Friends of the Millicent Library - Conversations about Women’s History

During Women’s History Month, the Friends of the Millicent Library is presenting informal talks and discussions about women in Massachusetts history who changed people’s lives. The conversations will be led by Beth Luey, a Fairhaven resident who has written about these fascinating historical figures. The talks, which will be held in the library auditorium, will begin at 6:30 and last about an hour.

Wednesday, March 8

Neighbor and Nemesis: Ida Tarbell takes on Henry Huttleston Rogers

When Ida Tarbell was a little girl, she and Henry Rogers were neighbors in Titusville, Pennsylvania—one

of the towns where Standard Oil put small operators like her father out of business. She grew up to be a

muckraking journalist whose research and reporting led to the breakup of the Standard Oil Trust.

Wednesday, March 29

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and Postpartum Depression

Charlotte Perkins Gilman became famous as a lecturer and writer about political economy, particularly

the importance of women’s work. Much of her thinking grew out of her experience of severe

postpartum depression and the popular treatment—complete rest, no work, and no reading—that

nearly cost her her sanity. Her barely fictionalized account of her breakdown—“The Yellow

Wallpaper”—made her a feminist icon in the mid-twentieth century.

These events are free but donations are always accepted. Thank you!