Joe Powers papers pertaining to flag-pole sitting - 1927-1928

5 linear in.

These papers, found under a house in Key West, Florida, in 1987, are largly comprised of letters and notes to Mr. Powers from fans, relatives and associates, relating to several flag-pole sitting events conducted by him during 1927 and 1928.

No search has been made for independent sources of information relating to Mr. Powers, though clippings reveal that these events were rather extensively reported in newspapers of the time.

These papers reveal that Powers had lived in and continued to have family and other associates in New Bedford, Massachusetts. In July 1927, he sat on a flag-pole atop the Morrison Hotel in Chicago for 16 days, 3 hours and 27 minutes, thus becoming in the words of a promoter the “World Champion Flagpole Sitter.”

In January of 1928 he was similarly engaged in Miami, Florida, on the Ponce de Leon Hotel. He had similar plans for the La Concha Hotel in Key West, Florida, and was considering such a venture for Havana, Cuba.

Mr. Powers also contracted to do normal steeplejack work, such as painting high structures.

gift

Other Information

Accession: 1987-290

© Copyright 2019 HistoryMiami Archives & Research Center. All rights reserved.