By Mia McMorris
There are many possible lenses and avenues for exploring Boston’s history. The Boston Women’s Heritage Trail (BWHT) is one of many organizations that use site-based histories to open the past to the public. Their research has culminated in more than 15 different self-guided tours that focus on the contributions of women to Boston’s history. My internship has allowed me to work alongside BWHT’s long time members, Mary Smoyer and Katherine Dibble, to gather resources for a curated tour focused on women in Boston’s food history. This tour will utilize some of their existing data and will be thematic versus their neighborhood-based tours.
The BWHT operates primarily online, with brochures and guides to tour the city. The information is easily accessible through their website. They also host a series of events throughout the year that bring awareness to the impact and achievements of women who have had a significant effect on the city. My internship has allowed me to meet with their board on two different occasions and attend their annual conference, which featured the sculptor Meredith Bergmann as speaker. She designed the Boston Women’s Memorial and spoke about her most recent installation in New York. I have enjoyed my experiences with them, and am impressed by the knowledge and experience of BWHT’s team, and their expertise and dedication to public history.
Perhaps my greatest challenge with this project has been finding historical resources for an inclusive tour that focuses on the themes of food insecurity and innovations made by Boston women to address the problems of hunger in the city. To do this, I reached out to various immigrant communities, contacted local food scholars, and utilized the knowledge brought by the BWHT board members and their networks. But the resources are difficult to find, in published material, or, especially, in archival collections. So I have worked to identify and speak with community members who may have sources to share or suggest. For example, I have made connections with members of the Caribbean community and hope to speak to other immigrant communities to learn about women who have influenced food culture in Boston. I am also in conversation with a former organizer of the Black Panther’s Breakfast program.
The history of women in Boston’s food history does have some documentation, but the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented access to some of these sources. Stay-at-home orders led many research institutions to close their doors, and this has limited my access to valuable documents. Nevertheless, the support of my supervisors at BWHT has allowed me to create a list of viable women to showcase on my tour.
Kip Tiernan, a pioneer in the fight against food insecurity, is the focus of one stop on the tour. Her memorial, installed on Dartmouth Street near the Boston Public Library, is one of five monuments dedicated to women in Boston. One of Kip Tiernan’s colleagues, Georgia Mattison, spoke with me about Kip’s impact on Boston. Georgia Mattison together with Kip Tiernan played crucial roles in the founding of the Boston Food Bank, which operates as the joint bank of food for many of the shelters of Boston. They provide food and resources across the state, interfacing directly with supermarkets and other food suppliers. The Boston Food Bank is one of the many organizations targeting hunger with which Kip Tiernan was involved. She also helped to establish 16 shelters that feed and shelter residents of the city.
I am honored to work with the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail to curate this tour of Boston. As a newcomer to Boston, learning about this city through the eyes of the women on this tour has provided much food for thought. Focusing specifically on the roles of women in feeding Boston, reveals women’s impact on the city’s history. I hope to bring awareness of women’s roles in Boston’s food history in a positive and long-lasting way that is available to residents and visitors to the city.
