Our recently closed exhibit at the Evanston History Center included a feature our exhibit team worked hard to imagine and create. We called it the “talk-back tree,” somewhat following our “Lifting as We Climb” theme. We created a tree of plywood and paint and put out post-its in leaf colors for vistors to write on. We […]
A tree for talking back to us… Read More »
This year marks the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day and this moment has a surprising Evanston connection in May Wood Simons. Simons and her husband, Algie, were Evanston residents for many years and were active in the early years of the Socialist Party in America. Simons wrote for and edited several socialist publications, including
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Attorney Mayme Finley Spencer was Evanston’s first African-American female alderman. She came to Evanston in 1957 with her husband Warren, a doctor at the Community Hospital. Spencer was elected alderman in 1963 and served two terms. A graduate of Kent College of Law, Spencer practiced law for many years at a Chicago law firm while
Katherine McDonald Wimp (better known by her stage name, Kay Davis) (1920 – ) was a classically trained vocalist, receiving her Masters Degree from Northwestern University in 1943. She joined Duke Ellington’s band in 1944 as one of his trio of female singers and toured with the band throughout the U.S. and Europe in the
August 26, 2010 marks the 90th anniversary of women achieving the right to vote in national elections! Evanston women played a key role in making this happen in the years preceeding the passage of the 19th amendment to the constitution in 1920. Elizabeth Harbert was connected to the national suffrage movement through her friendship with
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Frances Willard wrote many books and countless speeches, newspaper articles, pamphlets, etc during her busy life as a temperance reformer and women’s rights advocate. One of the most interesting is the little book she wrote about her experience late in life of taking up the new hobby of bicycle riding. In honor of the start
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The Women’s Land Army of America was formed during WWI to give women a way to help and farmers the workers they needed. Organized on a local, state and national level, it was self-funded as the women were paid by the farmers they worked for. The Land Army explicitly tried to mix the educational and
As early as 1876, Evanston was home to the Pro and Con Club, organized by Elizabeth Boynton Harbert (1843-1925), author and suffrage activist, for the purpose of discussing women’s suffrage. Harbert had participated in the founding of the American Woman’s Suffrage Association and was a close associate of Susan B. Anthony. She wrote the “Woman’s Kingdom” column
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From Evanston’s earliest years, women were active locally and nationally in advocating for women’s suffrage. As early as 1876, Evanston was home to the Pro and Con Club, organized by Elizabeth Boynton Harbert, author and suffrage activist, for the purpose of discussing women’s suffrage. Harbert had participated in the founding of the American Woman’s Suffrage Association
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Following her sister’s experience with infertility, Florence Walrath (1877-1958) founded The Cradle adoption agency in 1923. At the time, adoption facilities had not changed much since the 19th Century. Walrath and The Cradle became leaders in the effort to dignify adoption and improve the quality of child care in these agencies. She and her staff
