Daughters of the Stars: Lives of Local Women

Women have always been a part of our history. Understanding their role in the past, helps us understand who we are as a community today.

 This exhibit examines a snapshot of that history. It is not designed to provide the full story of these women’s lives, but instead a brief description of what their life was like at a specific time.

Most of these women, and the information we know about them, comes from the Shenandoah Valley-Herald. During the latter half of the 20th century the paper regularly featured what could be called "human interest pieces." Whether it was in the paper’s weekly home cooking column or another article highlighting an individual's work in the community, the Valley-Herald’s editor found a reason to not only mention these women, but to describe, in detail, their life at the time.

The times in which these women lived saw dramatic changes. Feminism, women’s lib, and the Equal Rights amendment became a part of the nation’s political and cultural discourse. At the same time, women around the country were living their lives, sometimes in ground breaking ways, other times more simply. Through these women, we hope you can see this reality as it existed in Shenandoah County.