Category Archives: History

Posts and pages with historical content.

Chapter 6 of Martha’s Children, and Chicago Bronzeville

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Brian Bixby

“Bleeding in Bronzeville,” chapter 6 of Martha’s Children, is now available. Ned finally gets  out of the basement to go visiting with Martha! But the friends of a vampire are, shall we say, a trifle unusual, not exactly the sort of … Continue reading →

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Chapter 5 of Martha’s Children and Chicago sociology

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Brian Bixby

“Fighting Martha,” chapter five of Martha’s Children, is now available. Ned’s getting loose! Hooray! But the very next thing he has to do is fight Martha! Ned is going to find out just how tough the vampire Martha Fokker really is. … Continue reading →

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The end of the Knights Templar, 1314

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Today marks the 699th anniversary of one of the major steps in the destruction of the Knights Templar: the burning of the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, as a relapsed heretic. It was one of the last acts in … Continue reading →

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Chicago 1968: politics as riot

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Brian Bixby

In Martha’s Children, Martha and her fellow vampires end up in a war with the Chicago cops when they come to that city for the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Their experience resembles that of many of the people who came to … Continue reading →

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Chapter 2 of Martha’s Children, and the Sixties

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Brian Bixby

“Home schooling, vampire style,” chapter 2 of Martha’s Children, is now available for you to read. Ned thinks being a vampire is his only problem. By the time Martha teaches him a thing or two, he’s going to find out differently. … Continue reading →

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Vampires in Chicago

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Those of you who are reading the new story, Martha’s Children, realize it’s quite a bit different from The Dragon Lady of Stockbridge. It’s about vampires in Chicago. I don’t strive to provide cliffhangers at the end of every chapter. It’s not … Continue reading →

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Another birthday – Pamela Colman Smith

Posted on February 16, 2013 by Brian Bixby

I couldn’t let this day go by without saying a word about Pamela Colman Smith (February 16, 1878 – September 18, 1951), because she was connected to two topics on this blog: the occult and horror fiction. Pamela had an … Continue reading →

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It’s my birthday on February 14

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Birthday rules Rule #1: select your parents well. Mine weren’t rich, nor especially happy, but they dealt fairly with their children. Rule #2: pick your birth date carefully. Being a Valentine baby led to all sorts of embarrassment when I … Continue reading →

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Summer vacations on Winnisquam

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Brian Bixby

In The Dragon Lady of Stockbridge, and in a related blog post, I’ve written about how the wealthy of the Gilded Age erected “cottages” of up to one hundred rooms to spend part of their vacation time. It’s made me reflect … Continue reading →

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The phrenomagnetists, 19th century scientists of the mind

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Brian Bixby

It’s not easy being a researcher into the powers of the human mind. And without today’s technologies, it was even harder in the nineteenth century. But they did have a map of the human brain, and tools to make it … Continue reading →

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