Update on the Blueprint Project

Progress continues on the blueprint project. We finished cataloging 500 prints (and there are boxes and boxes more still to unroll).  The large majority of the prints come from the Boston Elevated Railway, with a smaller percentage from the West End Street Railway.  Scanning has begun.

We made an interesting discovery as we were working with the prints. Many of the prints are clipped together with a cute little paperclip, called an Owl Clip.  Here are some of the clips with their beefier, modern-day descendant:

The Owl Clip was first advertised in 1905 by the Owl Supply Co. of Boston and is still produced today by ACCO Brands.  The modern ones are 1" long; our antique ones are .75".  The Early Office Museum has a whole page devoted to the history of the paperclip, if you are interested in learning more.