Archaeology

Went to see the new Indiana Jones movie last night, and LOVED it! OK, nothing compares to Raiders of the Lost Arc, and it’s hard to compare Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to Last Crusade, but it was really, really good despite my 2 small problems with it.
That said, what was archaeology like in Victorian [...]

TIPS FOR STAGECOACH TRAVELERS

The best seat inside a stage is the one next to the driver. Even if you have a tendency to sea-sickness when riding backwards…you’ll get over it and will get less jolts and jostling. Don’t let any “sly elph” trade you his mid-seat.
In cold weather don’t ride with tight-fitting boots, shoes, or gloves. [...]

Tuesday Ten–ten things I don’t know.

Generally our blog is about what we know and what we’ve learned about the Victorian Era. Today’s Tuesday Ten is about things I want to learn. Maybe there’s a reader out there who can help me out? Or maybe you’ve got questions too about the era you’d like to add. I’ll [...]

Decoration Day

This will just be a short blog. I’m having major problems with my computer, so I’m forced to share my husband’s for the duration. But I wanted to touch on the origins of today’s American holiday, Memorial Day.
It was originally called Decoration Day and, although there are many stories of its actual start, the American [...]

Tuesday Ten: Soiled Doves

In recent weeks my Old West research has taken me right where I like to be. In town. And as much as I love the general stores, hotels and saloons, it’s a fact that no old west town was complete without a brothel and the ladies who worked there.
In general there [...]

NYC Cholera spidemic 1848-1849

In May 1849 New York City finally established a hospital for cholera victims. Before the epidemic ended, more than 5,000 died. The rapidly growing city was ripe for an epidemic; poor sanitary conditions, eve poor hygiene, in addition to immigrants poorly quarantined all contributed to the outbreak.
On December 1, 1848, the New York arrived in [...]

Tuesday 10 – Victorian films

I’ve done this before, a list of things I want to read/watch, but since I’m sick and have had no sleep this past weekend, here’s a list of Victorian movies I find interesting. So this 10 isn’t going to be the best I’ve ever done – fast and easy this week!
On a side note, if [...]

Victorians Went A-Calling…And Left A Card

Social life in the 19th Century was inseparable from most areas of a Victorian’s lifestyle. And so the calling card evolved into a key item for visiting.
The compact size of the card was disproportionate with its import. Bigger wasn’t better and a little went a long way in graphics. Armed Services worldwide often still remain [...]

Tuesday Ten, Firearms and Weapons

the interest of blogging about research I’m doing–one of the main reasons we all started this blog–I decided to do my Tuesday Ten on 19th century firearms. I realized the other day that my hero in Chasing Star (formerly Stalking Star) is a gun collector. That being the case, it will be pretty useful for [...]

Mary Ann Webber Interview

Why do you write historical?
For me, a story is not escapism – it’s not even romance – unless it’s historical!
Why not escape high gas prices, faltering economy, war, and political races by entering a beautiful period in our past. Give me long skirts, fine manners, and the clip-clop of carriage horses on cobblestone streets.
Actually, I’ve [...]