Honoring our foremothers
SOUTH ROCKWOOD — Six of Monroe County's female pioneers, including several early business owners, will be celebrated later this month for Women’s History Month.
The program and public forum “The Enterprising Women of Berlin Township” will be held at 7 p.m. March 12 at the South Rockwood Community Center, 5676 Carleton-Rockwood Road. Admission is free; donations will be accepted. Light refreshments will be served.
The event will be hosted by the Berlin Charter Township Historical Society. Society board members Amy Rogalski, Sue Wagers and Stephanie Hawkins will talk about the women and their local contributions.
Honorees will be:
Matilda Rivard Manor, a milliner who ran her own hat shop at the turn of the 20th century
Caroline Frey Champion, an independent woman, known to all as “Queenie,” who ran a successful grocery store and bar for many years
Ida Martin Niedermeier, a woman who overcame much tragedy to become a successful insurance agent
Emma Emerick Barron, a mother and wife who ran both a creamery and an ice cream shop
Verna Gennoe, a Newport icon who opened a tavern in 1938 that quickly became a local favorite and still serves the community today
Shirley LaMarsh, a cook known for her popular Kozy Kitchen restaurant and potato donuts
Hawkins offered some history of women’s rights:
“The status of women in society has come a long way in the United States and around the world, but it wasn’t all that many years ago that women were fighting for the right to vote, own property or even go into the fields of medicine or law.
For many years in the United States, a woman’s husband had legal power over and responsibility for her, to the extent that her husband could beat or imprison her without consequences.
Even after women were granted rights that had long been available for men, the reality of these rights did not always follow the laws. Being a woman, especially an independent woman, could be difficult, with many barriers to overcome. In the late 19th century, the concept of 'The New Woman' emerged, a woman who was more independent and fought for changes in the way she was treated.
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By the early 20th century, this new feminine ideal was taking hold in cities across the nation, but it wasn’t limited to just urban areas. In rural communities, such as Berlin Township, there were many women who bucked societal trends to live life on their own terms. All are welcome to come celebrate the contributions of these trail-blazing women who helped break the 'glass ceilings' of their time," Hawkins said.
For more information, call 313-300-2814 or email info@berlintownship.org.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Honoring our foremothers
