Women for War Relief during World War I
During World War I, Mount Holyoke students and faculty joined together to create several avenues that paved the way towards war relief. They sewed and knit different items of clothing (namely children’s stockings and blankets) that were donated to the Red Cross, while also rising early in the morning to complete farm work on a small “war garden” that was established on campus. The college women even assisted local South Hadley farms, and participated in rallies for the war.
The student body’s consistent efforts to aid the country during this economically and socially strenuous time was met with the official establishment of national women’s suffrage towards the end of 1920. The 19th amendment passed in August of 1920, and Mount Holyoke women, along with women throughout the country, could finally exercise their right to vote.
The below photographs display the women at work on the World War I farms, completing tasks ranging from watering the fields while on a horse drawn wagon to peeling vegetables in a common area of one of the College’s dorms. In a couple of the photos, a collie accompanies the women on the farms as they work, most likely belonging to President Mary Woolley. Who better to keep you company while working an open field under the beaming sun than an adorable collie?
