When Rose Hartwick Thorpe was only fifteen, she wrote the poem that would become one of the most often recited and anthologized verses of the nineteenth century. "The Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight" is the heroic tale of lovers during the English Civil War, written much in the style of Longfellow (who later admired it). Despite the poem's popularity and success, the young poet never financially benefited from it. The verse was printed first in a Detroit newspaper, and then reprinted liberally without regard for her copyright to it.
Special Collections has acquired a six-page autograph manuscript of Thorpe's poem, accompanied by a letter from Thorpe to the solicitor of the fair copy. The poet explains that she must charge $5.00 to everyone who requests a manuscript copy from her in order to receive some compensation for her time and for her literary product. She also describes her other publications, delicately mentions their prices, and encloses a prospectus for an upcoming book. Written only one year after her husband's untimely death, this letter suggests the enterprising efforts of a female writer trying to support and sustain her family with her talent.
Rose Hartwick Thorpe wrote many articles and poems after the early success of "The Curfew," publishing in temperance newsletters, youth magazines, and ladies' journals. She also wrote several books, including an etiquette guide, children's fiction, and collections of her own poetry. Her family moved to San Diego in 1887, where she became active in the local chapter of the Y. W. C. A. (the Records of which SDSU has also recently acquired), the San Diego Women's Club, and local suffrage causes. She is also gratefully remembered in the region as the writer who, by winning a poetry contest, named Mission Bay, formerly known as "False Bay." The manuscript and letter can be found in the PAC and consulted in the Special Collections Reading Room.
