By Kristin JacobsenAssistant Archivist, Frances Willard House Museum and WCTU Archives When I heard about the Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board (ISHRAB), my mind went to Moby Dick. My name is Ishrab? No, no. That’s Ishmael. Captain Ishrab? No, Ahab is the protagonist of Herman Melville’s novel. ISHRAB, it turns out, is neither sailor, sea captain, nor … Read more
One hundred years ago today, May 20, 1922, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union Administration Building opened, signaling a full and final shift of the organization’s headquarters to Evanston. Located directly behind the Willard House at 1730 Chicago Avenue, this significant building hides in plain sight. Though no longer functioning as the WCTU’s national headquarters building, … Read more
“How strange it seems with so much gone Of life and love, to still live on.” Eighty-three Christmases have come to mother, and forty-eight to me. We have sped along the mile posts of years beyond our nearest comrades and are still here, but “They recon not by months and years Where these have gone … Read more
By Janet Olson, Archivist On January 13, 2021, the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 was signed into law. The bill directs the Treasury Department, through the U.S. Mint, to issue quarter-dollar coins featuring “prominent American women,” effective January 1, 2022 through the end of 2025. The act allows up to five coin designs … Read more
2020 was a watershed year when much of the research, planning, and preparation for the Willard House Garden historic reconstruction efforts came to fruition. Beginning with a planning grant we received from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, we have worked to make the gardens surrounding the house a unique and special setting for Evanston’s … Read more
I’m Cate LiaBraaten, and I have been the Museum Operations Manager at the Frances Willard House since 2018. I have worked on a variety of tasks and projects that range from administrative to curatorial. This spring, I will be leaving the museum to focus on writing my dissertation. As I leave this position behind, I … Read more