In honor of Women’s History Month, Historic New England celebrates history-making women

Discover the stories of women who lived and worked at Historic New England sites, the authors and the artists represented in our collection, and the women who took on preserving our historic properties, helped revitalize our landscapes and interiors, and those who now work in our museums, tend our gardens, preserve our buildings, and teach our students.

Scroll through the gallery of programs, tours, and articles to discover the women of Historic New England.

 

Women’s history is central to the stories told at many Historic New England sites

Eliza Susan Quincy and the Quincy family home

The Quincy family has deep ties to the history of the region. This house often bustled with visitors from the political, military, and artistic spheres. In 2014, using Eliza Susan Quincy’s 1879 “Memorandum Relative to Pictures, China, and Furniture etc., etc., etc.,” Historic New England introduced a new focus to the story told at Quincy House. Eliza Susan’s entries provided many detailed descriptions of furniture and often documented how and when items came to the house. Using her document as a road map and photographs taken in the 1880s, we refurnished Quincy House to recreate the interiors of the 1870 and 1880s. When the house reopens for tours, stop by and discover Eliza Susan Quincy’s work to document the significance of her family’s home.

 

Keeping the household together

Bridget Durgin, the cook for the Phillips family, spent a considerable amount of time in this kitchen. She, first-floor maid Delia Cawley, and nursemaid Catherine Shaunessy, were the three live-in servants who helped Anna Wheatland Phillips with the running of the house. Phillps House is scheduled to reopen this summer. Visit to learn more about the family and the role the servants played in their lives.

 

 

Two staff members tell their story at Casey Farm

Since 1955, Historic New England has been operating Casey Farm as a working farm, preserving the land and teaching visitors about agriculture and preservation in Rhode Island. The farm is part of a vibrant community of school children, summer campers, volunteers, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members. Listen to what staff members Jane Hennedy and Sheila Nixon have to say about Casey Farm. What they enjoy about the farm, how the current farming practices mesh with the old, and what Casey Farm means to them and our visitors. Stop by when Casey Farm opens for tours and programs this spring or during the Coastal Growers Market on Saturdays starting in May.

 

Jane Tucker comes to the rescue

After a successful career, Jane Standen Tucker moved into Castle Tucker in Wiscasset, Maine, in 1965. She began to preserve and record her family’s history and the history of the house. Over the years, she worked with Historic New England and others to undertake repairs and restorations. In 1997 she gave the house and its contents, including a collection of family letters and documents, to Historic New England. Learn more about Jane and the other residents of Castle Tucker when the property opens this summer.