Then and Now

By Marylyn Cork

Thumbing through a new calendar recently, looking at the pictures, I happened to notice that March is Women’s History Month. It gave me a topic for this column—it’s not easy to find something to write about when you mostly stay home to avoid COVID-19.

I made a quick check on the Internet and found that the purpose of Women’s History Month is to honor women’s contributions to the nation, in one form or another—business, government, etc. That’s all well and good. Millions, however, down through history, have contributed in so-called lesser ways. In my opinion, the women who have really made the nation strong are the mothers who have raised children of character—people who grew up to be good, upstanding citizens. But women have always served in other ways. Let me tell you about some I’ve come across in my study of local history.