Boroughs of Fairgeth
Originally published at The Codex Continual. You can comment here or there.
The fame of Fairgeth spread through the pages of GANGLAND THRILLS™ and OCCULT THRILLS™ magazine and the exploits of heroes like ACE BARRIGAN™, THE CHANTEUSE™, and MAX MEDIUM™ or villains like BOSS MACKAY™, DINO STILETTO™, and MATTHEW SLATE™. In all fairness, the city grew as a random patchwork of background details, buildings, street names, and gangs or supernatural menaces. It was editor Victor Northrup who pieced it together and demanded the generic cityscapes of his authors become one singular city in 1937. After that, a one-upsmanship game among Northrop’s stable of authors filled the city backstreets with so many dangers it had to be cursed (even though such was not mentioned specifically until 1941).
The so-called “thirteen boroughs” of Fairgeth are more a play on superstitions and words than true boroughs. The original seven boroughs, founded between 1736 and 1768, encompassed only one-third of its eventual cityscape. The seven true boroughs each had their own individual fortifications around their homes and even acted at times as self-governing settlements. Across eight decades, an additional six communities grew among and around them as either outlying neighborhoods or politically independent towns. Only local custom and habit labeled these areas as boroughs while the city came together almost despite itself. By 1846, when Commodore John D. Sloat and his navy entered Algeth Bay to keep California territory out of Mexican hands, all thirteen had long since merged to become the city of Fairgeth.
Ilgeth: The larger island where the Poole River meets the Pacific in Algeth Bay is the oldest section of Fairgeth by virtue of its location farthest west. “Old Town” and the original town hall still stand as historical markers, as does the Carter Bridge connecting Ilgeth to Seven Bells, though it is younger by a century or more.
First Appearance/Mention: “A Canary Sings at Midnight,” by Stan Plymouth (1st THE CHANTEUSE story), OCCULT THRILLS #255 (February 1935); “Song on a Bridge’s Edge,” by Stan Plymouth (5th THE CHANTEUSE story; places Carter Bridge in Fairgeth), OCCULT THRILLS #288 (November 1937)
Seven Bells: This smaller island borough connects with the mainland by Minster Bridge. Named for the bells that toll the seven canonical hours, Seven Bells Island holds Three Saints Cathedral and its sprawling abbey complex at its heart. The second oldest church (and by far the grandest) in Fairgeth was dedicated in 1749 in honor of Saints Benedict, Brendan, and Anthony of Padua. The other site of interest here is Algethope, the mansion of the founding Algeth clan.
First Appearance/Mention: “Six-Spell-Shooter,” by A.J. Soltare (the first ACE BARRIGAN story), OCCULT THRILLS #264 (November 1935); “Possessed by Prior Penitents,” by Roger Ashwood, (16th MAX MEDIUM story; places Three Saints Cathedral into Fairgeth); OCCULT THRILLS #306 (May 1939)
River Row: Also called “the Docks,” River Row comprises the northwestern corner and much of the western riverfront of Fairgeth. Shipping yards, warehouses, and docks dominate all corners here. The Mackay Mob controls this borough with a fist that opens only to roll the dice at many of its hidden gambling dens. Little remains here of historical interest, since all such sites have long been sacrificed for commerce’s sake.
First Appearance/Mention: “His Teeth Made a Racket Under My Fist,” by Carson Cullen (1st BOSS MACKAY story), GANGLAND THRILLS #28 (July 1927); “Aces and Hates,” by A.J. Soltare (5th ACE BARRIGAN story, first meeting between BOSS MACKAY and ACE BARRIGAN), OCCULT THRILLS #282 (May 1937)
Editors’ Note: All material above excerpted from Fairgeth on File: Travelogue of a City without Shame (Bulwark/Prospect, 1988) by Norman Crenshaw, Charles Pherris, and Edward Ullers.