July 15, 1853 – James W. Grimes in Burlington, Iowa writes his friend – the Honorable Charles Manson, Commissioner of Patents in Washington, D.C.

In July 1853 – one year before being elected as Iowa’s new governor – Representative James W. Grimes of Burlington wrote a personal letter to his friend – Judge Charles T. Mason – who had just been selected to head up the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C. This intriguing letter offers us much insight into what life was like here in the Hawkeye State during the early to mid-1850’s.

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