Letter from Jacob Spafford, 02/08/1927

This is a digital reproduction of a letter held in the Library of Congress from Jacob Spafford to a "dear friend”, dated 2 Aug., 1927. Jacob Spafford was the adopted son of Horatio and Anna Spafford, two of the founding members of the American Colony in Jerusalem.

Describes the devastating effects of the earthquake. Included is a description of an encounter with a man from Bethlehem who says no one was killed there but the damage suffered would require £100,000 to rectify (p.2). Also describes damage and loss of life in Nablus (70 dead), Ramleh, Ludd and Rama – the worst effected towns - as well as the kindness of people helping each other out, including Bedouins. Says Jerusalem got off relatively lightly although damage was worse on Mount of Olives.

This image was digitised by the Planet Bethlehem Archive and exists as part of the 1927 Earthquake collection within the Library of Congress project of the Planet Bethlehem Archive.