Lecture and book signing at Glessner House Museum September 11, 2013

A lecture and book signing is scheduled to coincide with the release of The Invention of Sarah Cummings, book three in the “Avenue of Dreams” historical fiction series. The series is set on Chicago’s historic Prairie Ave. during the late-nineteenth century. Check out the details below.


Lecture: Yearning to Breathe Free - Three Women Search for Meaning in 19th Century Chicago
Wednesday September 11, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. $5 per person (fee may be applied towards the purchase of a book).

Glessner House Coach House
R.S.V.P. to 312.326.1480
The “Avenue of Dreams” series explores the lives of three women and the challenges they overcome in order to live life on their own terms.  The series introduces readers to Lucy Banning - a young woman from Prairie Avenue society; Charlotte Farrow - a maid in service at a Prairie Avenue mansion; and Sarah Cummings - an orphan dreaming of a life beyond her grasp.

Author Olivia Newport and research partner Stephen Reginald will review how these works of historical fiction line up with the realities of life in late-19th century Chicago.  Copies of all three books, including the newly released The Invention of Sarah Cummings will be available for sale and signing. Read the Romantic Times book review by clicking on the link.

A Walk Through Time on the "Sunny Street of the Sifted Few"

The William W. Kimball House at
1801 S. Prairie Ave., a Chicago landmark
built in 1892, Solon S. Beman, architect.
One of the homes featured on the 2013 tour.

Glessner House Museum, 1800 S. Prairie Avenue, Chicago, will present its annual house tour of the Prairie Avenue Historic District entitled “A Walk Through Time” on Sunday June 9, 2013 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.  The tour will feature the interior of six private homes constructed between 1868 and 1894; an 1870 mansion now serving as a boutique hotel; the Glessner and Clarke house museums; and historic Second Presbyterian Church with its large collection of Tiffany windows.  Tickets are $50.00 per person and may be purchased in advance or at the door.  For reservations, please call 312-326-1480, or visit Glessner House Museum Web site for further information.

This very special tour presents attendees with the rare opportunity to see the interiors of several mansions built in the late 19th century on what was then known as the “sunny street of the sifted few.” These homes feature a breath-taking array of beautifully carved wood moldings, leaded glass windows, and fireplaces faced in elaborate tile, mosaic, and marble. For a complete listing of the homes on the tour click here.

Following the tour, participants are invited back to the Glessner House Museum coach house for a reception and silent auction, featuring an array of wonderful items old and new!

Book 2 takes place during
The 1893 World’s Fair.

For a fictional account of what life on Prairie Ave. was like, you might enjoy the “Avenue of Dream” series, which is set on that “sunny street of the sifted few.” The books take place during the years 1892 through 1896, during one of the most exciting eras in Chicago history. Book 1, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning and Books 2, The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow, in the series are available at bookstores everywhere and at Amazon.com. Book 3, The Invention of Sarah Cummings, releases this September.

Check out the review of The Pursuit of Lucy Banning in USAToday. 

Downton Abbey on Prairie Avenue

Book Two in the Avenue of Dreams series

Well, not really, but there was a time when Prairie Avenue was the center of wealth, power, and influence in Chicago. When Philip D. Armour arrived on Prairie Avenue in 1877, the street became home to Chicago’s three richest citizens: Marshall Field, Armour, and George Pullman , respectively. Book Two in the Avenue of Dreams series, The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow by Olivia Newport, brings those historic figures to life, as well as shedding some light on what it was like to be a servant in one of those Prairie Avenue mansions.

Balls, Parties, and Musical Concerts
Prairie Avenue was the setting for elaborate balls, parties, and musical concerts. In his book, Chicago’s Historic Prairie Avenue, author and executive director and curator of Glessner House Museum, William H. Tyre notes that the “most celebrated social event ever on the street was the Mikado Ball held on January 1, 1886 to celebrate the 18th birthday of Marshall Field Jr.” So big a social occasion was this elaborate party that The New York Times reported: “The house was transformed into a Japanese palace, with scenery designed after that used in the second act of ‘The Mikado,’ as represented at the Fifth-Avenue Theatre in New-York.” That’s quite an elaborate party, don’t you think? The article goes on to report that 400 children were in attendance, “all dressed in Japanese costumes.”

Copy of the original New York Times pieced
published January 1, 1886

Butlers, maids, nannies, and coachmen
The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow tells the tale of a maid in service at the fictional Banning household, located just south of the Kimball mansion. The Glessner House, at the corner of 18th and Prairie can be seen easily from the front door of the Banning home. The historical novel picks up where Book One, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning, left off. With the backdrop of the 1893 World’s Fair and Chicago’s changing social order, The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow gives readers a glimpse into the opulent lives of the residents of Prairie Avenue. It also explores the lives of the butlers, maids, nannies, and coachmen who catered to their wealthy employers’ every whim to make them comfortable.

Secrets and Prairie Avenue’s social code

Book One in the Avenue of Dreams series

But Charlotte Farrow has a real dilemma. How does she keep the fact that she has a small child a secret from her employers and the other staff members at the Banning household? Maids and live-in servants weren’t allowed to be married, let alone have children. Charlotte must navigate the social codes of the day, all the while providing the best for her young son—in secret.

Praise for The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow

“Newport’s latest novel, The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow, provides an enthralling examination of the complex class and gender barriers in nineteenth-century Chicago.” Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Into the Free

“Set with exacting detail in Chicago during the World’s Columbian Exposition, Charlotte’s tale of courage and struggle will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last.” William Tyre, executive director and curator, Glessner House Museum

“Book two in Newport’s Avenue of Dreams series is a wonderful historical romance that has everything fans of this genre look forward to: romance, intrigue and secrets, as well as characters that are rich in detail but not over the top. Newport is a wonderful writer who expertly mixes fiction with some facts from actual places and events. She explains the way of the social classes in 1893 and how little freedom and few choices the working class had. This is a book to read over and over again; it will be a keeper.” RT Book Reviews 

Praise for The Pursuit of Lucy Banning

“With attention to historical detail and an artful sense of place, Olivia Newport gives readers a fascinating glimpse into the way the wealthy interpreted the 1893 World's Fair – and the roles of women in the world. The Pursuit of Lucy Banning is a compassionate coming-of-age romance with a spunky, determined heroine and a Happy Ever After that's satisfyingly sweet.” Serena Chase, USA Today, Happily Ever After blog

“In a new historical series, Avenue of Dreams, readers will head to the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 where they will be treated to the grandeur and charm of the wealthy and the not-so-wealthy. In this story thick with secrets and lies, Newports’s characters are by turn charming, conniving, or trying to be true to themselves in spite of what society expects of them.” RT Book Reviews

Prairie Avenue comes alive with special events this week

Chicago’s First Gold Coast

The Pursuit of Lucy Banning is set on Prairie Ave. during
the late nineteenth century.

Prairie Avenue was Chicago’s first “Gold Coast” where the richest of the rich lived during the Gilded Age. We have a few reminders of those glory days and this week celebrates, in various ways, that history. Below are some of the unique events happening in the Prairie District this week.

Debut novel set on historic Prairie Avenue
The publication of The Pursuit of Lucy Banning, book one in the new “Avenue of Dreams” series will be celebrated June 5, 2012 at the Glessner House Museum, 1800 S. Prairie Ave. at 6:30 p.m. Author Olivia Newport will be signing copies of her debut novel. The Pursuit of Lucy Banning is set on Prairie Ave. during the late 1890s. Lucy Banning and her family are involved with the planning of the World Columbian Exposition of 1893, an event that changed Chicago and the world. Newport and research partner and Glessner House docent, Steve Reginald, will be discussing the series and how it came to be.

Farmers Market in the Prairie District

The Wheeler Mansion was built in 1870.

The Wheeler Mansion Market, 2020 S. Calumet, will make its debut June 6, 2012, 4:00 p.m. - 8 p.m.

The Wheeler Mansion Market is a an upscale farmers market featuring “local farmers, artisan producers, and independently owned and operated businesses; including an artfully curated selection of jewelry, furniture, art, and handcrafted products by local designers.”

The Wheeler Mansion, like the Glessner House, is one of the few remaining mansions that once populated the Prairie District. Today is an upscale bed and breakfast.





Take a walk through time

A Walk Through Time is the “annual tour of historic mansions of Prairie Avenue” presented by the Glessner House Museum, 1800 S. Prairie Ave.

Sunday June 10, 2012 from 1:00 to 4:00pm
$50 per person / $45 for museum members
Prepaid reservations recommended to 312.326.1480

This very special tour, the annual benefit for Glessner House Museum, presents attendees with the rare opportunity to visit the interiors of several historic homes along and near Prairie Avenue.  Visitors will be treated to a breath-taking array of beautifully carved wood moldings, leaded glass windows, and fireplaces in elaborate tile, mosaic, and marble.  The Glessner and Clarke House Museums are also included on the tour as well as historic Second Presbyterian Church, with its important arts and crafts interior and collection of windows, including nine by Tiffany and two by Edward Burne-Jones.  Following the tour, attendees are invited to return to the coach house of Glessner House Museum for a reception and silent auction, featuring theatre tickets, Chicago memorabilia, collectibles, and other items of interest.

The Pursuit of Lucy Banning: The Big Reveal

Book One in the “Avenue of Dreams” series 

Prairie Avenue Novel Cover Revealed
On October 6, 2011, I announced a new book series set on Prairie Ave. during the late 19th century. The first book in the “Avenue of Dreams” series, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning will be released in May 2012. Author Olivia Newport has crafted a three-book series that takes place during a five-year span, 1892 – 1896, during the glory days of Prairie Ave.

A Daughter of Prairie Ave.
The publisher, Fleming H. Revell, just recently added it to their online catalog with the book cover illustration. Pictured on the cover is heroine, Lucy Banning, a daughter of Prairie Ave. who yearns for more than a life of ease and the obligatory marriage joining family fortunes.

Publisher Has Chicago Roots
Fleming H. Revell is now a division of Baker Publishing Group out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Revell has Chicago roots. It was co-founded by D. L. Moody and his brother-in-law Fleming H. Revell in 1870. At a recent “behind the scenes tour” of the Glessner House Museum, I discovered several Revell titles on the shelves in the Glessner family library. At least one of the books discovered would have been on their shelves during the time period that The Pursuit of Lucy Banning takes place.

More Novels To Come!
Books two and three have been accepted and contracted for publication, but have yet to be scheduled or titled. If you’re a fan of Prairie Ave. and Chicago history, I think you’ll enjoy these historical novels.

Everyone Should Have An Aunt Violet
Full disclosure: The author of this blog, Stephen Reginald (that would be me), conceived this series with author Newport. I did the principle research, but Newport did all the writing; the characters, in their fullness, are out of her very creative mind. If I can take any writing credit—and this is stretching it, it is my advocacy for the full character development of Lucy Banning’s Aunt Violet. Aunt Violet was a wonderful character Newport created that I thought could play a bigger role in the novel.

Newport and I have worked together at various publishing houses since the 1990s. I was usually working in the role of acquisitions editor, so we got to know each other rather well, even though we’ve only met in person twice. Newport is a gifted writer who can handle fiction and nonfiction projects with equal success. I always thought given the chance, she could be a bestselling fiction author. With the publication of the “Avenue of Dreams” book series, she is well on her way.

Book Series Set on Historic Prairie Avenue to Debut in 2012

A new book series set on historic Prairie Ave. during the late-nineteenth century is scheduled for release next year. Book one, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning will be published in June 2012.

Avenue of Dreams
Boasting the three richest men—Marshall Field, Philip Armour, and George Pullman—in the city among its residents, Prairie Ave. was Chicago’s original “Gold Coast.”Author Olivia Newport created a “fictional wealthy family [the Bannings] and put them smack in the middle of this historic neighborhood.” Newport lives in Colorado Springs, but lived in Illinois for a time. The series name is “Avenue of Dreams,” which perfectly describes Prairie Ave. during its heyday. The series starts in 1892 and concludes in 1896.

The Biggest and Most Spectacular

The Harriet F. Rees home is seeking landmark status.

Probably the most exciting time to live on Prairie Ave. was during the World’s Columbian Exhibition of 1893. The World’s Fair was one of the great turning points in Chicago history. With the eyes of the world focused on the Windy City, Chicago had a lot riding on the fair’s success. Many prominent Prairie Ave. residents campaigned to bring the exhibition to the city; they also worked hard to ensure it was the biggest and most spectacular World’s Fair in history.

Survivors Remain
Most of the beautiful homes that lined the avenue are long gone. A few remain, including the Glessner House Museum at 18th and S. Prairie. Another survivor, the Harriet F. Rees home is seeking preliminary landmark status. The home at 2110 S. Prairie sits just outside of the protected Prairie Ave. historic district.

To keep track of Lucy Banning and the rest of the series set on Prairie Ave., be sure to read Olivia Newport’s blog and feel free to leave a comment or ask a question; she’d love to hear from you.