Summer Travel Stories

During summer 2023, the Frances Willard House Museum and WCTU Archives highlighted stories of women’s mobility and travel on tours and social media. Many artifacts, documents, and photographs in our collection provide insight into the ways in which women crossed borders, transcended boundaries, and formed wide-ranging coalitions. The first collection item we shared was Frances … Read more

Taking It on the Road: Foldable Pump Organ

This summer, the Frances Willard House Museum is highlighting stories of women’s mobility and travel. Many items on display at the Museum provide insight into the ways in which women crossed borders, transcended boundaries, and formed wide-ranging coalitions. The research and initial draft for this blogpost were done by Britt Fagerstrom, Luke Eberts, and Jessica … Read more

Collection Close-Up: Traveling Tea Set

This summer, the Frances Willard House Museum is highlighting stories of women’s mobility and travel. Many items on display at the Museum provide insight into the ways in which women crossed borders, transcended boundaries, and formed wide-ranging coalitions. The research and initial writing for this blogpost was conducted by Ali Schultz, Hana Ross, and Natalie … Read more

“I’ve Been to Dwight!”

Time was when this statement meant that the speaker was a recovering alcoholic making a triumphal return from Dwight, Illinois, after undergoing the famous “Keeley Gold Cure” in that small but bustling town. For me, it means I’m back from a conference of the Alcohol & Drugs History Society (ADHS), held in Dwight from July … Read more

Willard Archives Research Presented at GHI Conference

In late April, 2016, the German Historical Institute (GHI) in Washington D.C. hosted a conference entitled Forging Bonds Across Borders: Mobilizing for Women’s Rights and Social Justice in the 19th Century Transatlantic World. Co-sponsored by the University of Maryland at College Park and the Heidelberg Center for American Studies, the conference brought scholars from around … Read more