Famous Last Words: The Death of Frances Willard
Frances Willard’s death on February 17, 1898, was marked by four memorial services, nationwide recognition, and a long legacy.
The Fruitful History of “Dry January”
By Elizabeth Schmidt, Fall 2020 Intern As 2021 begins, many people will make typical New Year’s resolutions to get in shape and become healthier. These resolutions often include a vow to moderate the use of alcohol. This will be particularly meaningful after a year when, due to the pandemic, health was everyone’s main concern, and … Read more
Launching the “Last Call”: The Women’s Crusade against Alcohol, 1873-1874
by Kristin Jacobsen, Assistant Archivist Patrons nursing their beers in the saloons of Fredonia, New York, on December 15, 1873, were met with a startling sight: more than one hundred local women taking to the streets to prevent drinkers from raising another glass. The women visited all eight liquor dealers in Fredonia – praying, singing … Read more
Giving Thanks for Our Village
One of our Executive Director’s favorite non-Willard quotes is “It takes a village.” We approach the end of 2020 with gratitude for everyone who has made our work during this challenging year possible: staff, volunteers, interns, Board and Council members, and supporters far and wide. Without these villagers, we couldn’t have maintained Frances Willard’s “Do Everything” approach at the level we did this year. In this post we focus on … Read more
Playing in the Virtual Parlor: A Zoom Field Trip to the Willard House
By Fiona Maxwell A group of visitors from Sky Island crowded around the fat dictionary on Frances Willard’s bedroom desk. They had found a clue – a mysterious annotation that held the secret to the unknown history of woman’s suffrage on Sky Island. Sky Island is the creation of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade … Read more
The Making of “Influences of a Self-Made Woman: The Early Journals of Frances Willard”
By Hannah Lahti, Remote Summer Intern The social and political reformer Frances Willard remains notable throughout history as a champion of women’s rights and a leader of the nineteenth century’s national reform movement. Historians study the impact of her work to understand the role of women and women’s movements in the fight for women’s … Read more
120 Years of Commemorating Willard and Women’s Work at Rest Cottage
By Fiona Maxwell The Frances Willard House is one of the first house museums in the United States dedicated to the life and work of a woman. Upon her death in 1898, Frances Willard willed her home to the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. In 1900, the WCTU established its national headquarters in the north side … Read more
Birth of the WCTU: Temperance Women Ride a National Wave
By Kristin Jacobsen, WCTU Archives, Archives Assistant In mid-August, 1874, a group of temperance women came together to seize a national moment that led to formation of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). The women were wives of a group of Methodist clergymen who were attending the first National Sunday-School Assembly at Chautauqua Lake in … Read more
Willard House and the 19th Amendment Centennial
By Cate LiaBraaten, Museum Operations Manager Suffrage, or the right to vote and hold office in political elections, is foundational to democratic societies. 2020 marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which states that the right to vote shall not be denied on the basis of sex. The 19th Amendment was passed … Read more
The Activism and Artistry of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
By Fiona Maxwell, University of Chicago Graduate Global Impact Intern Frances Willard’s prominence as an activist, orator, writer, and educator has tended to overshadow many of the other remarkable woman leaders active in the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union during the late nineteenth century–including Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, the National “superintendent for work among the colored … Read more