Valentine's Day card tradition in America began in Worcester
WORCESTER - We all know Valentine's Day is full of chocolates and flowers, but what about a good old-fashioned card? Did you know that the Valentine's Day card began in America in Worcester?
Esther Howland began producing Valentine's Day cards out of her attic in the late 1840's. She got the idea after receiving a card from one of her father's associates.
"They work primarily in the home on Summer Street in Worcester. She hires women in an assembly line process," explained Vanessa Bumpus, Exhibit Coordinator at the Worcester Historical Museum.
Around the same time, Jathom Taft spotted Valentine's Day cards in Germany. He began producing them in Grafton. Eventually Howland and the Tafts merged to create the New England Valentine Company.
As they grew in popularity, the company was bought by George Whitney. He used new technology, the printing press, to mass produce the cards. Eventually his company folded during a paper shortage in World War I.
Near Worcester City Hall, there is an art installation immortalizing Howland's cards. Worcester still considers Howland the mother of the American Valentine.
"She is no joke. She probably would have done very well on Etsy. A little bit of a Martha Stewart kind of process," laughed Bumpus.
Children all throughout Worcester Public Schools carry on the card tradition in an annual contest at the historical society. It is complete with a trophy and a certificate from the city. This year they had a record of 1,005 submissions.