Gilded Age Waco
The Gilded Age in America lasted roughly from just after the Civil War to the end of the 19th century. The name is based on Mark Twain’s 1873 novel, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. It suggests that the apparent economic boom of the period gilded over big underlying social troubles.
This 1892 Bird’s Eye View map of Waco depicts the downtown area where many of the events in The Sporting House Killing took place. (Map courtesy of the Library of Congress)
Cicero and Jasper roomed in this Baylor dormitory, Maggie Houston Hall. The story begins here. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Collection at Baylor University)
The Baylor University campus. (Map courtesy of the Library of Congress)
The main Baylor University building, pictured in the foreground, came to be known as Old Main. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Collection at Baylor University)
The courthouse in which Catfish Calloway tried most of his cases. Built in 1877, it was designed by Waco architect Wesley C. Dodson. It stood at the corner of 2nd Street and Franklin Avenue, but was too small and, being situated adjacent to a spur track of the Cotton Belt Railroad, too noisy. It was replaced in 1902 by the current courthouse on Washington. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Collection at Baylor University)
In Chapter 2 Catfish enjoys a Dr Pepper at the Old Corner Drug Store. The McLelland Hotel is above it, and the Law Office of Calloway & Calloway is near the end of the block to the left, obscured by the carriages. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Collection at Baylor University)
Central Texas artist Charles Wallis painted this scene of the old Katy Railroad passenger depot at 8th and Jackson Streets. Because important events in The Sporting House Killing happened there, this image appears on the book cover. (Photo courtesy of Charles Wallis)
Scenes From the Suspension Bridge Robbery
The suspension bridge. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Collection at Baylor University)
The suspension bridge. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Collection at Baylor University)
The suspension bridge. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Collection at Baylor University)
The cover design for The Suspension Bridge Robbery is based upon the work of John Dudley, Waco architect and artist (Image Courtesy of Grant Dudley and the Historic Waco Foundation)
From the 1892 Bird’s Eye View map of Waco. (Map courtesy of the Library of Congress)
Methodist Children’s Home, Herring Avenue, Waco (Map courtesy of the Library of Congress)
The Bismark Saloon in 1910 (Photo courtesy of the Texas Collection at Baylor University)
Bismark Saloon Ad, Waco City Directory, 1893 (Auhtor’s Collection)
Ad for the first Cotton Palace Pageant, Artesia Weekly, November 4, 1894 (Image Courtesy of the Texas Collection at Baylor University)
Court of Criminal Appeals, Austin, Texas (Author’s Photo)
1891. Official map of the city of Waco and suburbs compiled from official records and surveys by Stephen Turner, C.E. ; drawn by A.L. Westgard for Fort, Willig & Patton, Waco, Texas. (Baylor University Digital Collections)
Historical Characters in The Suspension Bridge Robbery
Dr. David Richard Wallace
Senator Richard Coke
Miss Kate Harrison Friend (Photo Courtesy of the Texas Collection at Baylor University)