Category Archives: History

Traversing the Echoes of Time: A Journey Through the Layers of History Along Europe’s Mediterranean Coast

As a historical fiction author, the allure of the past is not just a fleeting interest but a perpetual call. It is the desire to not only uncover stories that time has obscured but also to experience firsthand the physical remnants left behind by those gone before us. My journey this month along the coast […]

The First National “Decoration Day”

The First National “Decoration Day” In the last years of the Civil War and immediately afterward, communities in the Southern states decorated soldiers’ graves with flowers during the springtime “decoration days.”  After visiting a Confederate cemetery in 1866, General John A. Logan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, proclaimed in an Independence […]

The Fulton Steamboat

Photo credit: Clermont, the first steam ship, designed by Robert Fulton, 1807. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Known for developing the first commercially successful steamboat with the help of business partner Robert Livingston, Robert Fulton began his life as an author and later turned his focus to engineering. He married the niece of his steamboat business partner, […]

The Lovely Lee Sisters of Coton Farm

“The sisters were surrounded by a gaggle of doting admirers. Winnie Lee, the fiery, red-haired, hazel eyed beauty, was directly behind Fanny, sitting in an oversized chair between the fair-haired Betsy and the dark-haired Molly. There were nearly half a dozen men at their feet.” –Masque of Honor There are various accounts of just how […]

American Romanticism: 19th Century Literature & Ideology

The 19th Century was an incredibly rich time in American history. In the wake of the American Revolution and the War of 1812, the United States was still at the early stages of forming its own identity and a culture of its own. This time period, historically remembered as the Romantic Era, greatly affected American […]

Influenza Pandemics in the 19th Century

Throughout human history, epidemics have had enormous impact on the civilizations of the world. From great plaques to disfiguring disease, mankind has been at constant war with these invisible enemies. During the 18th century, there were thirteen severe epidemics throughout the world. In the 19th century, there were twelve. Historians and virologists estimate that eight […]

Top News Stories of the 19th Century

The delivery of the daily news was quite different in the 19th century than today.  Throughout the 1800s, newspaper distributors, or “post riders” would deliver papers to smaller post offices and suburban areas. Over time, young boys called “newsboys” were employed and assigned specific routes to deliver newspapers to people’s homes. It was also commonplace […]

The Rise of Mass Entertainment: Leisure Time and Fun in Pre-Civil War America

In a time of growth and territorial expansion, early 19th Century America saw many changes occur in day-to-day life. Advancements in technology brought a new wave of industrialization, and the population grew exponentially. Due to an economic boom, the American people were living more comfortably and in better conditions. Whereas before only the wealthy could […]