Author name: Trevor Smith

Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist

The classic icon of “Rosie the Riveter” has come to symbolize the power and capabilities of women. The symbol originated during World War II as millions of women entered the paid workforce in order to address the labor shortage created by men entering the military. The women primarily filled factory jobs that had previously been male-dominated positions.

Harrison County had its share of “Rosies,” as twenty local women joined the workforce at the Keller Manufacturing Plant in Corydon. Due to a shortage of available men, the company employed women in a few positions, and once they proved satisfactory, more women were employed. Their work included operations on stock for furniture, for walk-in refrigerators, and for truck bodies. The factory shift was from 7 am to 5 pm. The Keller Company acknowledged that in a week’s time, the work turned out by the twenty women compared favorably with the work done by twenty men on similar machines.

Below, Blanche Knight, Anna Shireman, and Ruby Windell demonstrate their capabilities in 1943.

Blanche Knight operates a variety saw, Anna Shireman uses a drill, and Ruby Windell prepares products for shipment at the Keller Manufacturing Company in Corydon, Indiana, in 1943. For these and similar images, visit our “People at Work” collection: https://cdm17251.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p17251coll23

Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist

In March, we will celebrate Women’s History Month by taking a look at the lives and contributions of women throughout Harrison County’s history. This week we feature The Woman’s Literary Club of Corydon, which was established in 1878 and was one of the earliest such organizations in the state. The club emerged through the efforts of Anna VanZandt Applegate, who wanted to keep herself intellectually challenged and knowledgeable in addition to fulfilling her roles as wife and mother. She gathered likeminded women in the community to form the club, which was at times called the “Spare Minutes Club.”

The club studied a wide variety of classical literature as well as contemporary works. The women took their work seriously and expected each member to come to meetings not only having read the literature under current study, but also to be well prepared to discuss at length the themes, plot, and characters of the work. They also set aside a portion of their time to discuss current events. Topics ranged from national and world politics and events to arts and culture and scientific discoveries. for example, among the many topics discussed in 1898-1899 were the sinking of the Maine, U. S. involvement in the Philippines, Rookwood pottery, invention of “the talked of flying machine,” a Vanderbilt wedding, and Tesla’s plan to harness the power of Niagara Falls for electricity.

Here are a few images of members of The Woman’s Literary Club of Corydon over the years. These images and others as well as meeting minutes, club program yearbooks, and a memory scrapbook are available online in HCPL’s Woman’s Literary Club of Corydon collection,  https://cdm17251.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p17251coll12