ABSTRACT
Historical research of news media often focuses on big headlines about relatively major events involving influential people. Based on how letters have been treated in major works of media history, one might be inclined to find such items interesting, even amusing, but not terribly important. Scholars, students, and journalists themselves too often skim past the letters to the editor that are ubiquitous in source materials in search of big headlines and famous bylines. Ignoring audience feedback in media history is like cooking without herbs and seasoning. Even a single letter to the editor can be a fascinating and illuminating artifact. Delia entered the world after the ratification of the United States (U.S) Constitution and lived through the U.S. Civil War. While Delia's letter to The Montour American was focused on the annoyance of public smoking in her community, the other letters mentioned above are very much rooted in local issues of short-term interest in their own communities.
