Historic Women

Women of Jefferson County, WV

Chronology of Events

• 1707 - Indians attacked the fort at Elks Branch. When the settlers in the fort ran out of water, Cattana Biern ran to the spring outside the fort and brought back buckets of much needed water. Unfortunately, the Indians shot her in the back with a poisoned arrow and she died within an hour. She played a key role in saving the fort during the seven day seige. [From the papers of L.C. Engle and an article written by Bill Theriault]

• 1824 - On February 14, John S. Gallaher first published the Ladies' Garland newspaper at Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, one of the first newspapers addressed primarily to women.

• 1836 - On March 15, the Virginia General Assembly passed an act which incorporated the Charles Town Athenaeum and Female Academy in Charles Town, Jefferson County.

• Prior to the Civil War, private academies for girls were established throughout the state. Students were charged a fee to attend thereby limiting enrollment to wealthier families. However, the academies were a source of education for girls, a privilege previously restricted to boys.

• 1854 - Caroline "Danske" Dandridge, American poet, historian and garden writer, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Henry Bedinger III, the United States' first ambassador to Denmark. They moved back to the U.S. in 1857, and later settled in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. In Shepherdstown she lived on an estate called "Poplar Grove", later renamed "Rosebrake" and here the family cared for wounded soldiers during the Battle of Antietam. Danske married Stephen Dandridge on May 3,1877, and they went on to have three children. She began writing poetry in 1883 and had her first book of poems, "Joy and Other Poems" published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in 1988. In the late 1890's, she turned to writing garden articles for "Garden and Forest" among other publications, and after that devoted her time to writing works of history. She died at home in Shepherdstown on June 3, 1914.

• 1856 - On March 18, the Virginia General Assembly passed an act which incorporated the Harpers Ferry Female Institute in Jefferson County, directed by a group of male trustees.

• One of Middleway's young ladies served as a Confederate spy. Her name was Mollie Pultz. She was eventually arrested when a Confederate soldier was captured while carrying a letter from Mollie to his commanding officer, giving information on Federal troop movement.

• 1867 - The West Virginia Legislature began establishing normal schools throughout the state to train teachers, enhancing employment opportunities for women. Normal schools were established in Jefferson county for white students at Shepherd College and for black students at Storer College.

• 1868 - The West Virginia Legislature passed the first Married Women's Property Act allowing married women to own property under certain circumstances. However, married women were not permitted to transfer or sell property without the written approval of their husbands.

• 1868 - Mrs. Francis Pierpont of Fairmont originated the holiday of Decoration Day, which later became Memorial Day.

• 1869 - On December 13, the Stephenson Female Institute was incorporated in Charles Town. All of the incorporators were men.

• 1870 - Household maids, dressmakers, and teachers ranked as the three largest occupations among gainfully employed women. The vast majority of West Virginia women worked in their homes across this mostly rural state during the pre-Industrial Era.

• 1878 - Myrtle Hall was dedicated as a women's dormitory building at Storer College in Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County. The building was later renamed Mosher Hall.

• 1883 - The John Stephenson Female Seminary in Charles Town was incorporated.

• 1885 - By a vote of 33 to 30, the West Virginia House of Delegates defeated a bill which would have made West Virginia University a coeducational institution for men and women. The state Senate rejected a similar bill. The faculty voted to admit women to the university in 1889.

• 1891 - The West Virginia Legislature passed an act protecting the earnings of a married women from her husband.

• 1900 - Dr. S. P. Hatton opened the Powhatan College for Young Women in Charles Town. It closed in 1914.

• 1901 - The West Virginia Legislature passed an act requiring men to provide for the support of their wives and children.

• 1908 - Anna Jarvis dedicated her life to establishing a nationally recognized Mother's Day. The first official Mother's Day service was held in St. Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, Taylor County. In 1914, President Wilson made Mother's Day a national holiday.

• 1911 - The West Virginia Legislature passed an act outlawing the detention of women in houses of prostitution against their will or for the purpose of paying off a debt.

• In 1919, Mrs. Vesta Jones became the 1^st woman mail carrier in West Virginia and one of the first in the country.

• 1920 - The West Virginia Legislature convened for a special session on the 19^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution giving women the right to vote. On March 3, the House ratified the amendment as did the Senate on March 10. West Virginia was the 34th of the 36 states needed to ratify the amendment.

• In 1920, teaching became the second largest category of women's paid employment in the state, a position unchanged to this day.

• 1933 - Sylvia Bishop began working at the Charles Town Race Track. She was a graduate of Storer College and was the first female African-American horse trainer in the U.S. For years she was the only woman horse trainer at the Charles Town Race Track. She was also a race horse owner and local business woman.

• 1942 - With the shortage of employable men during World War II, a large numbers of women entered the industrial work force for the first time. In West Virginia, women worked in numerous factories associated with the defense industry. As men returned from the war in 1945, most women were forced out of the industrial work place. However, in the post-war years women increasingly demanded equal employment opportunities.

• 1948 – Ms. Carrie Lee Strider of Leetown was appointed to be the first female sheriff in the state of West Virginia following the death of Garland H. Moore. She was sheriff for one year and then served as deputy sheriff until her retirement.