Library of Congress acquires rare trove of Civil War images

WASHINGTON – A Houston housewife who has quietly collected rare Civil War images for 50 years has sold more than 500 early photographs to the Library of Congress.

The library announced the acquisition Sunday and is placing the first 77 images online. Some scenes offer a rare glimpse of slave life in the South from images made by Confederate photographers. Most previous photos showed slaves who were recently freed in the North.

Other parts of Stanford’s collection show images of South Carolina at the start of the war. Another set depicts President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession in 1865.

Images can be viewed at www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=robin+stanford+collection&st=gallery.

After uproar, restaurant statue loses feature

HURRICANE, Utah – The small southern Utah town of Hurricane might become a little quieter after a statue of a copper bull lost its most prominent private feature this weekend.

The sculpture holds a high perch above the sign for Barista’s restaurant, and owner Stephen Ward said he woke up Friday and decided the bull would look better without the oversized genitalia that caused uproar among the neighbors.

Hurricane residents disturbed by the noticeable, cone-shaped feature had asked the city council to revoke Barista’s business license.

Ward told The Spectrum newspaper in St. George Saturday that he made it clear to city officials before he altered the statue that he wasn’t bowing to community pressure.

Even before the battle over the bull, tensions had been running high between Ward and the local community just north of the Arizona border.

Customers have said the food is too expensive, alleged that Ward is hostile and has poor business practices. He says his offerings are the best in the region and hasn’t hesitated to push back..

Associated Press