By Glen Madeja, Head Gardener The renovated gardens have progressed tremendously so far this year. Based on research done by landscape historian Barbara Geiger funded by a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a work plan had been laid out for the entire property, focused on the gardens surrounding Willard House. Over the … Read more
By Fiona Maxwell, University of Chicago Graduate Global Impact Intern This is the third installment of a series of blog posts highlighting a small sample of the printed performance materials housed in the WCTU Archives. Although the Museum and Archives are closed to visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are committed to providing digital … Read more
By Fiona Maxwell, University of Chicago Graduate Global Impact Intern This is the second installment of a series of blog posts highlighting a small sample of the printed performance materials housed in the WCTU Archives. Although the Museum and Archives are closed to visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are committed to providing digital … Read more
Normally, this time of year would see the Frances Willard House Museum bustling and busy. March is Women’s History Month – one of our busiest tour months – and we’d be in the midst of planning for the summer season, with new interns and their projects, and event and program plans in full swing. This … Read more
By Fiona Maxwell, University of Chicago Graduate Global Impact Intern This is the first installment of a series of blog posts highlighting a small sample of the printed performance materials housed in the WCTU Archives. Although the Museum and Archives are closed to visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are committed to providing digital … Read more
By Hannah Overstreet, 2019 Summer Intern This month marks a century since the enactment of the Eighteenth Amendment, better known as Prohibition. For more than thirteen years, the United States banned alcohol, making it illegal to make, transport, or sell “intoxicating liquors” of all kinds. If you live in Chicago and pay any attention to … Read more
By Fiona Maxwell, UChicago Grad Global Impact Intern In November 1871, the Evanston College for Ladies threw open its parlor for a Thanksgiving “sociable.” The College’s President Frances Willard displayed “pains-taking care” in her preparations in order that all of the guests enjoyed “themselves to the fullest extent.” After the formalities of “introduction and conversation,” … Read more
Before the Pure Food and Drug Act, the United States (as well as the rest of the world) was riddled with problems regarding the safety of food and drink. Over a hundred years have gone by since the passing of the act in 1906, and times when a glass of milk could cause disease and … Read more
In the late nineteenth century, American cities were filled with bicycles. People from all walks of life embraced them, which shaped urban environments. Frances Willard and other reformers promoted bicycles as particularly important for women. Bicycles were instruments of health, freedom, and convenience, which could contribute to equality. Some people doubted whether women should ride … Read more
This is the first in an ongoing series of posts that will highlight the work of Frances Willard and the WCTU on an issue of enduring importance today. April 2, 2019 marked Equal Pay Day this year. Equal Pay Day is a day set aside to commemorate how long into the new year a woman … Read more