25 Years in the Rearview Mirror: 52 Authors Look Back

Chapter 8 and Back Matter

Chapter Eight: Further Back in Time

In this special bonus chapter, you can journey even further back in time than twenty-five years. Delve back in time fifty, seventy-five and a hundred years, read a strange but true ghost story and learn about a childhood social anxiety disorder that can still have effects in adulthood.

A Long Look Back

By Norma Huss

Written in 2010

Norma Huss did some research in her local Lancaster, PA newspapers and discovered these colorful tidbits.

Fifty years ago, in December 1960, the United States was building fallout shelters to protect their families from atomic disaster. On December 6th, one was dedicated in down-town Lancaster, PA. The shelter was designed to protect one family of six for two weeks. The 10 by 10 by 7 (the height) structure had eight-inch-thick masonry walls and was stocked with bunk beds, canned food, stove, radio, flashlight and games. (I do hope they included water, although that wasn't mentioned.)

Also that December, three days later, a truck loaded with Christmas trees missed a curve and plunged into the Susquehanna River. (The driver made it out of the submerged cab and survived.) In another three days, a surprise storm dumped twelve inches of snow that must have stayed around a while as the temperature dropped to 10 degrees.

Seventy-five years ago, residents of a nearby town were startled when four goats broke through a fence and raced through the streets. Residents scurried to the safety of their porches while the guests at the General Sutter Hotel wondered if wild mountain goats were common in the area. In other news that day, the Lancaster Liederkranz mourned the loss of Gaboot, a twenty-man beer stein known as the mightiest mug ever to cross the club's bar. A man lifted it to refresh the orchestra members, and kapow! The Gaboot fell to the floor and broke into pieces.

One hundred years ago, on December 6, 1910, eight inches of snow fell on Lancaster. Never fear...large snowplows and gangs of shovelers helped keep all the trolley lines operating. They must have done a good job because the next day, 450 children lined up for free shoes given by two local stores as a result of a fund-raising venture. However, there were only 150 pairs available, so a second benefit was scheduled for the 300 children turned away.

Oh yes, there was another incident two days later of extreme family discord. Residents in a tenement over Woolworth's store heard a woman screaming at her husband. After she'd turned the air blue, she pulled a stocky horsewhip from her dress and lashed him as he ran down the stairs and out into the street. (Hmmm. Never happen now. No horsewhip, no place to hide it in skin-tight jeans, and...that building is gone.)

Norma Huss calls herself the Grandma Moses of Mystery. Yesterday's Body is the first of the Jo Durbin Mysteries. The first of the Cyd Denlinger Mysteries is Death of a Hot Chick. Her non-fiction title, A Knucklehead in 1920s Alaska, retells her father's teenage adventures.

The Ghost of Mr. Stetson

By Darcia Helle

Written in 2011

Max Paddington, the main character in my novel Into The Light, is a ghost. He refuses to cross over until he finds out who murdered him. Unfortunately for Max, he is somewhat ineffectual as a ghost. He's clumsy, can't figure out how to navigate the world in his spirit form, and only one person hears him. The journey is an odd one for Max and his unlikely partner, private detective Joe Cavelli.