1856 Autograph letter from a bored, celibate man teaching in Blair County, PA, who "might as well be living in a nunnery"

Single sheet, 9.75 x 8 inches. "O & H" embossed maker's mark in the upper left corner. Folds and minor sunning, Near Fine condition. Addressed only, "My Dear Friend," the letter comes from a discontented young (presumed) man who's taken a job teaching in Frankstown, Blair County (central Pennsylvania). His letter mentions writing to David Riggle in Antis (and getting no response) and references a school being set up there by his correspondent. Overall, a humorously whiny letter.  From a historical perspective, the letter reflects an eventful chapter in Blair County, which experienced considerable expansion after being reached by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the early 1850s. From an individual perspective, it gives us a narrative slightly different from the romanticized archetype of a dedicated schoolteacher—a young man, modestly educated but not wealthy, who took a job in one of the many schools cropping up during the industrialization of rural regions. In 1877, Blair County Superi