Let’s kick off this series with a pin-up image of Mr. Swett in the Flume…
ADVENTURES of a DEAF-MUTE in the WHITE MOUNTAINS ~ by William B. Swett
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This scene comes from Swett’s chapters, “At Work in the Flume” + “Almost an Accident”.
ABOUT THE TEXT:
This comic is based on the original account The Adventures of a Deaf-Mute in the White Mountains by William B. Swett (1874)
From the HHS edition:
The Adventures of a Deaf-Mute in the White Mountains was originally published for the Boston Deaf-Mute Mission.
William B. Swett, 1824-1885, was a deaf-mute born in Henniker of deaf-mute parents. ย After his marriage to Margaret Harrington, a deaf-mute from Ireland, he moved to Marblehead, Massachusetts. ย Two of their five children were deaf. ย Mr. Swett was a founding member of the New England Gallaudet Association in 1854 and was its first secretary. ย He co-publishedย The Deaf-Mute’s Friend, was a director of the Deaf-Mute Library Association, and was business manager of the Boston Deaf-Mute Mission. ย He founded a school of industrial arts for deaf adults, which soon added an educational program for deaf children and is now known as the Beverly School for the Deaf. ย Mr. Swett also had careers as an explorer, showman, mechanic, writer, and artist.
SEE ALSO:
Theย Hennikerย Historical Societyย publishes a pamphlet edition of Swett’s book:




Holy cats! This is my 3x Great Grandfather. I know what I’ll be reading for the next couple days!
Cool! Enjoy… ~ M