Oral History Event Featured Schlesinger Library Scholar

An exuberant audience comprised of students and faculty from Worcester area colleges, members of the general public, and members of WWHP, welcomed Dr. Kathryn Allamong Jacob as guest speaker at the Worcester Women’s Oral History Project’s (WWOHP) December event. Dr. Allamong Jacob is Curator of Manuscripts at the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at the Radcliffe Institute of Harvard University. The Schlesinger Library is now the permanent repository for the oral histories compiled by WWOHP. Dr. Allamong Jacob’s talk was entitled ‘Dear Diary:’ 100+ Years of Women’s Private Writing. She discussed the value of diaries as they relate to women’s histories.

An enthusiastic question and answer session followed the lecture, and Dr. Allamong Jacob signed copies of her latest book for those in attendance. Students from Assumption College’s Women’s Studies course, under the direction of Professors Maryanne Leone and Carl Keyes, also presented projects on oral history that they conducted for WWOHP.
Dr. Allamong Jacob is the author of three books: Capital Elites: High Society in Washington, D.C. after the Civil War; Testament to Union: Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C.; and King of the Lobby: The Life and Times of Sam Ward. A social and cultural historian, she has also written for Smithsonian Magazine and American Heritage.
This event was held in the Salon of La Maison Francaise on the campus of Assumption College, and was free of charge and open to the public. It was part of the ongoing commitment by the Worcester Women’s History Project to celebrate and document the contributions of women to the history, social fabric, and culture of the Worcester area.