“Women’s Rights Day” was celebrated by all the fifth graders of Old Hammondtown School on May 20. OHS teachers, Katherine Trudell, Amy Casi, and Stacy Barrows collaborated with the Mattapoisett Museum to develop a program of workshops to dovetail with their unit of study in presentations at the school.
The morning began with a presentation, Women’s Rights, from Sandy Dawson and her daughter, Sandy Galavotti. Dawson started her business in 1978, and she shared how hard it was for women to have their own businesses. She could not install a telephone for her office unless her husband signed off on the paperwork. She also shared a few stories to illustrate roadblocks to women. In one, a client told her that because she was “just a housewife.” she didn’t need to get a full commission on a property that she sold. She persisted, and in the end, she was given the full amount. Ms. Galavatti explained that currently, women were much better off in the workplace, however, the inequity of pay for the same job as a man was still unbalanced. She said that women make $.83 for every dollar a man makes or 17% less for doing the same job.
After this presentation Connor Gaudet, Curator and Administrator of the Mattapoisett Museum, and members from the Education Team members, Katherine Gaudet and Robbin Smith, presented the workshop, “How to Interpret Artifacts.” Using PowerPoint, Gaudet reviewed primary and secondary resources, and how to evaluate them using a four-step process: Observation, Reflection, Questioning and Further Investigation. Using a wedding purse from the Museum’s collections, Gaudet modeled how to take notes using the four-step process.
Then groups of four students were given an artifact related to women’s rights to explore and evaluate through the same process. Students eagerly jumped at the chance. After washing hands and hearing how to handle antique artifacts, they engaged in being historical detectives themselves.
One group had a photo from the 1890s of three people riding bikes on Church Street in Mattapoisett, one of whom was a woman wearing pants. There was a bathing suit designed by Annette Kellerman who was once arrested wearing one of her bathing suits that was deemed scandalous because it showed too much skin. Another group of students held a commemorative rubber stamp created by Mary Ransom, the first female Postmaster of Mattapoisett. Finally, a group had the List of Mattapoisett Women Voters from 1920 – the first year women were able to vote. Some students were excited to find relatives on the list. After taking notes on their artifacts, students shared what they had learned and why the artifact was important to women’s rights and Gaudet provided additional information where needed.
Concurrent with this group, Education Team members Gail Roberts and Carole Clifford presented Mattapoisett’s Important Historical Women to another fifth-grade class. Roberts and Clifford engaged students with anecdotes about Mary Ransom, Florence Eastman, Huybertie Hamlin, Cecil Clark Davis, and Elizabeth Barstow Stoddard who all championed women’s rights through their work, art, nursing, writing or social engagement. Then students were handed a short biography of each woman telling the rest of her story. After reading through it and highlighting important facts, students shared what they had learned and answered the questions, “Why was this Mattapoisett woman important to history? and “What part did she play in championing women’s rights?”
On May 21, students visited the Museum for a treasure hunt for artifacts. They were also asked to identify what their favorite artifact was and why. The diorama of a Wampanoag village created by an ORR teacher and her students many years ago, the model of the Wanderer built by George Lowry, a bride’s wedding dress and vest worn by the groom, were all favorites, along with many more.
Finally, students were given a tour of the village by Carol Clifford and Jen McIntyre where they learned about the storied history of Mattapoisett. Many students came back especially excited about native Francis Davis Millet who was an American painter, sculptor, and writer known for his artistic talent. He was returning home to create a mural in New Bedford but perished on the Titanic.