American Women Through the Ages

Date: February 25, 2011
Contact: Mindi Rambo, 212-668-2208

New York, NY –The National Park Service (NPS) will hold a special month-long program focusing on the women of America, one era at a time, at 10:30 a.m. every Wednesday in March at Federal Hall National Memorial. This free Women's History Month series will delve into the roles of women, including jobs and social position, through costumed interpretation by NPS Ranger Vivian Davis.

On March 2, Davis will interpret the life of a camp follower during the American Revolution. In period costume, she will talk to visitors about the life and times of a woman following the American troops, focusing on well known figures like Molly Pitcher, Margaret Corbin and slave Phyllis Wheatley among others. Visitors will also learn about the jobs women had and the clothes they wore. Davis will return to the American Revolution on March 9, but this time as a member of the upper class.

The program on March 16 will focus on the women of the American Civil War era, examining the professions women held during the war, including – but not limited to – nursing and teaching. But life in the latter half of the 19th Century wasn't all war and work, as evidenced by Davis's presentation on March 23, which will look at how an upper class woman spent her day, including the importance of parties and sport during the Industrial Revolution.

The final installment of the Women's History Month series, March 30, will focus on women during World War II, especially their efforts on the home front and with the American Red Cross Clubmobile. The National Archives will be on hand as well to share documents and photos from the era.

What:     Women's History Month program "American Women through the Ages"

When:     Wednesdays in March, 10:30 a.m.

• March 2: Camp follower of the American Revolution.  
• March 9: Upper class women in New York during the American Revolution.
• March 16: Professional during the American Civil War. 
• March 23: Privileged women of the 1870s-1880s.
• March 30: Women on the home front and in the American Red Cross Clubmobile during World War II.

Where:    Federal Hall National Memorial, 26 Wall Street

To schedule an interview with the ranger who developed the program about the program and costumed interpretation, including the demands of portraying so many different women, please contact Mindi Rambo at 212-668-2208 or e-mail us

About Federal Hall National Memorial

26 Wall Street was the site of New York City's 18th-century City Hall. After the Revolution, the Continental Congress met at City Hall. Pierre L'Enfant was commissioned to remodel City Hall for the new federal government. The First Congress met in the new Federal Hall, and wrote the Bill of Rights, and George Washington was inaugurated here as President on April 30, 1789. When the capital moved to Philadelphia in 1790, the building again housed city government until 1812, at which time Federal Hall was demolished. The current structure on the site was built as the Customs House it later became the U. S. Sub-Treasury until that system was replaced by the Federal Reserve.

How to Get There

Federal Hall is located at 26 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan. There are numerous ways to get there using public transportation. Please visit www.mta.info for more information and transportation maps.

- NPS -