The Dusty Box

Category: History

  • Moving to Substack

    Moving to Substack

    2023 is the year I follow my intuition. Initially, this started with regard to stories. When I came across a little-known Sydney story, I decided to follow it. As I researched, the familiar feeling of anticipation washed over me. It was a story I had to write. I decided The Dusty Box needed a refresh.…

  • Poisoned at Day Dawn

    Poisoned at Day Dawn

    Dressed in her best clothes and halfway through drinking her tea, Georgina Hussey doubled over in pain. Unable to bear it, she went to lie down. In bed, she proceeded to have a fit. Horton Sibley, the man she lived with, hovered nearby. He decided to find a doctor. Before doing so, he asked their…

  • Sea Bathing in the Victorian Era

    Sea Bathing in the Victorian Era

    …it is, unquestionable that bathing in the open sea is, in itself, a powerful restorative agency, which many persons may employ with very great advantage. Scientific American Volume 49 Number 07 (August 1883); Page 104; Sea Bathing It was this belief in the sea’s ‘powerful restorative agency’ that resulted in the increased popularity of sea…

  • The Haunted Swing

    The Haunted Swing

    Invented by Amariah Lake of New Jersey in 1893, the haunted swing was a Victorian era amusement ride. Participants entered a room and took a seat on the swing provided. When the ride got underway, the attendant gave the swing a push. As it moved, it appeared to rotate, creating an illusion that the people…

  • Rocky Bay Joe

    Rocky Bay Joe

    Looking upon the decade as a whole, we can see that many interesting events took place throughout the 1830s. William IV succeeded his brother to the throne of the United Kingdom in June 1830. The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 (abolishing slavery in the British Empire) was passed. Charles Darwin set off on a voyage of…

  • The Cornish Pixie

    The Cornish Pixie

    On the night of Jan. 5th, 1905, a fearful storm raged on the South and South West coast of England. A vessel was seen making desperate struggles to keep her course. She was, however, lost to sight and the eager eyes watching, could see no more. Next morning some fishermen searching among a quantity of…