78: THE TOOL CHEST ARCHIVE OF REA BAGGAGEMAN J.A. WILLIAMS

The working field office, so to speak, of James 'Chief' Williams, Baggageman for the Railway Express Agency, Kansas City, Missouri area. The early 20th century iron bound wood chest in old red paint with hinged lid and inner till contains many handbooks, bills of lading, 1950s scheme handbooks, timetables, gloves, cigars, brass wax sealer lettered RY. EXP. AGY. INC. MESSENGER 5461, a bar of soap in holder, padlocks with keys, a Porter money bag sealer with patent date of 1902 and die lettered RY EX AGY TUCM RTE. KANS.CITY, Employee timetables for Union Pacific, Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe, Frisco, Rock Island etc. circa 1960, rubber stamp ink pads in lithographed tins dating back to early 1900s, first aid kit, leather belt for a man's trousers, Sterno can, large piece of chalk, can opener, ink stamp for KAN CITY SOUTHERN KANSAS CITY TEXARKANA, five rounds of 38 caliber ammunition hanging in holder mounted to the side of the interior till, rubber stamp that reads KANSAS CITY MO, glass jars with coffee and sugar, sealing wax, pads of baggageman's reports for the Frisco, a pair of pliers marked Ford, balls of string and twine, crate hatchet marked REA EXP in die struck letters, a not-so-gently used aluminum coffee pot, electric warming stand with spring loaded terminal clamps rather than a wall plug, shoe polish, a soiled seat cushion, chief's 6-year, 9-year and 10-year service pins from REA, his truck keys from the 1940s to 1960s....more.

Correspondence and letters in the box from Railway Express Agency are addressed to a James A. Williams 509 Donovan Road, Lee's Summit, MO 64063.

The IowaHeritage.org Digital Archives includes photographs of Iowa depots that are back stamped 'James A. Williams, Donovan Road, Route 2, Lee's Summit.'
Measures 17 x 34 x 18 inches.
The condition is as shown.
$400 - $800