Tour leaders: Amy Tyson, DePaul University Carolyn DeSwarte Gifford, Northwestern University Mary McWilliams, Women’s Christian Temperance Union Erin Hughes, Evanston History Center Janet Olson, Northwestern University

Historians are increasingly interested in the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) as a force in women’s history beyond the temperance movement. The Frances Willard House—a museum since 1900, and a National Historic Landmark since 1965—with original furnishings including Willard’s working library, offers general visitors a unique sensory experience of history. For the AHA, this special tour will highlight how docents interpret a site with multiple periods of significance and multiple themes: Willard’s life, her leadership of the largest women’s organization of its time, and the national and international reach of the WCTU. The tour of the Willard Archives, a “hidden collection” open only by appointment, will survey its rich but virtually untapped resources relating to the organization and its constituents.

(Limit 20 people) $30 members, $35 nonmembers

Please note: the house and archives are not handicapped accessible. Guests will need to navigate stairs and be able to stand for approximately 1 hour.