Springfield News-Leader, 11:00 PM, Sep. 18, 2011, by Claudette Riley Historical marker will remember care of Civil War orphans. The orphaned children of Civil War soldiers were fed, loved and looked after in a series of Springfield homes operated by Mary Whitney Phelps. This month, the Civil War Orphans' Home historical marker -- honoring Phelps'… Continue reading Woman receives honor for orphanages
Category: Greene County
Olive Boone
"I was married on the 26th of September, 1799. On the first of October, without any company but my husband, I started to Missouri, or Upper Louisiana. We had two ponies and our packhorse. [We arrived] in St. Louis the last of October. We went to St. Charles County and located about twenty miles above St.… Continue reading Olive Boone
Women’s History Month
It's that time of year again! There are so many great Women's History Month activities-- reading the 19th amendment aloud in front of a crackling fire, going to the mall to sit on Susan B. Anthony's lap-- that it's easy to get overwhelmed. It's important to remember the true purpose of the season: coming out to support your local… Continue reading Women’s History Month
Arizona “Ma” Barker
Stop for a moment, and imagine Ma Barker. Is she waving a Tommy gun, chawing a cigar, and plotting a bank robbery? Is she brow-beating her weak-willed criminal sons, and generally being a role model for overbearing mothers everywhere? We thought so. Well, you have two people to thank for that wildly inaccurate image: FBI founder… Continue reading Arizona “Ma” Barker
Confederate Girlhoods
Students, History Museum publish women’s history of early Springfield Book features women’s perspectives on slavery, the Civil War, pioneering Friday, October 29, 2010 Students in the department of English at Missouri State University have partnered with The History Museum for Springfield-Greene County to publish “Confederate Girlhoods: A Women’s History of Early Springfield, Missouri.” With the… Continue reading Confederate Girlhoods
Mary Price Walls
From the Springfield News-Leader, June 28, 2010: First Black Applicant Gets Degree from MSU: Son's Curiosity Uncovers Walls' Place in MSU History and Prompts Honorary Degree by Didi Tang On July 30, Mary Price Walls, 78, will get an honorary degree from Missouri State University, 60 years after her hometown college refused to allow her… Continue reading Mary Price Walls
"It just doesn’t do to wear skirts in these." – Amelia in Springfield –
Amelia Earhart brought her controversial self to Springfield, Missouri in June of 1931 ... which begs the question, where was the municipal airport in 1931??? “Not rebuked, Amelia says,” Springfield (Mo.) Press, June 20, 1931, page 1. A slim sunburned girl Saturday landed her yellow auto-giro at Municipal airport and chatted in a friendly manner… Continue reading "It just doesn’t do to wear skirts in these." – Amelia in Springfield –
An Appropriate Beginning
Women's Rights Activist Susan B. Anthony came to Springfield in April 1875 and gave a lecture on Social Purity in the theater of the Rogers & Baldwin Hardware Co. at 225-227 South Ave. Anthony argued that women were victims of men's intemperance, forced into poverty and prostitution because of their constant dependence on men. The… Continue reading An Appropriate Beginning