Image courtesy https://www.facebook.com/NWCMuseum/
We learned about the Northwest Carriage Museum in Raymond, WA, a number of years ago, and it's long been on our list of places to visit someday. This is actually quite an extensive list, as there are a great many beautiful places in the world we would love to see: visiting even a fraction of the locations people are perpetually telling us we must go to would require the fortune of Midas and a lifespan rivaling Methusalah. Time and money being finite, however, we have to be very careful about how we spend both. We always devote these limited resources to activities which will serve both work and pleasure. While working on my current project, A Trip And A Tumble, Book V in my Tales of Chezemoka series, I found myself researching horse-drawn vehicles of the late 19th-century, particularly phaetons. As is always the case with us, I wanted more knowledge than I could obtain from books alone, and thus doing research for my book provided us with a way to make the 240-mile trip to Raymond serve a purpose beyond fun alone.
My reasons for wanting a phaeton in Book V were rooted in the origins of the story itself. From the time Gabriel and I first envisioned my cycling club historical fiction series, we always knew it should include a travel book, wherein some of the club members venture away from their own city and get swept up in adventures. Travel stories were such an important part of cycling magazines and books of the late-19th-century it would have been virtually anachronistic for the series not to have a travel book. History and geography of the region dictated the locale: in the 1880s the most likely destination for cyclists going abroad from Port Townsend would have been the southern portion of Vancouver Island, Canada, which was known for its good roads and distinctly British civilization. I've been researching the area for years; while reading an 1891 travelogue of an Englishman's journey through Canada I came across a passage that caught my attention —and truly captured my imagination:
One evening I was standing in front of a shop on Fort Street [in Victoria, B.C.], when a very pretty phaeton drew up, with a lady in it, charming enough in look and dress and style for Rotten Row [a very posh section of London —the equivalent of New York's 5th Avenue]. This lady commenced a conversation with a friend upon the side-walk, and I heard what was said. She spoke with a decided London accent, certainly, but in perfectly cultured tones.
A man near me, whom I knew slightly, said to me, as she drove away--
"Well, what do you think of that for an Indian?"
I expressed unbounded surprise, at which he laughed, remarking, "Oh, you Britishers, what ideas you have! Why, some of the loveliest and most delightful women here have Indian blood. That lady is only one of many; they are as much thought of as others… I could show you as many such, who are half, three-quarters, whole Indian."
Source: Roper, Edward. By Track and Trail: A Journey Through Canada. London: W.H. Allen & Co., 1891. pp. 241—244.
The author of the travelogue goes on to tell anecdotes of other Canadian-Indians he met in Victoria, who he found indistinguishable from rich, cultured Englishwomen from the highest society. His descriptions fascinated me because they ran so counter to the 20th-century narrative of poor, oppressed Indians. In particular my mind kept returning to that flashy socialite, dressed to the nines, with her "very pretty phaeton". I decided I simply had to base a character on her and have my Chetzemoka friends make her acquaintance.
 Jennie Jerome Churchill, rumored to be part-Iroquois. Her memoir and various biographies helped immensely with understanding the details of a Victorian socialite's life. |  Anonymous picture which served as the basis for Theresa Delaroux, the Victoria socialite in Book V. |
Since her smart phaeton (the 19th-century equivalent of a high-end sports car) had been such a striking image in the original text, it had to be in my book as well. Researching the vehicle took us to the carriage museum, and it was an amazing experience!
Spider Phaeton
The Northwest Carriage Museum has a very extensive collection of beautiful 19th-century vehicles. The spider phaeton we had come to see is over a century old, yet it looks as though its first owner only purchased it yesterday.
We were charmed by the heart-shaped lamps on the phaeton —surely, we thought, a detail that the romantic Jacob would notice in the book!
One of the kind and helpful museum staff workers explained how weights like this one were used as mobile hitching posts to discourage a horse from wandering away with one's carriage when it was parked!
It was fun seeing the great variety of different steps on all the carriages, and the beautiful attention to detail on many of them.
Besides the spider phaeton, the museum also had a beautiful wicker phaeton —a summer vehicle for dry climates. We grinned when we saw that this vehicle had an parasol holder very like the one on my tricycle!
I loved seeing the greengrocer's cart! Nearly all the characters in the series would have been familiar with these from seeing them in the big metropolises.
This western wagon is like the one Ezra Dunn, the teamster, drives in Books I (First Wheel in Town) and II (Love Will Find A Wheel). One can certainly see why Jacob reflects that it would be more romantic to help Addie into a carriage like the opera coach below!
Running gears like this one were used to haul lumber and logs; the section between the two axles could be expanded to haul longer loads. They would have been a common sight in and around the town of Chetzmoka. This particular running gear was used in the construction of Highway 7 between Morton and Tacoma.
The western chuck wagon will definitely have pride of place in a later story! I loved the coffee grinder, and all the other details.
The museum even had a classroom set up like Lizzie's in Delivery Delayed.
The museum's lovely collection of sleighs reminded me of all the cuddly and romantic images of sleighing I came across when I was putting together A Christmas Wish. The velvet-covered foot-warmer for holding warm coals was marvelous!
And the two hearses, of course, reminded me of Words For Parting.
The whole collection was marvelous, and the staff was incredibly helpful. A wonderful experience!
***
In a seaport town in the late 19th-century Pacific Northwest, a group of friends find themselves drawn together —by chance, by love, and by the marvelous changes their world is undergoing. In the process, they learn that the family we choose can be just as important as the ones we're born into. Join their adventures in
The Tales of Chetzemoka
First Wheel in Town
In the summer of 1881, a Pacific Northwest town is buzzing with curiosity over a mysterious package received by handsome young Dr. Brown. Kitty Butler, the town dressmaker, is as curious as anyone else. She only knows one thing about that crate in the post office: everyone else's guesses about its contents are all wrong.
When Dr. Brown unpacks the crate and reveals the first bicycle the town has ever seen, he wants to share his enthusiasm for this revolutionary new piece of technology —but encounters overwhelming hostility instead of the excitement he'd expected. The only one who seems positively interested is the pretty young widow Kitty Butler, and Dr. Brown soon realizes how much he needs her support…
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Love Will Find A Wheel
"I'm sure he'll be glad you're here —once he gets used to it."
When Jacob Simmons arrives in Washington Territory in the summer of 1882 and receives a glacial reception from his uncle Silas, he appreciates Dr. Brown's encouraging prediction but doesn't have much faith in it. Jacob's not even sure Silas will have time to get used to his presence, let alone consider him welcome. If the young man can't meet the draconian requirements of a contract with his business investors, he'll face exile and financial ruin, thus fulfilling old Silas' prediction that he would be just as dismal a failure as his father. His whole future rests on finding a market for a remarkable new machine —and he'll need help selling them.
***
Addie Kellam is an incredibly lonely young woman. She's more comfortable with books than with other people, yet she longs for the sort of romance she reads about in stories. It's something she fears she'll never experience herself, since even friendship seems elusive. She envies the cameraderie her brother finds in his cycling club, but the only bicycles in the town of Chetzemoka are specifically designed for men. There aren't any wheels for women anywhere —are there?
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A Rapping At The Door
When the delivery of a mysterious letter to Silas Hayes' mansion is followed by the arrival of a beautiful young woman who claims she can communicate with the dead, Nurse McCoy sniffs trouble in the wind. It's obvious to her that the newcomer is after Silas' fortune, but he is helplessly in awe of the medium's eerily intimate knowledge of his past and her seemingly supernatural abilities. Meanwhile, Kitty Brown's yearning to reach out to the departed spirit of her first love is making her push away her new husband, just when she needs him the most. The whole situation is a dreadful mess, and McCoy's got to straighten it all out before Silas' nephew and his bride come back from their honeymoon. Honestly, she doesn't know how any of the fools in this world would get along without her…
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Delivery Delayed
It's obvious to everyone in the Chetzemoka cycling club that Lizzie and Isaac could make each other very happy —but does anyone really listen to their friends about affairs of the heart? A prim schoolmarm and a stoic steamship captain are hardly the people to discuss their sentiments, especially with each other. The smallest challenges seem like huge obstacles, even with everyone else trying their best to bring them together. When progress finally seems possible, a well-intentioned little girl steps in with the kind of help they'd be better off without. Will the situation be resolved in time, or will Isaac ship out for good?
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***
Anthologies
Love's Messenger
A Choice Collection of
Victorian Love Poetry
The verses embraced within these pages have been kissed awake after a long slumber. Copied from the fragile pages of nineteenth-century books and magazines, they are the whispers of lovers long entranced. In this beautifully diverse collection of Victorian love poetry high-born ladies and their eloquent beaux keep company with simple maids whose sweethearts pledge their love in simpler —and often much funnier— terms. Prepare for your happy sighs to be joined by occasional giggles while you hold this book close to your heart. Compiled, edited and introduced by Sarah A. Chrisman, author of the charming Tales of Chetzemoka historical fiction series, This Victorian Life, Victorian Secrets, and others.
Quotations of Quality
A Commonplace Book of Victorian Advice, Wit, and Observations on Life Eloquent statements are like the seeds of beautiful flowers: in the fertile garden of the mind they grow and blossom into inspiration, reflection, and rewarding conversations. The Victorian era was a time when people expressed themselves skillfully and beautifully, and the writings of that age are a rich legacy from the past. This little volume is a collection of sentiments on an array of subjects, among them:
Books: "A minute's reading often provokes a day's thinking." —W.H. Venable, 1872. "Books are those faithful mirrors that reflect to our minds the minds of sages and heroes. A good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit treasured up on a purpose for a life beyond." —J.F. Spaunhurst, 1896.
Writing: "Every new book must have, in the consciousness of its author, a private history that, like the mysteries of romance, would if unfolded have an interest for the reader, and by unveiling the inner life of the volume show its character and tendencies." —Sarah Josepha Hale, 1866.
Language: "The [Ancient] Greeks said that barbarians did not speak, they twittered." —Charles DeKay, 1898.
The Sexes: "It is better for men, it is better for women, that each somewhat idealize the other." —Gail Hamilton, 1872.
Love: "True love is that which ennobles the personality, fortifies the heart, and sanctifies the existence. And the being we love must not be mysterious and sphinx-like, but clear and limpid as a diamond; so that admiration and attachment may grow with knowledge." —Henry Frédéric Amiel, 1880.
Optimism: "Refuse to dwell among shadows when there is so much sunshine in the world." —Hester M. Poole, 1888.
History: "The past is our wisest and best instructor. In its dim and shadowy outlines we may, if we will, discern in some measure those elements of wisdom which should guide the present and secure the welfare of the future." —Frederick Douglass, 1889.
Work: "Make the most of your brain and your eyes, and let no one dare tell you that you are devoting yourself to a low sphere of action." —Anonymous, late 19th-century
Keep this book in a place where its wisdom can refresh your spare moments, or buy a copy for a friend to brighten their day. May the flowers of thought thus planted bear rich fruit for you.
Compiled and edited by Sarah A. Chrisman, author of The Tales of Chetzemoka, This Victorian Life, and others.
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