Woman's Land Syndicate. Papers, 1892-1893

This collection contains a profit sharing investment bond issued to Mrs. J.E. Humphrey and an envelope from the Woman's Land Syndicate in Chicago, Illinois, addressed to Dr. Martha A. Anderson. The envelope is postmarked July 22, 1892, and the bond is dated 1893.

The Woman's Land Syndicate was formed in 1892 by Rose A. Emmons (1835-1906), a leader in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). The group, which aimed to create the first real estate project owned and developed by women, purchased over half a million dollars' worth of land in South Waukegan, Illinois. The syndicate prohibited the sale or distribution of liquor on the development. Ultimately, the real estate market crashed in the 1893-1896 depression, and the development ended in foreclosure.

This collection consists of one profit sharing investment bond of the Woman's Land Syndicate. It was dated October 6, 1893, and issued $60 of shares to Mrs. J. E. Humphrey of Simsbury, Connecticut. The Woman's Land Syndicate, and this bond, were managed by Rose A. Emmons. The collection also includes an envelope addressed to Dr. Martha A. Anderson of Shelburne, Massachusetts, postmarked July 22, 1892. The right side of the envelope includes a stamp for The Woman's Land Syndicate in Chicago, Illinois, with an image of a valkyrie and the motto, "I Will." The connection between the bond to Mrs. J.E. Humphrey and the envelope addressed to Dr. Andersen, and how they came together is unclear (the bond does not fit inside the envelope).

This collection was purchased with funds from Friends of the Library, Rachel Scott and Gary Peeples, in 2021.