The Evanston Women’s History Project began in 2007 as a collaborative community effort to document the history of women and women’s organizations in Evanston; to share the stories of the female trailblazers; and to build future leadership opportunities for women. Since 2009, the project has been an initiative of the Evanston History Center.

The award-winning exhibition on Evanston women, “Lifting as We Climb,” opens at the Evanston History Center. A research database of over 300 women and 100 organizations is created and archived online. The Joan Barr Smith Endowment for Women’s History is established to provide ongoing support for women’s research, and the Vickie Burke Internship for Women’s History is created to fund summer internships.

During the anniversary years of both the 18th (Prohibition) and 19th (women’s suffrage) amendments – 2019 and 2020 – the project takes on telling the story of Evanston women’s important roles in the temperance and suffrage movements.

Pioneering lawyer and suffragist Catharine McCulloch is honored with a marker on the National Votes for Women Trail in Evanston. A film about her life, Discovering Catharine, is shown in partnership with the Woman’s Club of Evanston and Evanston League of Women Voters. A mural honoring Evanston women is unveiled at Clark Street and Benson Avenue in collaboration with Art Encounter and Shorefront Legacy Center.

The Evanston History Center launches the next phase of the Women’s History Project. The focus will be on contemporary women’s history post-World War II and into the present day, including preserving stories and oral histories from living women in Evanston. The first thematic focus will be the challenges, breakthroughs, and leaders in the field of women’s healthcare in Evanston. Future phases will focus on historic women leaders in the arts, politics, business, activism, and the law.