January 31, 2001
Project keeps women's history alive
Women's History Project recognizes contributions to families, communities
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
"Have you invented a flying machine yet?"
A voice from the past rang out Saturday morning as women from the Cleveland Centennial Committee in 1896 spoke to women a hundred years later, sharing their hope that the world was a better place.
The taped reading of this historical letter by Eastport author Betty Beeby helped launch the Women's History Project of Northwest Michigan. More than 90 women came to the Traverse Area District Library Saturday morning to celebrate the founding of the project, which was spearheaded by eight local women who began meeting last October.
The attendees rallied behind the organization's mission of preserving and recognizing ways that women of northwest lower Michigan contributed to their families and communities.
From the enthusiasm and energy in the room throughout the meeting, it was apparent that capturing and celebrating local women's history is an idea whose time has come.
"I think the timing of this is very significant," said Ann Hoopfer, director of the Grand Traverse Heritage Center and co-founder of the Women's History Project. "As director of the Con Foster Museum, I have seen a growing interest on the part of women in documenting women's history in the area."
Women's history has long been a subject of minimal interest to historians and scholars. Even in this post-feminist era, it is given little attention in schools and books.
"The history of women hasn't been a real important topic for public schools to teach," said Mary Anne Rivers, a musician and educator from Williamsburg. "Go through a textbook and you will find very few references to women's achievements. Women have done a lot of things, it is just that we don't get the publicity."
The seed for the Women's History Project was planted a year ago when co-founder Anne Magoun realized how much of women's history is lost. She started talking to other women about her concerns and found a shared interest in preserving this rich history, especially about women in northwest lower Michigan.
"Some of the women we've known and admired were lost recently and we've lost their stories," said Magoun, whose genealogical research sparked her interest in women in history.
Magoun noted that since the project was announced, she has received calls from all over the region expressing interest and support. Even people who could not attend the inaugural meeting sent ideas or pledged their help.
"We keep getting input, everyone has a story or an idea," she said. "It is very exciting."
Dr. Mary Seeger of the Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council was the featured speaker at Saturday's meeting. Seeger shared some of the programs and successes of her organization since it began in the late 1980s, which include an extensive oral history project, movable displays of 12 women in history and a guide to women's resources in the Grand Rapids library.
"We've stimulated a whole bunch of organizations to think about history," said Seeger, dean of Academic Resources at Grand Valley State University. "What we're a part of here is part of a movement in this country toward social history; not just kings, queens and battles but the people in history, those who experienced it, whether they are women, slaves or Native Americans."
The Women's History Project of Northwest Michigan will focus on women in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, Antrim and Kalkaska, though the scope may widen in the future. The project will be located in the Grand Traverse Heritage Center, fitting in with the other historical organizations already housed there.
The Women's History Project permanent collection began Saturday with donations from area women of a quilt, tablecloth, ink etching, photos and a telegram featuring the names of many Traverse City residents sent to Elizabeth Stokes, the former Mrs. America 1960.
The organization plans to work closely with area historical societies. Their next event will be a trip in March to the Benzie Women's History Day put on by the Benzie Historical Society.
"We hope to build associations with other historical societies in the area and not duplicate but add to them," said Peg Siciliano, co-founder of the project.