Places

An important part of Frances Willard’s story remains the places in which she grew up and began her work.  The geographic locations where she lived contributed to her early worldview and influenced the relationships that she developed with those around her.  New surroundings provided opportunities for new experiences and challenges that contributed to the woman that Frances Willard became in her adult life.  Cities such as Willard’s hometown in Janesville, Wisconsin and her family home in Evanston, Illinois provided the backdrop to many of her early experiences and relationships.  Because of the importance of education in Willard’s life, her first studies at Milwaukee Female College and North Western Female College influenced Willard’s first conceptions of formal education and the power of knowledge.  These places helped shape the famous Frances Willard that the world remembers as a powerful social reformer.