Celebrate Geneva’s Legendary Women
In honor of Women’s History Month, the museum created a t-shirt featuring nine women who made an impact on our town. There are too many legends to include on one t-shirt so we may create a new version each year. Here are the highlights of the nine women featured this year.
Bertha George – Founder and past president of both the Geneva Women’s Club and Geneva Garden Club, which are both active clubs today. She was a member of the school board for 12 years, Director of the Fox Valley Improvement Association and an active member of the League of Women Voters.
Charity Herrington – The Herrington’s are considered Geneva’s founding family because they actively formed the community. James Herrington died just four years after they came to Geneva, two days later their 13-year-old daughter died and later that same year Charity gave birth to their 10th child. Charity had to become resourceful in raising her nine children and paying her husband’s debts. She acted as a midwife for the area and offered land to the city of Geneva and Kane county, including property for the railroad and a cemetery.
Elizebeth Smith Friedman – Graduate with a major in English literature as well as other languages. She met Geneva’s Colonel Fabyan and he brought her to his Riverbank Laboratories to work with other cryptographers. She deciphered many enemy codes in both World Wars. Later she moved to Washington D.C. and worked for the War Department, the Navy, U.S. Treasury Bureau of Prohibition and the Bureau of Customs. In 1999 Elizebeth was inducted into the National Security Agency Hall of Honor. She has been called “America’s first female cryptanalyst”
Frances Baker Wheeler – Selected to serve on the first board of trustees for Geneva’s hospital. She was also elected their first Vice President. Frances was very active in the Geneva Improvement Association She was one of the early local workers for the Suffrage Movement and held mock elections to teach women how to vote. You may know the name Wheeler because of the 53 acres of land the family donated to the city in 1950 now called Wheeler Park.
Dr. Julia Cole Blackman – One of the first class of three women graduates in the school of medicine in 1871 and graduated from what is now Northwestern University. She and her husband Frank became one of the first husband and wife doctor teams in the Midwest. They lived at 220 South Third Street which eventually became Geneva’s Colonial Hospital.
Julia Plato Harvey – organized the Geneva Improvement Association and served as its first female president. Julia persuaded the president of the Chicago & North Western Railway to build an attractive brick depot here. She was a founding member of the Chicago Womens’ Club and one of its earliest presidents. Julia was involved with establishment of the Geneva Public Library and one of the first women to be elected to the Geneva School Board. Julia held classes in her home to discuss literature, architecture and politics including special lectures from Jane Addams, a close friend and notable suffrage advocate.
Kate Raftery – Had friends all over the world who sent her beautiful things. Kate would display these items on her grand piano and invite women to come over to purchase them. This was the beginning of The Little Traveler, Geneva’s most iconic shop on South Third Street. Kate encouraged others to open businesses in town such as The Mill Race Inn, Robin’s Book Store and Marian Michael’s children’s shop. The Little Traveler has grown and evolved since Kate started it in 1922, at the age of 52 with no previous business experience.
May Belle Adamson – Attended Geneva High School, then graduated from nursing school in Chicago in 1910. May Belle was one of the first American nurses during WWI to go overseas to assist the injured, her first trip was taken in June 1915. She made multiple trips to France during the war. She also recruited, organized and enlisted a contingent of thirty nurses to go to the battle front in England and later thirty-five to France. May Belle died at the age of 34 from a pulmonary embolism.
Robin Dienst – Began as manager of The Little Traveler book department in 1927. A month later she and her friend Helen North purchased the department and grew their business inside the iconic shop. When they outgrew the space they moved the business to their cozy stone cottage on South River Lane where Robin hosted educational talks for women and the Geneva Garden Club. In 1953 she joined with Marian Michael’s children’s shop and moved in to the former Colonial Hospital on South Third Street where her bookshop became famously known. Robin’s Bookshop served the Geneva community for over 70 years.
The Geneva History Museum has limited quantities of this Legendary Women of Geneva shirt for sale in the Gift Shop at $18 each. Call to purchase and have it shipped! 630-232-4951.