Center for Colorado Women's History at the Byers-Evans House Museum
WHAT: RMGA MEMBERS MEETING – An Introduction to the Center for Colorado Women's History
WHEN: January 13, 2020 -- 6:00 pm – Networking; 6:30 pm – Short Meeting; 6:45 pm – Program: An Introduction to the Center for Colorado Women's History
WHERE: 1310 Bannock St, Denver, CO 80204
PROGRAM: Jillian Allison will present An Introduction to the Center for Colorado Women's History. A museum of History Colorado opened on March 21, 2018; the Center is the first state museum focused on the achievements of Colorado women. The program includes a brief tour of the Byers Evans House, an overview of the Gallery’s current exhibit “Women/Work/Justice,” (8 stories of women fighting for equity in the workplace), a preview of the next exhibit “Women's Vote Centennial//2020” (Colorado Women's Suffrage History 101), and what to find at the Center for Colorado Women's History and the History Colorado Center.
RMGA Membership Meeting Review
Center for Colorado Women's History
January 13, 2020 RMGA Membership Meeting
We had a very short business meeting – introduced new members attending and guest Amy – friend of Tom Jensen’s, Amy does history/marijuana tours downtown.
Announced February program – Colorado Parks and Wildlife – at 58th and Broadway –Tony Gurzick and Debbie Lininger will present. See February newsletter for more information.
Member Jillian Allison, Director of, Center for Colorado Women’s History at the Byers-Evans House presented. The museum is part of History Colorado. Jillian had a short PowerPoint presentation looping as we were networking featuring images of History Colorado’s 8 museums and historic sites. The History Colorado museums are hosting a traveling exhibit of suffrage artifacts over the next few months called Road to the Vote.
The exhibition Women/Work/Justice is currently featured in the gallery, which highlights how women have made changes in the workplace in Colorado. Some of the posters included a Marie Greenwood, an African American teacher who was influential in having other African American women become teachers and administrators. Another focused on the organizing for laundresses and obtaining an 8-hour workday for these women. Jane Street organized the domestic workers and helped standardize what domestic help would do and what they would be paid. These posters are part of the presentation of Colorado Women’s History. These posters exhibited here are not on the website. This exhibit will not travel. Most of the current connected museums’ exhibits throughout Colorado deal with women and their history – how things changed over time because of the activism of many women in the late 19th and 20th century.
At the top of the wall around the room were views of Denver from 1893 when Colorado women gained the vote. In 1877 women could vote for the School Board in Colorado. Women were able to vote for all in 1893 – passed by referendum. There were many factors that played into the passage of the referendum. The Silver Panic may have told men that the women couldn’t do any worse than they had. Colorado was the first state to give women the right to vote by popular referendum. Wyoming became a state in 1890 –women had the vote while it was a territory and then as a state so it is the first state where women could vote. In 1920 the right to vote was added to the U.S. Constitution with the adoption of the 19th Amendment.
Jillian gave us a short overview of the Center’s history – opening in March 2018. We then took a short tour through the first floor of the house and Jillian pointed out that the women who lived in the Byers-Evans House were amazing and were important to History Colorado, Civic Center Park and the Denver Art Museum. Nine women and three men lived in the house. The museum focuses on a day in the life of a family who lived here in 1918.
Margaret Evans Davis was the last person to live in the house in 1981. She was born in the house 92 years earlier. After her death, the house was bequeathed to the state with all its furnishings. Margaret was a professional pianist and the parlor was made into a music room for her to give small recitals. She also played with the Denver Symphony. Currently the room is used for story readings and receptions. The ceiling in the basement was removed and additional joist were added to increase the strength of the floor in the first floor so that more people can attend these readings and special events. The piano has been tuned recently.
There were two servants who served the Evans family for many years: Carrie, the cook was with the family for at least 35 years, Esther worked for $1/day for 3-4 years.
In the dining room we saw Margaret Grey Evans’ china (wife of John Evans, 2nd territorial governor). She lived in the house after John Evan’s passed away to be close to her children and grandchildren
Elizabeth Byers was the first owner of the house – she started several charities.
In the library there is a portrait of Josephine Evans was married to Mr. Elbert (Mt. Elbert) and unfortunately died at age 28. Josephine Street is name for her. There is a portrait of Anne Evans (1882) in a white dress on the wall – also in the portrait were her mother and grandmother. The library is currently used for memoir classes, a book club and as a theater.
In the tea room/classroom, there are portraits/photos of women in the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame – of course, Margaret Tobin Brown was one of the first.
Anne was interested in canning, making preserves. She also collected Native American artwork and her collection became part of the Denver Art Museum.
Women’s Vote Centennial // Colorado 2020
In his final executive order, former governor John Hickenlooper established the Women’s Vote Centennial Commission (WVCC) and named History Colorado to lead the centennial commemoration of the adoption of the 19th Amendment. Statewide events and initiatives officially commenced on 2019 Women’s Equality Day (August 26) and will culminate on Women’s Equality Day 2020. Many organizations already participate in this grass-roots movement, including the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame, Colorado Encyclopedia, Molly Brown House Museum, League of Women Voters, and Territorial Daughters of Colorado, in order to provide programming and engagement opportunities throughout every county in the state. History Colorado will continue to build a collaborative network of community partners. There is no cost associated with being a partner. These events can be posted on their website: www.cowomenscentennial.org. There are over 100 women’s suffrage related events planned for 2020 throughout the state so far. You can also find historical resources and partner information there. Contact Jillian at jillian.allison@state.co.us for more information or help with speakers and presenters.
Important dates in voting history:
1922 Supreme Court rules that people of Japanese ancestry are not eligible to become naturalized citizens.
1924 The Indian Citizenship Act grants citizenship to Native Americans but many western states limit voting rights.
1943 The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which prohibited citizenship for people with Chinese ancestry, is repealed in an effort to strengthen World War II alliance between U.S. and China
1946 The Luce-Celler Act allows Filipino Americans and Indian Americans to naturalize and become U.S. citizens; the Act also establishes quotas that allowed 100 people from India and 100 people from the Philippines to immigrate to the U.S. each year.
1952 The Walter-McCarran Act grants all people of Asian ancestry to become citizens.
1962 New Mexico becomes the final state to enfranchise Native American voters.
1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 suspends literacy test in the Deep South and provides federal enforcement of voting rights in an effort to eradicate Jim Crow Laws designed to limit African American voting.
1970 The 1970 Voting Rights Act prohibits literacy test in 20 states.
History Colorado has an exhibit currently – “What’s Your Story??” It features 101 Coloradan who have made an impact on their communities. Some of the women on this list include Antonia Brico – Music, Dana Crawford – preservation and development.
Written by Nancy Brueggeman