Never Done: Interpreting the History of Women at Work in Massachusetts

10th Annual Massachusetts History Conference

At this, the tenth annual Mass History Conference welcomed the many small historical organizations that preserve, interpret, and deepen the exploration of Massachusetts history. This anniversary conference is titled Never Done: Interpreting the History of Women at Work in Massachusetts and noted Harvard scholar Laurel Thatcher Ulrich will give the keynote. The stories of lesser-known women change-makers get lost in the larger narrative of industry, politics and conflict, but the timing is right for an examination of their tales of great and compelling variety, of lives lived with courage and determination.

Agenda

8:30-9:30 AM

Registration, Continental Breakfast, & Networking

8:30-9:00 AM

THE ASK
Wonder whether your project is suitable for a grant proposal? Need an intern? Thinking about going back to school?
Sign up for a speed date and talk with the people who know the answers to your questions!

Mass Humanities: Pleun Bouricius, Director of Grants & Programs;
Hayley Wood, Senior Program Officer
UMass Amherst Public History Program: Marla Miller, Director, Public History Program
UMass Boston Public History and Archives: Jane Becker, Internship Coordinator & Lecturer, History Department

9:00 AM-4:00 PM

Mass History Commons
A place to exchange ideas and conversation, and to showcase your organization, projects, and products.

 9:30 AM-9:45 AM

Welcome

9:45-10:45 AM

Keynote Address
Upstairs, Downstairs, and All Around the House: Making Work Visible
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Author, A Midwife’s Tale, The Age of Homespun, and Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History

10:45-11:00 AM

Break

11:00-12:15 PM

Archival Resources for Women’s History in MA
Looking for research materials rich in information about women in Massachusetts? Not sure how to glean information about women who often did not appear in the written record? Then look no further than our panel of experts who will tell you how to use their collections to research your topic in women’s history. Drawing from global, national, state, and local resources, these experts in manuscript collections, business records, oral history, and visual arts will share their insights into how to make the most of their collections. Our panelists will be available throughout the day to answer your questions about their collections.

Kayla Haveles, Education Coordinator, American Antiquarian Society
Annie Davis, Educator, National Archives and Records Administration
Kathryn Allamong Jacob, Curator of Manuscripts, Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University
Laura Linard, Director, Baker Special Collections, Harvard Business School
Kathleen Banks Nutter, Accessioning Archivist and Manuscripts Processor, Sophia Smith Collection

The Labor of Women Who Labor
Even when paid, women’s labor tends to be invisible or simply unnoticed, especially when women of color and immigrants are involved. Join Llana Barber and Jennifer Pustz as they share their work in collecting the history of women who labor at the jobs most people try to pass up. This session will raise awareness of women working in low paying jobs, how to conduct historical research on them, and ultimately the challenges of bringing these histories to the public in engaging programs.

Llana Barber, Assistant Professor, American Studies, SUNY College at Old Westbury
Jennifer Pustz, Museum Historian, Historic New England

Brazen Hussies, All: Women’s Leadership in History Organizations
Join leaders in the history field in exploring various aspects of women’s leadership in local historical organizations for the 21st century: how to be a successful leader in preserving and protecting our history; how to make “the ask” for money, board members, sponsorships; and how to be forward without feeling awkward.

Anne W. Ackerson, Leading By Design
Janet Spitz, Executive Director, Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library

Oral History Projects
Oral history projects offer an opportunity to present the personal voice in an exhibit, program, or publication. Join our panelists as they explore how their projects, ranging from the successful aging of women in a small hill town to histories of women building community by sharing their experiences in work, education, health, and politics, can be used as models to present the “unspoken” voice of women in a variety of creative and innovative ways.

Charlene Martin, Co-Chair, Worcester Women’s Oral History Project; co-author of Voices of Worcester Women
Rebecca Mlynarczyk, Author, Successful Aging in a Massachusetts Hilltown
Maureen Ryan Doyle, Co-Chair, Worcester Women’s Oral History Project; co-author of Voices of Worcester Women

12:15-1:15 PM

Lunch Buffet (vegetarian option available)

12:45-1:00 PM

Bay State Legacy Award – Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Mass History Commendation

1:00 – 4:00 PM

Workshops

Skills Workshop: Doing and Using Oral History
Want to learn how to design and implement a successful oral history project? Join Sam Redman as he draws upon his experiences as Lead Interviewer for the Rosie the Riveter / World War II Home Front Oral History series, in this introductory workshop which will cover such topics as project planning, interview techniques, finding and establishing relationships with potential interviewees, and both the challenges and benefits of using oral history as a method.

Sam Redman, Assistant Professor, History Department, University of Massachusetts

Integrating Women’s History at Historic Sites
Every historic site has women as part of their history, but all too often these women remain invisible, relegated to the side lines. Created to enhance your site’s historic interpretation and programming, the workshop provides an overview of site-based women’s history, its importance, and the benefits of incorporating it into existing interpretation, preservation, and research. Heather Huyck, President, National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites

1:15-2:30 PM

Wikipedia 101 for Women’s History
Wikipedia is the world’s most popular reference work, but as the recent spate of edit-a-thons has shown, women’s history is poorly represented there. This session aims to show participants why they should consider editing Wikipedia (our focus will be on women’s history, but the skills apply to any subject matter). Participants will learn the policies governing the site and how to register as editors, but they will not be editing entries during this session

Erica Fagen, Department of History, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Marla Miller, Director, Public History Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Getting to Know the ‘Woman of the House’: Researching and Interpreting Women’s Stories at Historic Sites
Looking for creative ways to interpret women in historic settings and exhibits? Join Michelle Coughlin and Jenny O’Neill as they delve into their research and interpretation project about Elizabeth Cadman White, a 17th century resident of Westport for whom they have been able to uncover personal stories in addition to recreating her community. They are using the results to create an augmented reality interpretation within the c. 1710 Cadman-White-Handy House. Learn how to use a variety of resources to make women visible, what resources to use, and how to use the resources creatively.

Michelle Coughlin, Author, One Colonial Woman’s World
Jenny O’Neill, Director, Westport Historical Society

Women and Textiles: A Working Relationship
From knitting, sewing, weaving, making rugs, factory work, fashion, and quilting to politics, economics, labor relations, and family life: collecting and interpreting textiles is central to doing women’s history. Madelyn Shaw and Pat Warner not only share with us their expertise, but allow us to greatly expand our understanding of just how much we can do with textiles for women’s history–and explore the broader connections between the worlds of men and women that are so often ignored or misunderstood.

Madelyn Shaw, Independent Curator, Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts & Context in the Civil War
Patricia Campbell Warner, Professor Emerita, History of Dress, University of Massachusetts Amherst, author of When the Girls Came Out to Play: the Birth of American Sportswear

2:30-2:45 PM

Break

2:45-4:00 PM

“Too natural a duty to speak of”: 19th Century Women Write about Caregiving and Death
Caregiving was a source of pride and an opportunity for spiritual instruction, as well as a burden. With dramatic readings of letters and journals of ordinary and notable 19th-century women, we will explore: how the physical and emotional needs of the aging and ill were met by daughters obligated to provide care and how, by the end of the century, their status declined as their duties increased. Discussion will include how to create readers’ theatre around emotional topics.

Elizabeth Sharpe, Adjunct Faculty for Online Instruction, University of Massachusetts Women’s History Annual Programming
Building annual programming around women’s history can lead to a sustainable source of new exhibits, programs, trails, tours, and websites. Join experts from the Partnership of the Historic Bostons, Boston Women’s Heritage Trail, and Pioneer Valley History Network to explore how theme selection, collaboration, program creation, and evaluation can result in exciting opportunities that lasts beyond the program.

Katherine Dibble, Vice President, Boston Women’s Heritage Trail
Rose A. Doherty, Treasurer, Partnership of the Historic Bostons
Cliff McCarthy, President, Pioneer Valley History Network

Women’s Activism in the 20th Century
Knowledge of women’s history and women’s activism is crucial to interpreting twentieth-century history in our towns. However, the history of women at work in Massachusetts can often be challenging to document, especially working class women and/or women of color. Focusing on twentieth-century “women’s work” (e.g. activism and reform) as well as women’s labor, paid and unpaid, our goal in this session is to raise awareness of women working in low-paying jobs and their efforts to improve their labor conditions, how to conduct historical research on them, and ultimately the challenges of bringing these histories to the public in engaging programs.

Kathleen Banks Nutter, Accessioning Archivist and Manuscripts Processor, Sophia Smith Collection