Original 1774 newspaper, found at Goodwill, heads to library

PHILADELPHIA – An original 1774 Philadelphia newspaper that was discovered at a New Jersey Goodwill is heading to a Philadelphia philosophy society founded by Benjamin Franklin.

NJ Pen reports The American Philosophical Society has acquired the frayed Dec. 28, 1774, edition of the Pennsylvania Journal and the Weekly Advertiser. The newspaper has the iconic “Unite or Die” snake design on the masthead and boasts three items signed by John Hancock, who pleads for the Colonies to fight back “enemies” who would divide them.

The society’s librarian Patrick Spero wouldn’t disclose how much was paid for the newspaper.

The society is home to some 13 million pages of historic manuscripts, including Franklin’s papers and the journals of Lewis and Clark.

Heather Randall, of the Goodwill in Bellmawr, New Jersey, says it’s fitting that the newspaper, printed in Philadelphia, is heading back there.