History Commons^™

Women's Residence Hall, Arkansas State College, Yee Tin-Boo

Women's history in Arkansas

Color postcard of the Women's Residence Hall at Arkansas State College in Jonesboro.

Girl's Tennis Team At Central College And Conservatory In Conway

Sports in Arkansas

This is a page from the Central College and Conservatory's annual, "The Centralian." The images show tennis at the all female college in Conway. Names written on the page at top are: 1. Willie McKinley, 2. Bertha [?], 2. Bessie McCauley, 4. Bessie Riley, 5. [?], 6. Ruby Vaughn, 7. Edith Spradler, 8. Chloe Grace, 9. Winnie [?], 10. Louise Henry, 11. Bess Dean, 12. Otis McDuffin, 13. Frances Moore, 14. Olie Whitroe, 15. Leona Roberts.

Girl's Sports At Central College And Conservatory In Conway

Sports in Arkansas

This is a page from the Central College and Conservatory's annual, "The Centralian." The images show sports at the all female college in Conway. Names listed include at top: 1. Chloe Grace, 2. Edith Skradlin, 3. Jeneve Ackrin, 4. Ruby Vaughn, 5. L(?) Henry, 6. Muriel Rogers, 7. Bess Dean, 8. Leo Burton, 9. Otis McDuffin, 10. Willie McKinley; bottom left: 1. Elizabeth Tate, 2. Olie Whitroe, 3. Julia Freeman, 4. Bertha Stinson, 5. Louise Henry, 6. Bess Dean, 7. Hattie Riley, 8. Leo Burton, 9. Ruby Vaughn, 10. Louise Lewelyn, 11. Frances Moore, 12. Grace Cunningham, 13. Leona Roberts, …

Ticket, Arkansas Lassies Vs. Men's Faculty Basketball Game

Sports in Arkansas

This is a ticket to a basketball game played between the Arkansas Lassies Basketball team and the Men's Faculty at an unknown place. The Arkansas Lassies were a nationally known women's basketball team who frequently played male faculty at colleges and schools. The team was owned by Linda Yearby.

Jane Justus Richardson Feeding The Hogs

Farming in Arkansas

Black and white photograph of Jane Justus Richardson feeding hogs in a barnyard.

Arkadelphia Ladies Library

Women's history in Arkansas

Color postcard of the Arkadelphia Ladies Library.

Charlotte Stephens

Women's history in Arkansas

Black and white print photograph of Charlotte Stephens, the first African American teacher in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Women's City Club In Little Rock

Women's history in Arkansas

Color postcard of the Women's City Club at 4th and Scott Streets in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Geraldine Jones Jefferson

Women's history in Arkansas

Black and white photograph of Mrs. Geraldine Jones Jefferson posed sitting in a chair wearing a dress, coat, and hat and holding a purse.

Hattie Caraway

Women's history in Arkansas

Black and white photographic portrait of Senator Hattie Caraway.

Medora Hampton Kitchens Making Rugs With Friends

Women's history in Arkansas

Black and white photographic negative of Medora Hampton Kitchens and her friends showing rugs they are making. Medora is standing with a rug labeled, "Daisy Scroll." The seated women are unnamed but the titles of their rugs are listed left to right: "Gift of Love," Bow, Knot and Roses," "Paradise Garden," "Hearth Rug," and "Arcadia."

Narrative, Origins Of Arkansas's State Flag, Willie K. Hocker

Women's history in Arkansas

This is Willie K. Hocker's narrative about the origin of Arkansas's state flag. The first four pages are handwritten on Pine Bluff letterhead by Hocker, designer of the flag, but the last page is typed.

Convent Of Mercy, Little Rock

Women's history in Arkansas

This is a pencil sketch of the Convent of Mercy at 7th and Louisiana Street in Little Rock, unknown date.

Abolitionist Aunty: Jane Chester, Christopher Mundis, Katie Heiser

Women of the Eighth Ward

Presented on Friday, February 21 as part of Messiah College’s 2020 Humanities Symposium. This exhibit, “Vulnerabilities & Securities in Historic Harrisburg: From Abolition to Suffrage,” was produced by the Center for Public Humanities Student Fellows and Dr. Sarah Myers’s Public History Class.

Jane Morris Chester was born enslaved in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 5, 1801. Around 1828, she escaped enslavement and made a treacherous journey north to Harrisburg, where she married George Chester. After George’s death in 1859, Jane, fondly called “Aunty” by Harrisburg citizens, continued to operate the restaurant and opened a premier catering business for Harrisburg elites, including …

Conductor Of The Old Eighth: Harriet M. Marshall, Ian Mcilrath, David Ford, Josh Acevedo

Women of the Eighth Ward

Presented on Friday, February 21 as part of Messiah College’s 2020 Humanities Symposium. This exhibit, “Vulnerabilities & Securities in Historic Harrisburg: From Abolition to Suffrage,” was produced by the Center for Public Humanities Student Fellows and Dr. Sarah Myers’s Public History Class.

Harriet McClintock Marshall was born in 1840. Her mother, Catherine, was one of the founding members of Wesley Union African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and Harriet worked with her mother to continue establishing the church's reputation. Wesley Union, located on Tanner's Alley, was a haven for those seeking freedom through the Underground Railroad. Harriet's and her mother's work …

Renaissance Woman: Gwendolyn Bennett, Eva Cunningham-Firkey, Kennesha Kelly-Davis, Janelle Soash, Faith Swarner

Women of the Eighth Ward

Presented on Friday, February 21 as part of Messiah College’s 2020 Humanities Symposium. This exhibit, “Vulnerabilities & Securities in Historic Harrisburg: From Abolition to Suffrage,” was produced by the Center for Public Humanities Student Fellows and Dr. Sarah Myers’s Public History Class.

While she was still an undergraduate, Bennett established her reputation as a poet when her poem “Nocturne” was published in The Crisis (the journal of the NAACP), and her poem “Heritage” was published in Opportunity (a magazine published by National Urban League). Just a year later, Bennett read “To Usward, ” her tribute to novelist Jesse Fauset, at …

The Political Pen: Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Kate Kuc, Melissa Boyer, Chloe Dickson

Women of the Eighth Ward

Presented on Friday, February 21 as part of Messiah College’s 2020 Humanities Symposium. This exhibit, “Vulnerabilities & Securities in Historic Harrisburg: From Abolition to Suffrage,” was produced by the Center for Public Humanities Student Fellows and Dr. Sarah Myers’s Public History Class.

In 1895, Alice Dunbar-Nelson published her first collection of short stories and poems, Violets and Other Tales. She also published a few plays, such as Mine Eyes Have Seen (1918) in The Crisis, the official magazine of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People. Dunbar-Nelson often used her creative works to address racism and …

Ardent Activist: Anne E. Amos, Anna Strange, Michaela Magners

Women of the Eighth Ward

Presented on Friday, February 21 as part of Messiah College’s 2020 Humanities Symposium. This exhibit, “Vulnerabilities & Securities in Historic Harrisburg: From Abolition to Suffrage,” was produced by the Center for Public Humanities Student Fellows and Dr. Sarah Myers’s Public History Class.

Amos was involved in the temperance movement in Harrisburg. As a founding member of the Independent Order of Daughters of Temperance, she served as the Grand Recording Scribe and District Grand Deputy of the Good Samaritan Council, no. 1. The Council listed under her address on South Avenue functioned as a political hub in the Eighth Ward. Serving …

Musician And Church Leader: Hannah Braxton Jones, Isis Ortiz-Scarlett, Max Weaver, Jarod Fry

Women of the Eighth Ward

Presented on Friday, February 21 as part of Messiah College’s 2020 Humanities Symposium. This exhibit, “Vulnerabilities & Securities in Historic Harrisburg: From Abolition to Suffrage,” was produced by the Center for Public Humanities Student Fellows and Dr. Sarah Myers’s Public History Class.

Hannah's leadership and administrative skills extended beyond the church to civic organizations such as the House of Ruth, Good Samaritans, and Daughters of Samaritans. In addition, she was a dedicated music teacher. She did all of this while providing for her family by working as a domestic, one of the few jobs available to African-American women at that …

Rhythms Of Resilience In The Eighth: From Abolition To Suffrage, Jean Corey, Katie Wingert

Women of the Eighth Ward

Presented on Friday, February 21 as part of Messiah College’s 2020 Humanities Symposium. This exhibit, “Vulnerabilities & Securities in Historic Harrisburg: From Abolition to Suffrage,” was produced by the Center for Public Humanities Student Fellows and Dr. Sarah Myers’s Public History Class.

This exhibit seeks to honor the spirit of perseverance and resilience demonstrated by many individuals who fought for their rights and contributed positively to the community of the Old Eighth, Dauphin County, and beyond. In this year, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. 2020 is also the …

Political Life In The Old Eighth Ward - With Biography Of Anne Amos, Drew Hermeling, Digital Harrisburg

Look Up, Look Out

The Old Eighth Ward was a very politically active community. Many citizens were actively involved in a variety of civic organizations to bring about political change in the community. Voting was prominent topic of discussion, especially among black men in the community. Prior to 1838, men of color enjoyed voting privileges in Harrisburg and throughout the state of Pennsylvania, but in 1838, the Pennsylvanian Constitutional Convention disallowed the African American men in Harrisburg the ability to vote. The vote was reinstated for African American men across the country with the passing of the fifteenth amendment in February of 1870. Although …

Making A Home In The Old Eighth Ward - With Biography Of Hannah Braxton Jones, Drew Hermeling, Digital Harrisburg

Look Up, Look Out

According to the 1900 census, just over 50,000 people called Harrisburg their home. Of these 50,000 people, 4,435 lived in the Old Eighth Ward. The eighth ward was disproportionately occupied by African-American residents. A total of 1,507 African Americans lived in the Old Eighth Ward, which comprised about 34% of the population of this ward. This percentage is quite large in comparison to other wards in the city. Second to the eighth ward, the ward with the largest African American population was the second ward; African Americans comprising about 11% of the population. In contrast, the tenth ward was …

The Old Eighth: Gateway To The Capitol - With Biography Of Gwendolyn Bennett, Drew Hermeling, Digital Harrisburg

Look Up, Look Out

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Harrisburg began to develop as an industrial center. Railroad steel, cigars, flour, shoes, and many other businesses thrived, especially in the Eighth Ward. A large thoroughfare was required in order to accommodate the movement of raw materials throughout the city for processing. Like most industrial societies, Harrisburg utilized water as a means of transportation, with the Susquehanna River flowing alongside the southern border of the city. The Harrisburg canal system was started in a similar manner as the City Beautiful movement– through internal efforts. In 1822, the Harrisburg Canal, Fire Insurance and Water …

Women's Suffrage Lesson Plan

Lesson plans

This unit explores the Women's Suffrage Movement in Arkansas through the use of primary and secondary sources. Students will read newspaper articles and pamphlet excerpts to understand the goals and history of the movement. A list of various activities related to original primary and secondary resources allows teachers the flexibility to choose parts of this lesson plan to use and adapt as needed.

This lesson plan was produced for 6^th grade, 7^th grade, and 8^th grade students, but may be altered by teachers to fit other grade levels.

Introduction To "Independent Stardom: Freelance Women In The Hollywood Studio System", Emily Carman

Film and Media Arts Faculty Books and Book Chapters

During the heyday of Hollywood’s studio system, stars were carefully cultivated and promoted, but at the price of their independence. This familiar narrative of Hollywood stardom receives a long-overdue shakeup in Emily Carman’s new book. Far from passive victims of coercive seven-year contracts, a number of classic Hollywood’s best-known actresses worked on a freelance basis within the restrictive studio system. In leveraging their stardom to play an active role in shaping their careers, female stars including Irene Dunne, Janet Gaynor, Miriam Hopkins, Carole Lombard, and Barbara Stanwyck challenged Hollywood’s patriarchal structure.

Through extensive, original archival research, Independent Stardom uncovers this …

David Hope Sadler Family Papers - Accession 76, Sadler Family Papers

Manuscript Collection

The Sadler Family Papers consist of photocopies of deeds, land grants and wills (1809, 1840-1841, and nd), correspondence and newspaper clippings (1929-1941) with the bulk of the collection consisting of correspondence between members of the Sadler Family of Rock Hill, South Carolina and their friends. Subjects include agriculture, the lives of women during and after the Civil War, the physical and mental condition of the Confederate troops during the War, freedman labor, living standards during Reconstruction, and life in early Rock Hill.

Caroline Laine With Woodstove

Farming in Arkansas

Image of Caroline Laine, wife of Rufus Laine, standing by her primary cooking tool, a wood burning stove.

Caroline Laine With Waterpump

Farming in Arkansas

Photograph of Caroline Laine, the wife of Rufus Laine, sitting in her kitchen by the water pump.

Arkansas Lassies Basketball Team

Women's history in Arkansas

This is a black and white photograph of the 1960 Arkansas Lassies basketball team. Linda Yearby is the second person to the far right. The photograph is signed by Marii Witt.

Ila Upchurch

Women's history in Arkansas

Black and white photograph of Jeanes Teacher's supervisor, Ila Upchurch. Upchurch worked as a Jeanes Teacher's supervisor in Prescott, Arkansas, for over 25 years and was the only Jeanes teacher in the area during her tenure.