Driving on 65 toward Branson, it’s easy to miss the turnoff for Bonniebrook. There are plenty of billboards to shock and distract and you with the news that Andy Williams is somehow still alive and that Yakov Smirnov is somehow still culturally relevant. Bonniebrook’s signs aren’t as flashy. But if you pass them, you’ll be… Continue reading Road Trip: Bonniebrook Historic Site & Museum
St. Louis’ Kate Chopin Bust
The Writer's Corner at Euclid and McPherson in St. Louis now includes a bust of Kate Chopin. Thanks to The Kate Chopin International Society, for allowing this reprint of their interview with sculptor Jaye Gregory. How were you selected to do the bust? The West End Association is responsible for creating the "writer's corner" at… Continue reading St. Louis’ Kate Chopin Bust
Just 100 Years
When I read Kate Chopin, I always think to myself that the only thing separating us is time - just 100 years. The experience, the challenge of being female is the same. Connecting to a woman of the past is a powerful and inspiring thing, a reminder that I'm not alone, a reminder that as… Continue reading Just 100 Years
Rediscovering the women at Missouri’s First State Capitol
Research has shown that women in history are nonexistent to elementary age boys and represent just a glimmer in the minds of girls. So, it's an awesome thing when historic site interpreters and managers continue to evaluate and question the message they give to visitors about the people who inhabited their site. Because of their… Continue reading Rediscovering the women at Missouri’s First State Capitol
Putting the History back in Women’s History Month
KDHX contacted me in February with an idea: To feature women in history with short 1 minute biographies, aired during Women's History Month. They wanted to honor women from Missouri and Illinois because, being in St. Louis, their listening area covered both states. I was asked if I was interested in writing a few brief… Continue reading Putting the History back in Women’s History Month
Bustable Women
The Hall of Famous Missourians has been in the news recently, igniting debate over who should be honored in our state capitol. Here at Missouri Women, we like to imagine a fantasy Hall of Famous Missourians. One that would include a few more women. Like these ladies: Virginia Minor Maya Angelou Edna Gellhorn Fannie Hurst… Continue reading Bustable Women
Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne
In the late 1780s, France sat perched on the edge of Revolution. But the mind of schoolgirl Rose Philippine Duchesne was somewhere far, far away. Returning missionaries regularly spoke at Philippine’s school, captivating her with tales of their adventures in North America. Philippine felt God was calling her to the American frontier, to save the… Continue reading Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne
Virginia Johnson
Virginia Johnson, of Masters & Johnson, pushed for a better life and ended up revolutionizing the way the world looked at-- and practiced-- sex. She wasn’t a physician or an academic. She was simply a woman who wasn’t afraid to give her perspective on sex, in a field full of men who already thought they… Continue reading Virginia Johnson
Betty Grable
Conn and Lillian Grable had a pact - no more children. It was 1916 - Marjorie was 6 and their little son John had just died. But when Lillian found herself pregnant again she was not going to give up her baby- no matter what Conn said. Lillian's dream was to be a dancer. She… Continue reading Betty Grable
Carrie Nation
When Carrie Nation read Jeremiah 1:10 in her Bible, she wrote "SMASHING" next to it. Jeremiah wrote, "I have this day set thee over the nation and over the kingdoms to root out and pull down and to destroy ..." and Carrie read, "pick up an axe and smash up bars." Carrie Moore was born… Continue reading Carrie Nation
Missouri Women 