Women's History Tour in the City of Ships: Bath, Maine
“Let’s do something together!” It was this simple question from Destie Hohman Sprague, the Executive Director of the Maine Women’s Lobby (also a friend and fellow Bath resident and very very early Embark tour participant) that led to some brainstorming and the launch of our newest tour - Women’s History - subtitled “Corsets & Causes” sub-sub titled “She did WHAT?” in the City of Ships.
The one mile walking tour focuses on the lives of 8 women from varying backgrounds who stepped into public life in a variety of ways from roughly 1850 - 1920. These years also correspond with milestones in women’s history in the country, with the 1848 first-ever Women’s Rights convention at Seneca Falls, NY on one end, to the passage of the Women’s Suffrage Amendment in 1920 on the other. Their stories are told in the places where they lived and worked, where they felt the constraints of life as a woman and where they broke out of those constraints.
The Hayden Home - Annie wrote to Tom from this house on Washington St.
Some favorite stories include Annie Hayden writing to her on-again-off-again sweetheart Thomas W. Hyde (later founder of Bath Iron Works) in September 1862 during the Civil War, hoping his injury at Antietam would allow him to come home.
In that letter, she shared how “provoked” she was to attend a party attended by many other “young men having a fine time when you are so far away having anything but nice time.” (Some of her letters are in the Archives & Special Collections Library at Bowdoin College.)
“Off to War” - Currier & Ives, Gettysburg College Special Collections.
Writing to soldiers at the front was an important way women contributed to the war effort. Letting their brothers, fathers, sons, and sweethearts know that they were thinking about them, praying for them, and waiting for them was key for soldiers’ morale and overall mental well-being.
Annie did this and more, voicing her views on issues like the draft and Hyde’s consideration of an opportunity to command colored troops.
Hayden and Hyde married after the war and lived in the house next door to where she grew up (also on the tour), raising their children together. Annie no doubt influenced Tom as he put the pieces together of what would eventually become Bath Iron Works, founded in 1884, still building ships for the U.S. Navy on the Kennebec River in Bath today.
We launched the Women’s History Tour in March & April - yup we still had snow! This modest Greek Revival was the home of Harriet Soule, who (married to a sea captain) gave birth at sea ,TWICE!
On the tour, you’ll also meet power suffrage couple, Camilla Ashe Sewall and her husband Harold. The Sewalls were one of of the elite shipbuildng families in Bath for over a century. In September 1912, Camilla opened their home to 600 women in Maine, part of “The Society Plan” devised by National American Woman Suffrage Association’s Carrie Chapman Catt to tap women who were members of clubs (like The Fortnighlty Club in Bath), often wealthy and influential, and by virtue of the club memberships, organized and poised to lead. Harold was the only man in attendance and according to a newspaper report he wisely hid in the music room, where the ladies in attendance could pay their respects if they chose. (This always gets a laugh on tour!)
Our Women’s History Tour runs every other Friday and Sunday in season or on demand if you have a group that would like to come - just pick your date and time for as low as $125 (slight additional charge for more than 5 people.) Join us!
“My husband and I had the pleasure of joining Meg on a previous walking tour of Bath and just loved the experience. So, when given the opportunity, we jumped at the chance to join her again on the inaugural walk of the Women’s History Tour. She did not disappoint. It was fun, informative and inspiring. I found myself searching through my purse to find a piece of paper to take notes. Bath has so much interesting history and she shares these nuggets in an entertaining way.”
