9/7/2024 | Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site | Lawson, MO
In the Midwest, nuns at rural convents turned to God for spiritual guidance but had to rely on themselves to survive. The reality of rural geographies and the ecclesiastical dictates from the Catholic Church created a complex set of limitations and surprising opportunities for some of these religious communities.
In this program, historian Elyssa Ford will discuss a convent in northwestern Missouri where the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration have lived since the 1870s. The convent operated similarly to other rural religious establishments of the time, with the women running an orphanage and several schools, along with a dairy and farm to provide sustenance for their own use and that of their students and orphanage residents. Yet in the 1920s and ‘30s, the convent ended their teaching efforts and turned to a more unusual source of income: a dairy herd and cattle breeding enterprise. By the 1940s, these cattle were renowned across the state, and stud bulls were sold to international buyers.
This talk will examine the unusual role of religious women in work like this, the public perception of their work, and the dairy industry's reaction to the women's abrupt decision to sell their cattle herd in 1963. The presentation will take place inside the visitor center at Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site. The event is free and open to the public, and there is no need to register. For more information, call the site office at 816-580-3387.
This presentation is sponsored by the Missouri Speakers Bureau. The Missouri Speakers Bureau is jointly organized and managed by Missouri Humanities and the State Historical Society of Missouri.
Presentation Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site is located at:
Associated activities
- Interpretive Programs