...in a good way!

I used to love PbP RPGs and belonged to several when I was in jr. high. Now I'm finding the search for a new one a bit overwhelming. Many of the games (not necessarily just here on rpol) are closed to the public; however, I find myself wanting to read a few threads to get a flavor for the community.

I would love to find a 19th century-based RPG that contains some horror/gothic elements (not necessarily supernatural although I'm open to that). I've posted to a few places in "Looking for Players" but no response just yet.

Any recommendations are most welcome...I just feel like I'm going further and further down a rabbit hole!

You might have more luck posting in the Wanted - GMs forum - start your own thread and explain exactly what you're looking for.

The forum is here: link to another game

You could also try posting something in the 'Wanted: GMs' forum.  There may be people who'd be willing to run such a game, if they knew there was some demand for it.

Most games here are private, and Adult games are required to be, to shield their content from youngsters. If you find a game or two that appeal to you, you could ask the GMs if they'll let you Lurk on a read-only basis for a while.
Apart from that, all you can do is keep trying,in Players Wanted and GMs Wanted. I see you already found your near-namesake - you could be happy there.

In reply to azzernin (msg # 1):

If you find a game that looks interesting, but you can't see any of the game threads, you can send a message to the GM (within the game) to be added as a lurker. Once added as a lurker, you'll be able to see and read the game threads.
Post in Wanted -- GMs as well.
Do a search of active games on RpoL by using the search feature. You can search by game system. You can also type in keywords associated with the kind of game that you want to join. For example, search for horror/gothic and browse the games to find ones set in the nineteenth century. This is one way to hunt for the game of your liking. I'm sure there'll be games out there to suit you.