Salem Women's
History and
Business Community
History and
Business Community
Woman's Friend Society
12 Hawthorne Boulevard (formerly, Elm Street) — Not open to the public except during special events or by appointment
In 1875, the prominent editor and author Kate Tannatt Woods (1840–1910) addressed an audience at Salem Town Hall and challenged them to work for the moral improvement of young women. A year later, the society was formed “for the purpose of extending sympathy and help to girls and women of any nationality or ... to inspire and encourage habits of industry and self-reliance.”1
For their first project, the society’s founders — Ellen C. Putnam, Lucy H. Bowdoin, Abby R. Knight, Mary E. Chipman, Lydia A. Decker, Mary A. Swasey, Margaret A. Bolles, Mary A. Pitman, and Lucy A. Lander — opened a “Girls’ Reading Room” at the corner of Essex and Daniels Streets. Next, they served as an informal employment bureau, giving orders for needlework to women who could only earn money from home.
The society hoped to provide a residence for young women, but their space was limited. In 1879, Captain John Bertram loaned half of the building at 12 Hawthorne Boulevard to the society and upon his death his daughter, Jennie Emmerton, gave it to them outright. The society purchased the second half a few years later, and built a large ell, or addition, through fundraising efforts.
With their ample new space, the society created a home for single women who were students or working women. Residents were given safe, clean housing, and taught reading, domestic skills, and various self-sustaining operations. Today, the Woman’s Friend Society continues to maintain what they named “Emmerton House” as a low-cost residence for working women and to provide related services. A recent Boston Globe article reported that “it has never strayed from its commitment to help women help themselves.”2 A portrait of Jennie Emmerton’s daughter, Caroline Emmerton, graces their front parlor.
Visiting Nurse Association
The Salem Visiting Nurse Association, an offshoot of the Woman’s Friend Society, was established in 1897 as the District Nurse Committee to provide home nursing services to the people of Salem regardless of their ability to pay. The first nurse, “Miss Seldes,” was paid twenty-five dollars per month and made calls on foot, by trolley, or automobile. By 1900, the District Nurse program was making two thousand visits a year. Later renamed the Visiting Nurse Association of Greater Salem, Inc., the organization operated out of this building until 1959.3
Recent achievements
In 2002, the Woman’s Friend Society published a history of their organization written by Dr. Gloria F. Bowens. It is available for sale at the Society, and may also be seen at local libraries.
In 2009, the Woman's Friend Society building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Sources
1 Lucy H. Cleveland, “Salem Charities,” Salem Gazette, Sept. 14, 1895.
2 Boston Globe, March, 1997.
3 Files of Jim McAllister.
In 1875, the prominent editor and author Kate Tannatt Woods (1840–1910) addressed an audience at Salem Town Hall and challenged them to work for the moral improvement of young women. A year later, the society was formed “for the purpose of extending sympathy and help to girls and women of any nationality or ... to inspire and encourage habits of industry and self-reliance.”1
For their first project, the society’s founders — Ellen C. Putnam, Lucy H. Bowdoin, Abby R. Knight, Mary E. Chipman, Lydia A. Decker, Mary A. Swasey, Margaret A. Bolles, Mary A. Pitman, and Lucy A. Lander — opened a “Girls’ Reading Room” at the corner of Essex and Daniels Streets. Next, they served as an informal employment bureau, giving orders for needlework to women who could only earn money from home.
The society hoped to provide a residence for young women, but their space was limited. In 1879, Captain John Bertram loaned half of the building at 12 Hawthorne Boulevard to the society and upon his death his daughter, Jennie Emmerton, gave it to them outright. The society purchased the second half a few years later, and built a large ell, or addition, through fundraising efforts.
With their ample new space, the society created a home for single women who were students or working women. Residents were given safe, clean housing, and taught reading, domestic skills, and various self-sustaining operations. Today, the Woman’s Friend Society continues to maintain what they named “Emmerton House” as a low-cost residence for working women and to provide related services. A recent Boston Globe article reported that “it has never strayed from its commitment to help women help themselves.”2 A portrait of Jennie Emmerton’s daughter, Caroline Emmerton, graces their front parlor.
Visiting Nurse Association
The Salem Visiting Nurse Association, an offshoot of the Woman’s Friend Society, was established in 1897 as the District Nurse Committee to provide home nursing services to the people of Salem regardless of their ability to pay. The first nurse, “Miss Seldes,” was paid twenty-five dollars per month and made calls on foot, by trolley, or automobile. By 1900, the District Nurse program was making two thousand visits a year. Later renamed the Visiting Nurse Association of Greater Salem, Inc., the organization operated out of this building until 1959.3
Recent achievements
In 2002, the Woman’s Friend Society published a history of their organization written by Dr. Gloria F. Bowens. It is available for sale at the Society, and may also be seen at local libraries.
In 2009, the Woman's Friend Society building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Sources
1 Lucy H. Cleveland, “Salem Charities,” Salem Gazette, Sept. 14, 1895.
2 Boston Globe, March, 1997.
3 Files of Jim McAllister.
