than an act of faith.

Reginald Wright Kaufman was a nephew (through marriage) of Samuel Wright, Esq. Samuel and his wife Ellen (Anne’s sister) lived in Anne’s household on South Second Street in Columbia and continued living there, after Anne’s passing until they died.

Upon graduating from Harvard in 1900, Reginald moved to Philadelphia with his first wife, Ellen, and one child. In 1911, in his introduction to The Girl That Goes Wrong, Reginald refers to having lived in a great many places both in the US and Europe. He and his wife barely supported themselves by writing sporadically for periodicals and newspapers.

Around 1910, Reginald and his new wife, Ruth, lived with Anne, Samuel, and Ellen at the same South Second Street house in Columbia (house next to the old Columbia Hospital).

Always willing to move where the work was, Reginald held the post of Editor of the Bangor Maine Daily News. And, only recently, it was discovered that he was an accredited correspondent with the United States Navy and a member of La Société Académique d’Histoire.

Reginald Wright Kaufman went on to write numerous books, some of which were made into movie screenplays. And, although difficult to pin down, it’s said that some of his books, although fiction, refer to locations in and around Columbia.

View his Hollywood movie credits on the Internet Movie Database.

View a select list of his books on Amazon.

Reginald Wright Kauffman is buried in Columbia’s Mount Bethel Cemetery, along with his wife, Ruth Wright Kauffman.

James Tilden Sheckard

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Born: November 23, 1878, Upper Chanceford, Pennsylvania
The family moved to Columbia, Pennsylvania, in 1888
Died: January 15, 1947, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Buried: Laurel Hill Memorial Garden, Columbia, Pennsylvania

“. . .he was a bigger cog in the old invincible Cub machine than he ever received credit for being.” – Johnny Evers

Samuel James ‘Jimmy’ Tilden Sheckard was a star early in the 20th century who might have made it into the Hall of Fame had he been more consistent.

Standing 5′ 9″, he broke in with Brooklyn in 1897. He played well in 1897 and 1898, showing some power, and in 1899 he spent a year with Baltimore before returning to Brooklyn in 1900, 1901, and most of 1902 before joining the new American League Baltimore team for 4 games at the end of 1902. Then, he was back to Brooklyn for another 3 years.

His 1901 season was notable, as he hit .354 with substantial power and drove in 104 runs. He led the league in slugging percentage. He also hit grand slams in consecutive days, an amazing feat, especially in the Deadball Era. It would be 77 years until another National Leaguer, Phil Garner, matched the accomplishment. In 1903, he hit .332, again with good power.

Sheckard joined the Chicago Cubs from 1906-12, which was their greatest era. They won the World Series in 1908 and won the pennants in 1906 (when they went 116-36), 1907, and 1910. Sheckard, however, was not able to play as well for them as he had earlier in the decade. While he was still an above-average player, other Cubs players were the big contributors. His best year with the Cubs was 1911, a year in which the Cubs did not win the pennant when Sheckard led the league in runs scored, partly because he had 147 walks.

He finished out his career in 1913, split between St. Louis and Cincinnati.

Bill James has pointed out that Sheckard was a very talented player who at different times in his career did many impressive things. However, he could not consistently put those talents together for a whole career. Early in his career, he led the league in stolen bases (in 1899 and 1903), once he was in the top 5 in batting average (in 1901), once he led the league in triples (in 1901), once he led the league in home runs (in 1903), whereas in the middle of his career he twice led the league in sacrifice hits (1906 and 1909), and late in his career he led the league in walks twice (1911 and 1912), and in runs scored (in 1911).

As a result, by the Black Ink and Gray Ink Hall of Fame appraisal methods developed by Bill James, Sheckard scores rather well, while by the Hall of Fame Monitor method, he scores rather poorly.

He played in approximately 2,100 games and had around 2,100 hits. His lifetime .274 batting average was hurt by playing in the dead-ball era for most of his career. His substantial number of walks gave him an impressive on-base percentage of .375.

By the similarity scores method, the most similar player is his National League contemporary Tommy Leach.

He died after being hit by a car while walking to work in Lancaster. James Sheckard is buried in Columbia, Pennsylvania.

Notable Achievements
• Holds NL record for sacrifice hits in a season with 46.
• NL record for walks in a season in 1911 with 147 (a record which lasted over 30 years).
• NL On-Base Percentage Leader (1911)
• NL Slugging Percentage Leader (1901)
• NL Runs Scored Leader (1911)
• NL Triples Leader (1901)
• NL Home Runs Leader (1903)
• 2-time NL Bases on Balls Leader (1911 & 1912)
• 2-time NL Stolen Bases Leader (1899 & 1903)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1901)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 3 (1899, 1901 & 1911)
• 50 Stolen Bases Seasons: 2 (1899 & 1903)
• Won two World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 1907 and 1908