Ellsworth – March is Women’s History Month; commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American
history. Every day through the month of March, Woodlawn’s Facebook and Instagram page will feature a different woman who has been part of this
important local and historic estate. Follow us @woodlawnmuseum (FB) or @woodlawnellsworth (Instagram).
The women of Woodlawn we are featuring includes wives, mothers, sisters, aunts, and daughters. We then go beyond primary family and include cousins, maids/servants, close friends, and in the modern era you will learn about caretaker’s, Trustees and staff.
Woodlawn’s story has always been how Colonel John Black’s grandson, George ‘Nixon’ Black, gave the property to the Hancock County Trustees for Public Reservations to be a museum and public park. And, that Col Black made his fortune through early the lumber industry, building the Black House for his family in 1827. That is all true but as we approach nearly 200 years of Woodlawn in Ellsworth, it is time to talk about the many women who have lived or worked in and around the Black House and Woodlawn.
This special research project is sponsored by Desert Harvest, a local company led by Heather Florio, herself a second generation company owner. In the early years, mention of women was infrequent. In some cases, we have only an image of a gravestone or a signature on a legal document. The archives
of the Black family, along with digital access to the Ellsworth American, and work done previously by students, interns, staff, and caretaker’s over the years has
made this research project possible. When complete, we will share the information on our website.