Courting in Public Parks: NY, NY, May 1893

Courting in Public Parks: NY, NY, May 1893

In 1893, expectations surrounding courtship made it improper for a couple to show affection for one another in public. Baltimore apparently outlawed simple signs of affection in their city parks, raising the alarm in New York City where Central Park was a key location for courting couples to go about their courtship (which included simple things like sitting on a bench together, a man’s arm about his sweetheart’s waist). This article includes a newspaperman’s interview with two different Central Park policemen, one who favored strict laws prohibiting such displays of affection and one who was most tolerant. Step back in time and enjoy an entire vintage newspaper article and historic images of Central Park in the late 19th century.

19th Century Earrings: Fact or Fiction?

19th Century Earrings: Fact or Fiction?

Were earrings popular and common within the nineteenth century? Or did they come into vogue (and acceptance) post 1900?

This article references period newspapers, catalogs, and vintage photographs. Also discloses an element of cover art for (Gus’s Story) The Marshal’s Surrender.

BOOK REVIEW: It Happened At The Fair

BOOK REVIEW: It Happened At The Fair

My honest evaluation of Deeanne Gist’s 2013 publication, IT HAPPENED AT THE FAIR, a Christian Historical Romance Novel set in 1893 Chicago’s World Columbian Exhibition. I present my Top 5 reasons for rating this title with 5 stars! Includes public domain photographs of the fair’s buildings, original Ferris Wheel, inside an exhibition hall, and more.

Victorian America’s Ice Delivery

Victorian America’s Ice Delivery

Victorian Americans needed ice–for home use, through delivery businesses, on a commercial scale (to keep food from spoiling at the grocery and in railroad transportation). Ice houses were built all over the United States from the independent family’s ice house on their property to the enormous commercial Swift & Co. Ice House storing 60,000 tons annually. Ice harvesting occurred in January and February and kept in storage facilities until the following winter by applying ingenuity, science, and hard work. Men used saws, horse-drawn sleighs, and the strength of their own backs to harvest the cash crop each winter. This article contains vintage photographs, newspaper ads, and science info of the Victorian era.

Calamity Jane, Guest Post by Heather Blanton

Calamity Jane, Guest Post by Heather Blanton

Guest Post by Heather Blanton, author of Bestselling Romance in the Rockies Series:

Martha Jane Cannary. Name doesn’t ring a bell?
Then you might know her by her legendary moniker “Calamity” Jane.
Ever wonder how she got the name?