'Twas a Christmas Poem Whodunit
Printed part way down page 3 of the Troy Sentinel on Dec. 23, 1823, it was easy to miss.
Between beekeeping tips and a wedding announcement was a seasonal poem. Submitted anonymously, the poem charmed editors who published it anyway. It started like this:
"'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house ..."
The rest is Christmas history.
"Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" spread beyond this bustling, blooming Hudson River city as papers and almanacs elsewhere reprinted it. The poem helped cement the popular image of Santa as a "right jolly old elf" with a twinkle in his eye and eight reindeer (no Rudolph yet). Quoted by kids, co-opted by advertisers, celebrated in songs and shows, it is one of the most famous American poems.
And 184 years later, there are still dissenting views about who wrote it.
Clement Clarke Moore claimed credit 21 years after the poem appeared in the Troy paper. Moore was a wealthy Bible scholar, the sort of man that the phrase "pillar of society" was meant to describe - pious, accomplished, esteemed family - and the claim was universally accepted.
Or almost so.
Read entire article at AP
Between beekeeping tips and a wedding announcement was a seasonal poem. Submitted anonymously, the poem charmed editors who published it anyway. It started like this:
"'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house ..."
The rest is Christmas history.
"Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" spread beyond this bustling, blooming Hudson River city as papers and almanacs elsewhere reprinted it. The poem helped cement the popular image of Santa as a "right jolly old elf" with a twinkle in his eye and eight reindeer (no Rudolph yet). Quoted by kids, co-opted by advertisers, celebrated in songs and shows, it is one of the most famous American poems.
And 184 years later, there are still dissenting views about who wrote it.
Clement Clarke Moore claimed credit 21 years after the poem appeared in the Troy paper. Moore was a wealthy Bible scholar, the sort of man that the phrase "pillar of society" was meant to describe - pious, accomplished, esteemed family - and the claim was universally accepted.
Or almost so.