Landmarks of American Women's History

Book excerpt: Throughout history, women have often worked in informal ways and in modest conditions, frequently without monuments or grand examples of architecture preserved to commemorate their accomplishments. Landmarks of American Women's History describes the sites that represent a wide variety of women's experiences and accomplishments. As early as the fourteenth century, the women of New Mexico's Taos Pueblo lived equal lives of responsibility with men, even building most of the pueblo. Mary Chase Perry Stratton's Pewabic Pottery in Detroit, Michigan exemplifies women's contributions to the arts. Bryn Mawr College's M. Cary Thomas Library is tangible evidence of Thomas's drive to secure equal educational opportunities for women. The boardinghouse at Boot Cotton Mill in Lowell, Massachusetts provides a glimpse into the daily life of women in the industrial workforce. New York City's United Charities Building was- and still is- the headquarters of numerous reform organizations, many headed by women. In vivid sketches of eleven historic sites from across the country- in addition to numerous related location that act as supporting characters- Page Putnam Miller tells an engaging story of the accomplishments and the lasting influence of women on American history.