Boston Gilded Age Department Stores by Linda Hoover

Downtown Crossing is at the intersection of Washington, Winter and Summer Streets in Boston. In the Gilded Age, that’s where you’d find the Big Three department stores, Jordan Marsh, Filene’s and Gilchrist’s. Today, it’s a pedestrian shopping zone.

Jordan Marsh 1891 Public Domain

In 1861, Eben Dyer Jordan and Benjamin L. Marsh opened the first departmentalized store in Boston, MA. They called it Jordan Marsh, then later Jordan Marsh & Co. No longer did shoppers have to travel from one specialty shop to the next. Almost everything they could want was for sale in one place. The two men initially focused on dry goods, ready-made clothing, and household goods. As they grew, they added more departments until they had a dazzling array of stock that included men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, furs, carpets and rugs, furniture, silverware, jewelry, hats, shoes, books, toys, stationary and more. If it could be sold, it was offered. Jordan Jr. became known for searching the world for merchandise to fill the eight floors of the store.

Shoppers at Jordan Marsh, 1910
thedepartmentstoremuseum.org/store-eh-ma-bos-jordon-marsh

Jordan and Marsh combined an elegant atmosphere with excellent personal service. They pioneered services such as offering credit accounts and money-back guarantees. “The Customer is Always Right” policy originated there. As time went on, Jordan Marsh was one of the first to have electric lights, glass showcases and elevators in their store. They also offered fashion shows, art exhibitions, and afternoon concerts. A café and bakery were available, where you could purchase their famous blueberry muffins.

Filene's Department Store 1912 Public Domain

Edward Filene opened his first store a year later than Jordan Marsh. By 1881, he and his sons had a wide variety of merchandise, while also offering personal services. They had three barber shops, hairdressing, manicuring and shoe shine departments. All with a No Tipping policy. You could even buy theater and travel tickets. Filene's is most famous for its Bargain Basement

Gilchrist Department Store Public Domain

Gilchrist, while having a wide variety of merchandise in its multi-level store, wasn’t considered as high-end as its neighbors. It did just as well, though. While people went to Jordan Marsh for blueberry muffins, they went to Gilchrist’s for almond macaroons. Kennedy’s and Raymond’s were also in Boston. Each store had a signature dish or dessert that people would go to their restaurant for. Between 1880 and 1900, the stores began using their street-level windows to entice people to come inside. It must have been especially beautiful at Christmas.

commonswikimedia.org

People used different modes of transportation to get to downtown Boston. Besides walking, horse-drawn trams with their clanging bells brought people from inner neighborhoods and nearby towns. Electric streetcars started becoming available in the 1880s, but horses were still used until 1900. The “EL”, elevated railway, started taking passengers over congested streets in the 1870s. It was noisy, but connected more distant neighborhoods. The Tremont Street subway opened in 1897. It was the first subway in America.

The department stores served shopping and entertainment needs for people of all economic levels. They were also an employment opportunity. The heroine in my novella set in 1881 Boston, Joel & Ella, finds work at a department store based on Jordan Marsh. If you’d like to read Ella’s story, be sure to sign up for my newsletter. Joel & Ella is my gift to subscribers. Link is with the blurb.

Follow this link to get the recipe: https://newengland.com/food/breads/jordan-marsh-blueberry-muffins/

JOEL & ELLA

1881 Boston. It’s been a year since Ella's fiancé left town on the eve of their wedding, and she still can’t bring herself to go to church or see her friends. To help her move past her hurt, her parents insist she get a job. In the process, she gets reacquainted with Joel, a neighbor who accompanies her on the trolley to and from the large department store where she finds work. They enjoy each other’s company, and Joel begins to think they might share a future.

 

Then, Ella’s ex-fiancé returns, asking for a second chance. He’s already broken her heart once. Can she trust him? Does she still love him? Her feelings for Joel pull her in another direction. Or maybe she should stay away from any man so she won’t get hurt again. Mama advises her to pray. Will Ella look to God for her answer or turn away from both men to avoid heartache?

https://lindahooverbooks.com

Linda, a retired librarian, lives in west central Ohio with her husband and grandson. An avid reader and writer since childhood, she began her publishing career writing columns and a middle-grade serial for the South Charleston Spectator. Her desire is to entertain, but more importantly, to encourage readers with God’s faithfulness.

References, Further Reading, & External Links for Jordan Marsh: wikipedia.org/wiki/jordan_marsh

Famous Horses in History -- Bucephalus (355-326 BC) with giveaway by Donna Schlachter

Alexander and Bucephalus, by John Steell (Wikipedia)

I grew up loving horses, and I loved reading about horses, so I thought that might be a good theme for this year—12 Famous Horses in History. Even if you aren’t horse-mad, there will be horses you’ll recognize by name or reputation, and I felt that learning more about history could be wrapped into the stories of these equines.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I hear Bucephalus, I always think of Father Brown’s trusty bicycle, as that was his name for it. In fact, the first time I heard him refer to it by that name, I had to look up the word, as I hadn’t heard of this horse before.

Bucephalus was born around 355 BC in Greece, and ultimately became the horse that Alexander the Great rode into many battles.

As the story by Plutarch goes, when Alexander of Macedonia (as he was known before he became a soldier), made a wager at the age of 12 or 13 with his father, who was a horse dealer. King Philip II was interested in the young Bucephalus, but he proved impossible to subdue. Alexander said he could do it, and if he didn’t, he’d pay the price for the horse.

Alexander taming Bucephalus by B.R. Haydon (Wikipedia)

 

 

After studying the horse, he realized the beast was shy of its own shadow, so he turned the stallion toward the sun so it couldn’t see what scared it. Others who’d tried to tame the animal had shouted and used harsh language, but Alexander spoke soothingly, and the horse responded. After ditching his fluttering cape—another trigger for the beast—Bucephalus responded to him.

In the legend that comprises much of the history of Alexander, King Philip II was so impressed that he told Alexander that Macedonia was too small for a man such as he, and for him to seek out a kingdom equal to and worthy of his gifts.

A second legend, the Alexander Romance, claims that Bucephalus was given to Philip and resided on his estate. Bucephalus was said to possess heroic attributes that exceeded those of Pegasus, and another romance by the Delphic Oracle tells Philip that the man who rides Bucephalus will be king of the world.

Alexander the Great mosaic (Wikipedia)

 

 

Whatever the truth about his origins and his abilities, Bucephalus was so named because of a mark on his haunch in the shape of an ox head. Overlay large and with a massive head, he bore a black coat and a white star on his brow. He had one blue eye, which was an anomaly, and he was “of the best Thessalian (Greek) strain” of horses.

Alexander’s hero was Achilles, and indeed, he claimed to be an ancestor of his. In so doing, he included his skill and ability with horses as a result of his godly origins. Achilles claimed that his horses were immortal because Poseidon gave them to his father Peleus, who in turn passed them along to him.

However, that immortality did not continue with Bucephalus, and he died in June 326 BC following the Battle of Hydaspes, from mortal injuries sustained in the fight. Alexander and his army defeated King Porus, but he lost his favorite mount.

Seleucos I Bucephalos coin (Wikipedia)

 

In memoriam, he founded a city, Bucephala, on the west bank of the Hydaspes River, in modern-day Pakistan. Today the town is called Jalalpur Sharif, and Bucephalus is said to be buried there.

The reputation of the horse grew alongside that of his master, with different legends claiming they were born at the same time, and later stories claimed they died at the same hour, but mostly these tales are viewed as fictional.

Alexander and Bucephalus by Domenico Maria Canuti (Wikipedia)

 

 

No matter the details, there is no doubt Alexander treasured Bucephalus, and most likely, his lineage is present in our modern-day horses.

Leave a comment about your like or dislike of horses, and I will draw randomly for a free ebook of “Hollenberg Hearts”, a Pony Express story. Cleverly disguise your email address so the bots don’t get you, for example: donna AT livebytheword DOT com

About Hollenberg Hearts:
A mail order bride. A crippled stationmaster. No way out for either of them—except with each other. Can they surrender their hearts and find true love?

https://www.amazon.com/Hollenberg-Hearts-Pony-Express-Book-ebook/dp/B098VZ38XY and the rest of the Series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098WRMTM3

About Donna:
A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers' groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She is taking all the information she’s learned along the way about the writing and publishing process, and is coaching committed writers eager to tell their story.

www.DonnaSchlachter.com

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Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucephalus  

Sealed With Love

 by Kimberly Keagan

 
A Victorian Couple
Photo courtesy of Pinterest

Valentine’s Day is devoted to expressions of love and affection—and one of its most enduring traditions is the exchange of Valentine’s cards. But how did this custom begin?

The practice of sending messages of love on Valentine’s Day has surprisingly ancient roots. Some historians trace it back to Roman festivals in which young men drew the names of women from a jar and were paired together for the duration of the celebration—pairings that sometimes led to marriage. While far removed from the lace-trimmed cards we know today, these rituals laid early groundwork for the idea of romance tied to the season.

By the 18th century, Valentine’s Day had taken on a more familiar form. The first commercially produced Valentine cards appeared in England in the late 1700s. These early cards were often handmade or printed in small batches, decorated with ribbons, lace, and colorful illustrations, and accompanied by sentimental—or poetic—verses meant to be treasured.

Photo: Victorian Valentine from Kimberly's collection

The Victorian era ushered in a true Valentine’s Day boom. Advances in printing technology and expanding postal services made it possible to produce and deliver cards on a massive scale. A February 14, 1888 edition of The Grand Island Daily Independent of Grand Island, Nebraska, captured the scope of the phenomenon: 

It is in England and America that St. Valentine’s Day is most observed, and on that day the postman’s labors are generally more than doubled by missives which have been sent as an outward sign. The skill and labor required in getting ready for market all those missives, which come under the general head of valentines, is far greater than the majority of people imagine. There are five or six large establishments in the United States whose sole business it is to prepare Christmas, New Year’s, Easter and Valentine’s Day cards, and they number among their paid list some 10,000 persons, ranging from packers and porters to the artists who design the often very beautiful pictures which adorn the cards. 

The article went on to note how dramatically Valentine cards had evolved: 

The valentine of a few years ago was a cheap and tawdry affair… From those silly and garish things has come a beautiful artistic sense, and it is now often mounted and prepared in sumptuous style.

By the late 19th century, the finest valentines were works of art—painted on satin or printed from lithographic plates, adorned with silk fringe, tiny bows of ribbon, or even silver and gold cord with tassels. Each card was carefully wrapped in soft cotton, placed in a box, and sent off to its proud recipient. 

Though today’s Valentines may arrive by text message or email, the heart of the tradition remains unchanged. Whether lavish or simple, handwritten or printed, Valentine’s cards continue to serve the same purpose they have for centuries: a tangible reminder that someone, somewhere, is thinking of you. 

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

 

 

 

Kimberly Keagan is a former corporate financial writer (not very romantic) who now crafts historical romances filled with strong heroines, swoon-worthy heroes, faith, and a touch of humor. Her debut novel, Perfect, released in May 2025. Go to KimberlyKeagan.com and download her free Christmas novelette!

 

Snow, Spring and Shadows by Cindy Regnier

In a few days, many Americans will celebrate a fun and lighthearted ceremony we call Groundhog Day. Did you ever wonder where or why this tradition started? Let’s find out.

A Christian religious holiday most Americans have never observed or even heard of called Candlemas Day may be the origin. Candlemas started out as the day, (February 2nd), when Christians took their candles to the church to have them blessed. 

 This blessing would bring blessings to their household for the remaining winter. But, with time, the day evolved into something very different. The English came to see the date as a weather prediction due to a folk song that became popular for the day:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.

Even though there’s no mention of any animal in the lyrics, the Germans were first to include an animal in the story. According to German folklore, if the hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas day, you could expect a “Second Winter” or 6 more weeks of winter weather.

hedgehog

 As German immigrants settled in what is now the United States, they brought their folklore and traditions along with them. Unfortunately, hedgehogs weren’t nearly as common in the new country as in Germany, so a similar hibernating animal took its place – the groundhog. This brings us to still another evolution in the tradition of February 2nd, and to present day Punxsutawney.

 

 

  The first “official” Groundhog Day celebration took place on February 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. This 1887 version took place due to a publicity event planned by a local newspaper editor named Clymer Freas. 

 

Freas

Freas got together a group of local businessmen they called the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The PGC hiked to a place known as Gobbler’s Knob where the inaugural Phil of the day became the bearer of bad news when he saw his shadow. It must have been a very popular idea as the tradition stuck. Punxsutawney Phil still presides over the day in yearly festivities before thousands of people where a group of local dignitaries in top hats speak to Phil in “groundhogese” to learn his prediction.

According to his handlers, the current Phil weighs 15 pounds and thrives on dog food and ice cream in his climate-controlled home at the Punxsutawney Library. On Feb 2nd, Phil is placed in a heated burrow underneath a simulated tree stump on a stage at Gobbler’s Knob before being pulled out at 7:25 a.m. to make his prediction. So, that’s an amazing leap from taking a candle to church, but here we are. This Groundhog Day, have fun with the traditions, but be thankful your blessings don’t come from a candle or a groundhog named Phil! 

A woman running from the law, a man determined not to risk his heart again, and a love neither of them bargained for.

 

The Great Awakening



Many of us remember from school that from the early 1600s into the 1730s, many colonists came to the country to freely worship God without fear of persecution. While fraught with difficulties, life in colonial America must have also been filled with many examples of God’s blessing on those faithful enough to seek Him in this new land.

But in the 1650s, the Age of Enlightenment began. This was a 130-year period where many of history’s great thinkers—scientists, inventors, philosophers, and others—began to challenge societal thinking, particularly in the area of religious belief. Rather than basing one’s life on faith in God, the new standard was to reason, investigate, question, and analyze. Men such as Francis Bacon, John Locke, Voltaire, and Sir Isaac Newton published works discussing discoveries, advancements, and enlightened views. Literacy increased, and people devoured the words of such men.

Also during this time, changes in the Church of England affected the faith of churchgoers. In 1688, the Church of England became the reigning church in that country. While at first this seemed a good idea, it caused other religions, sects, and denominations to be suppressed. Rather than living from true conviction, people worshipped out of habit, ritual, and complacency.

The life of faith in the Colonies and worldwide was waning. All of these events set the stage for The Great Awakening.

Herrnhut

The first stirrings of revival began in Germany, when 
believers from Moravia fled

Count von Zinzendorf

to their country to escape persecution. They found a friend in Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, who welcomed them to stay in a settlement he established on his land. They named their little community Herrnhut, or “The Lord’s Watch.” When seeds of discord grew among the Moravians in 1727, Count von Zinzendorf called for a time of prayer. Twenty-four Moravians rose to pray, each taking an hour’s shift to pray around the clock. As time went on, more people joined in, and the presence of God became so strong in their meetings that people would lay prostrate on the floor for as much as eight hours, soaking in God’s Spirit. What started as a call to prayer to overcome discord ended up lasting for 100 years! In the first sixty-five years of this movement, the Moravians sent over 300 missionaries to share the Gospel around the world. Before sending out their people, they would hold funerals for the missionaries, since each intended to give their lives for Christ. There are even accounts of Moravian missionaries selling themselves into slavery in Jamaica in order to have opportunity to share Christ with the slaves. What dedication!

Revival Spreads to America

Frelinghuysen

In America, the Dutch-Reform church in New Jersey sought a minister. In January 1720, they called upon German Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen. Knowing of the great movement of God in Herrnhut, Frelinghuysen challenged his parishioners to examine their lives and repent of sin and to live rightly. This man’s bold revivalist approach caused many began to live differently, setting off a revival through the Middle Colonies.





As word of the Dutch-Reform’s revival reached the English speakers, they called

Gilbert Tennent

for a revivalist preacher like Frelinghuysen. Gilbert Tennent, an Irish-born Presbyterian minister who had settled in Pennsylvania, stepped up. Tennent’s father had started Log College (later known as Princeton University) in order to turn out ministers, and Gilbert was a proud graduate. Convinced that many church-goers were not true believers, he preached with a focus on sin, sin’s consequences, repentance, and the need for continual inner change. Response to his sermons was great, and many returned to God and began to live their lives differently. From here, the revival spread to the Baptists in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and beyond.

Jonathan Edwards

The next major wave fell with Jonathan Edwards. Ordained a minister in 1727, he worked under his grandfather, Solomon Stoddard, in one of the largest and wealthiest congregations in the American colonies—that of Northampton, Massachusetts—until Stoddard’s death in 1729. Edwards took the church over then, boldly speaking about sin and the need of God’s grace. Revival soon broke out among the Protestant congregations. His most famous sermon, Sinners In The Hands of An Angry God, had his congregants weeping on the floor as they repented to God. During many such sermons, the listeners shook as the Holy Spirit fell upon them, and there were documented cases of miraculous healings and the dead being raised to life.

During this period, church congregations doubled or tripled in size. The

David Brainerd

colonists’ morals moved back toward godly principles, colleges were formed (many to prepare men for ministry), and a heart for missions emerged. One such missionary, David Brainerd, dedicated his life to sharing the Gospel with the remote Indian tribes in Colonial America. He endured much loneliness, depression, and illness to pursue God’s call, and died of consumption contracted while preaching to his beloved Indian people. Interestingly, he died in the home of Jonathan Edwards, a dear friend.
Meanwhile, Across the Pond…

John Wesley

Waves of revival were crashing over Britain as well, led by two friends who met at Oxford—John Wesley and George Whitefield. In 1736, Wesley went to America to preach to the Indians, though he hadn’t truly committed his life to Christ yet. It was on the ship to America that a raging storm blew in. Everyone grew fearful the ship would be torn apart except one man, a Moravian missionary, who prayed to God in perfect peace. This man’s example and testimony softened Wesley’s heart, and he later was converted at the Aldersgate Street Prayer meeting in 1738. He became an itinerant preacher who traveled well over 250,000 miles on horseback to preach roughly 40,000 sermons. He wrote some 230 books, including journals and commentaries of the Bible, and with is brother Charles, penned roughly 9,000 hymns, some which are still sung today.

George Whitefield

George Whitefield stayed in Britain at first, preaching and stirring British hearts to repent and live for Christ. Eventually, he traveled to America also, preaching in Jonathan Edwards’ church and befriending Gilbert Tennent. During his ministry, he preached in almost every town in the British Isles and crossed the Atlantic Ocean seven times. He often preached in fields to crowds of 30,000+. Just as with his American contemporaries, hearers would become so convicted of their sin, they would shake and fall to the ground under the power of God’s spirit. 

Only as the stirrings of the American Revolution began in the mid-1760’s did the fire of revival wane.

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won five writing competitions and finaled in two other competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and four fur children.

Now available for purchase: 

Nine romance stories of the Oregon Trail by Amanda Cabot, Melanie Dobson, Pam Hillman, Myra Johnson, Amy Lillard, DiAnn Mills, Anna Schmidt, Ann Shorey, and Jennifer Uhlarik.

The Great Halifax Explosion: The Weak and the Strong of It

By Terrie Todd

Charles Upham, a Halifax Harbour yardman, finished his night shift on December 6, 1917, and returned home. After eating a big breakfast and stoking the furnace for the day, he burrowed under the covers to sleep for a few hours. In the next bedroom, his daughter Millicent, nine, was staying home from school sick. Her brother Archie, seven, was visiting her for a moment before leaving for school.

Location of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Suddenly, the children heard a huge rushing wind tear through their house as shards of glass flew from the windows. Glass lodged into the back of Archie’s head while Millicent’s face was sliced to shreds. Their screams roused their father.

Cloud created by the Halifax explosion. Photo: Wikipedia

Although he’d been protected under the blankets, Charles ran barefoot into the next room, cutting his feet on glass fragments strewn about the floor. Seeing his children cut and bleeding, he led them out of Millicent’s room only to discover the entire east side of their house gone. The explosion had knocked out their staircase, trapping them on the second floor of a building about to collapse. The long strip of oilcloth that had covered the stairs, still attached at the top, flapped in the cold December wind.

Charles used the oilcloth like a rope to let himself down, then pulled it taut. He persuaded the children to slide down, even as beams and walls were caving in. Both children, though covered in blood and oily soot, did as their father urged and slid down the oilcloth. Immediately, the house went up in flames.

Charles carried Millicent piggyback and led Archie by the hand to safety. Though Millicent lost an eye and Archie later had twenty-two pieces of glass removed from his head, all three survived thanks to a humble oilcloth. All over Halifax, the strongest and most important parts of buildings (beams, joists, bricks) often became instruments of death while lesser, weaker items (like oilcloth) became lifesavers.

Oil Cloth Factory (Hubbard Free Library Collection)

The Reluctant Healer of Halifax is the final and sixth book in Barbour Publishing’s Enduring Hope series by various authors. In one-fifteenth of a second, the world’s prettiest harbor suffered the world’s largest man-made explosion prior to Hiroshima. A story of love, loss, faith, and honor set against Canada’s most devastating moment of the First World War. Watch for it in August 2026.

Terrie Todd is the award-winning author of ten historical novels, all set in Canada where she lives with her husband Jon. A former church drama team leader and newspaper columnist, she’s also a frequent contributor to Guideposts Books, mother of three, and grandmother of five.

 

Follow Terrie here:

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