Saturday Aug. 8 at 11 a.m.—EAST POULTNEY—In celebration of the annual East Poultney Day, this year the Poultney Historical Society will host a free online lecture to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote.
Esteemed historian Carrie Brown will present an illustrated talk on Aug. 8 at 11 a.m. entitled “Rosie’s Mom: Forgotten Women of the First World War.” She will uncover the human story behind historic events and explore the interplay between technology and culture.
One hundred years ago, a full generation before Rosie the Riveter, women rolled up their sleeves and entered war industries where they had never been welcome before. The lecture will reveal their courage and their hard work, and explore how these women helped shape the work that their more famous daughters would do in the next World War.
“It’s important to remember, especially in this election year, that the right to vote was hard-fought and hard won,” says the Society’s president Ina Smith Johnson. “The 19th Amendment was about women, but preserving that right for all Americans is an ongoing struggle.”
The event is funded by the Vermont Humanities Council and hosted by the Poultney Historical Society on its website poultneyhistoricalsociety.org. The lecture is open to the public and will be easily accessible on the site’s home page.
For now, the historical society’s buildings will not open on Sunday afternoons in August, but genealogical or research appointments can be scheduled by calling 802-287-5252. The summer will be used for important building renovation projects. Small groups maintaining social distancing will work on the East Poultney Cemetery restoration project and on organizing the Green Mountain College archives.
They hope to welcome visitors in the fall. Currently the society’s annual meeting is scheduled for September 20 at 2 p.m. UVM professor Luis Vivanco will give a lecture entitled “Wheelmen, the New Woman, and Good Roads: Bicycling in Vermont, 1880-1920.” The event is co-sponsored with Slate Valley Trails and Vermont Humanities Council.
