RECENT RESEARCH — A newly unearthed photograph showing the north side of the 600 block of Commercial Street, San Francisco, in the aftermath of the earthquake and fires of 1906 reveals, for the first time, visual evidence of the fate of the building that housed the Eureka Lodgings, where Emperor Norton lived from 1864–65 until his death in 1880. Our analysis of the photo sharpens the focus on the identities and locations of the buildings along this stretch — and exactly what each building suffered in 1906. Includes our highly researched new infographic that can be used as a tool for understanding the history of this location.

The Emperor Norton Trust

TO HONOR THE LIFE + ADVANCE THE LEGACY OF JOSHUA ABRAHAM NORTON

RESEARCH • EDUCATION • ADVOCACY

PROJECTS :: Book of Selected Proclamations of Emperor Norton

Contact: Founder John Lumea

To help fund this project, please scroll down.

Typical header of a Proclamation of Emperor Norton published in the Pacific Appeal, the black-owned abolitionist weekly that was the Emperor's "imperial gazette" from 1870 to 1876.

The Emperor Norton Trust currently is at work on a book of selected Proclamations of Emperor Norton.


The book is to include full sourcing and a brief historical note for each Proclamation — and, where possible, a photo-scanned image of the Proclamation as it originally appeared in the newspaper that published it.

We also plan to include one or more historical essays about the Emperor, his Proclamations and his world.

Our hope is that, in providing a well-researched and -documented resource that doesn't currently exist within Norton scholarship, this book can become a worthwhile and important contribution with wide appeal — an educational tool that introduces the Emperor to those who don't already know his story, and that enlarges and sharpens the picture of him for those who do.

For a full introduction to this project, please see our original announcement here.


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The Trust is keeping open its options either to seek a publisher for this book of selected Proclamations or to publish the book on its own imprint.

If the latter, we'd like to make the book as beautiful as possible: high-quality design, paper, printing and production; possibly in cloth. We also would like to print enough copies to be able to take advantage of the economies of scale that will enable us to offer the book at a reasonable price.

Either way, we need funds to underwrite the research and writing of the book, including travel to research institutions and scans of original documents.

In that spirit, we invite foundations, organizations and individuals who share our vision for the book to contribute funding support by clicking below. *

A listing of all sponsors will be included in the book.

 
D o n a t e

If you prefer to donate by check, please send to:

The Emperor Norton Trust
250 Poplar Street #3
Boston, MA  02131 

Thanks so much!

* The Emperor Norton Trust is a nonprofit endeavor but does not have tax-exempt status. Financial contributions are not tax-deductible.

© 2025 The Emperor Norton Trust  |  Site design: Alisha Lumea  |  Background: Original image courtesy of Erica Fischer