Since long before
of Snohomish County was formed in 1861, women of
this area have contributed to the well-being of
families and communities – as they continue to do now
– in an amazing variety of ways. Throughout time,
they adapted to change and met the challenges of
multiple diverse roles with intelligence, strength,
humor, and tenacity. However, until the 1960s, when
women’s roles really began changing relatively
rapidly, women’s work and achievements were rarely documented.
The purpose of The Women’s Legacy Project is to
record the many and varied contributions women have
made to our history, to the development of our
communities, and to the heritage of our families.
The stories we have collected are rich and
compelling. Some are about ordinary lives well
lived. Others are about women who have made major
contributions to the development of businesses,
churches, communities, government, law enforcement,
social service organizations and educational
systems.
Together, these stories illustrate ways women
adapted to change, overcame barriers and coped
during a significant period of social transition in
women's roles. They also reveal how women’s work
roles, both paid and unpaid, have evolved, yet in
many ways remain unchanged. Most importantly, they
provide examples of leadership, courage, and caring
which inform and inspire us all, especially the
young women and men who will shape the future of our
communities.
The Women’s Legacy Project of Snohomish County,
Washington is a volunteer effort and will
continue until we have added 100 stories that include a timeline, contextual essays and resources
providing a representative sampling of Snohomish
County’s diversity in terms of women’s backgrounds and
identities, choices, experiences, and accomplishments over
the past 150 years. The materials presented are intended to
contribute to the general history of this geographic
area for readers to learn from, stimulate interest
in history of the fast growing area and research
further for a better understanding of the area's
past.
Who We Are
Members of The Women’s Legacy
Project have been meeting since 1998 to support one
another’s research and writing and to learn more about
Snohomish County history in general and women’s
contributions in particular. Our participants come from a
variety of professional and academic backgrounds and share their
professional expertise and the stories they produce.
Sandra Schumacher ---Current
Chair of the group and Family Historian
Teri Baker---Former
newspaper reporter and editor, now freelance
Chris Bee---Education
Project Coordinator
Ann Duecy Norman---Retired
UW faculty and WLP founding member
Roberta Jonnet---Social
Services Professional
Barbara Kindness---Writer and editor of Edmonds South Co History
Louise Lindgren---Cultural
Resources Consultant, historian, writer and founding
member of the League of Snohomish County Heritage
Organizations.
Marie Little---Writer and Alderwood Manor/Lynnwood Historian
Margaret Riddle---Everett
Public Library History Specialist
Karen Prasse --Web site designer and one of the editors.
|
 Martha Tommy, a
member of the Sauk Tribe, on the Sauk river south of
Darrington early in the 20th century.
We invite your ideas and questions. Accuracy is
important to us, and we solicit corrections.
Please contact the League of Snohomish County
Heritage Organizations for information on the project.
info
at
snocoheritage.org
The Women’s Legacy Project
has been funded by the Greater Everett Community Foundation,
Henry Jackson Foundation and the
Washington Women's History Consortium |
