Joel Williamsen is a Nebraska native raised in rural Alder Grove, south of the mighty metropolis of Craig, and a graduate of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. He has worked for the Army on anti-tank missiles, for NASA as a spacecraft engineer on the Hubble Space Telescope, Space Station and Deep Impact programs, and is now a Pentagon research analyst specializing in aircraft and missile live fire test and evaluation.

This is his first novel. 

 

A Few Notes from the Author

This was an amazing period in Nebraska history, as noted in “The Real People and Places of Barrelhouse Boys” appearing at the end of this book.  The week of August 5, 1894 really did include a train wreck in Lincoln and riots in Omaha’s Hammond packing plant, put down by the state militia, which was training in Lincoln.  The newspaper articles included within the novel are as accurate and complete as space (and my limited ability to transcribe) would allow.  The book’s conversations involving such historical personages as “Blackjack” Pershing, Willa Cather, and “Hell ‘n Maria” Dawes are mostly supposition—but are based on historical references (as far as they go).  I would have loved to have met any one of them.

Barrelhouse Boys is my first novel, and could not have come into being without a great deal of patient assistance from family, friends, librarians, and historians.  I am especially indebted to:

·         The staff of the Nebraska State Historical Society, particularly Mary-Jo Miller, Matt Piersol, Pat Churray and Linda Hein.

·         The history department of the University of Nebraska, especially Professor Timothy R. Mahoney for his first-rate website on gaslight era Lincoln (gildedage.unl.edu). 

·         The staff of the UNL Library, especially Peterson Brink, for their generous access to their fascinating collection of photos, yearbooks, and other memorabilia from 1894.

·         The Chantilly and Centreville branches of the Fairfax County Public Library, who obtained Lincoln newspapers of the time from the Library of Congress.

·         Russell Lang for his excellent works on the history of Alder Grove and the neighboring “big city” of Craig. 

·         Steve Evans and Tad Styker, for their editing skill and unflagging support.

·         My family and colleagues for listening to me rant about this for four years.

I'd also like to add a special thanks to Mr. Ray Bellande, for allowing me to use the photo of his great uncles, the Bellande Brothers (taken in 1895), for the book's cover.  The remarkable resemblance of these men to many of my characters--namely (taken left to right) Joseph Pack, Amos Seville (behind the bar), Johnny Pack, James Pack (behind the bar), Jeffrey Pack, Swede Jorgenson (somewhat shrunken), and Bud Gardner--was completely accidental, since the photo came along after the writing was complete (and was sort of spooky, actually : ) .

Feedback?  I'd love to hear from you!  Feel free to write me at the email  address shown below:

joel@barrelhouseboys.com

Or add to my blog at:

www.barrelhouseboys.wordpress.com.