Women's labor is one of the hidden histories of the Adirondacks. In contrast to the delicate feminine ideal popularized by the media of the Victorian Era (and lingering through our own historical epoch), North Country women have undertaken a vast variety of arduous labors in factory and field, workshop and wilderness, household and heath. On November 5, speaker Hallie Bond will present a talk not only on the history of Adirondack women's work, but on its methodology and historiography. How can we discover women's labor beyond the typical historical methods of oral and archival research? To what extent can we learn about such work by recreating it, using the tools and methods employed by our ancestors? What can we learn about women's history through folklore, myth, and material culture?
Hallie E. Bond has been Curator at the Adirondack Museum since 1987. She has written extensively on regional history and material culture including Boats and Boating in the Adirondacks, published by Syracuse University Press in 1995, "A Paradise for Boys and Girls: Children's Camps in the Adirondacks," along with numerous articles in magazines and contributions to books. She has been a member of the Speakers in the Humanities program sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities since 2010. Ms. Bond has a B.A. in History from the University of Colorado, an M.A. in Medieval Studies from the University of York (England) and an M.A. in American History with a Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Delaware. She lives in Long Lake, NY, with her husband Mason Smith and two children.
Our regular meeting begins at 7pm at the Bleecker Town Hall, and the presentation will follow. Please join us!
Bleecker Historical Society 