Thursday, March 25, 2010

Celebrate Women's History in Salem on Saturday

Mayor Kim Driscoll has officially declared Saturday, March 27, 2010 to be Women's History Day in Salem! Salem has been home to a lot of remarkable people, male and female, and this weekend you can have the opportunity to celebrate women from Salem who changed the world locally and globally.

In addition to a few special events, a number of stores - many women-owned - will be offering Women's History Day discounts on Saturday. You can learn more about Salem Women's History and those discounts at SalemWomensHistory.com.

From Elizabeth Peabody who established the first kindergarten to Caroline Emerton who established the House of the Seven Gables in order to fund the social mission of the Settlement House to Mary Spencer who created the first mass-produced candy in America... Salem has a rich history of feminine history.

If you can't make it this weekend, the Salem Women's Heritage Trail is available through HurdSmith Communications ($15). It's a great feminist tour of this bewitching seaport.

Here are a couple of events to put on your calendar for Saturday. Bonnie and Emily both do a fantastic job, so try to catch both events, if you can!

Walking tour with Bonnie Hurd Smith
10-11:30 a.m.
Meet at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site Visitor Center across from the entrance to the Peabody Essex Museum
$10/person the day of the event
Hear inspiring and entertaining stories about women in Salem history as you visit the places where they lived, worked, and even changed the world. Rain or shine!

“Salem’s She-merchants: Women in Commerce 1670-1780"
Illustrated talk by Salem Maritime National Historic Site
Park Historian Emily A. Murphy

2-3 p.m.
Salem Maritime National Historic Site Visitor Center
Free
By the end of the seventeenth century, Salem was a bustling seaport
community with a thriving economy. But who was behind that economic
success? As part of the celebration of Salem Women`s History Day, the National Park Service will present a lecture by Park Historian Emily A. Murphy, Ph.D. Dr. Murphy will explore some of the little-known women who contributed to the economy of colonial and revolutionary Salem. Meet the tavern keepers, printers, and merchants -- all women -- who helped Salem to become an economic powerhouse in early America.

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