The Evolution of Women in Glassboro
An Evolution of Women's Rights in Glassboro
It is no secret that the rights of women have been expanding in the United States since the genesis of the nation. By examining the ways in which women in Glassboro have progressed through this time period, one can better understand the ways in which local and national events have impacted one another and worked together to expand the rights of women in South Jersey.1800s - Women in the Glassmaking Industry
While it's not often examined, women had a large role in the ease and fluidity of the glass making process. Ms. Hannah Heston, the wife of glassmaker and prominent member Glassboro society Colonel Heston, is a quintessential example of the importance of women in the Glassmaking industry. While her husband was making a name for himself in the glassmaking world, Hannah was home, taking care of the eight Heston children. In this way, Hannah served a different but equally important role as her husband, for if it had not been for her the Heston children would not have been able to survive.However, while this may be what is best known about Hannah Heston, it is not where her legacy ends. Colonel Heston died in 1802 at the age of 49, leaving Hannah alone with their eight children and the legacy of their glassmaking industry resting on her shoulders. Not only was Hannah able to continue to take care of her children, but she took control over her husband's duties in the Heston - Carpenter works. Even further yet, she came to manage the Heston Inn from 1802 until 1819. Hannah Heston had still owned the Heston Inn at the time of her death in 1843.
Hannah Heston's role and legacy laid out an important foundation for Glassboro women to build their progress on. Not only was Heston a successful wife and mother, but she was leaps and bounds ahead of her time as a woman in an incredibly competitive field such as glassmaking and a property owner in her own right. The legacy put forward by Ms. Hanna Heston would only be expanded on in the coming decades.
1923 - The Opening of Glassboro Normal School
Jumping forward almost one hundred years, the opening of the Glassboro Normal School paved the way for women to make a career for themselves. The Glassboro Normal School, which opened its doors for the very first time on September 23, 1923, became home to women with teaching aspirations. This school was revolutionary. It was the very first of its kind to be located in South Jersey, and its opening marked a new opportunity to women all across the region to pursue their own career goals.The opening of Glassboro Normal School continued the legacy that was in many ways put forward by Hannah Heston. The days of South Jersey women consisting of only stay at home mothers were ushered away by a surge of women eager to begin their own careers and work alongside their husbands as opposed to beside them.
1940s - Women's Role in the Work Force Expands Due to American Involvement in World War II
The legacy of the advancement of women's careers continued in Glassboro as well as the nation as the United States became increasingly involved in the Second World War. While the expansion of women in previously male careers boomed all throughout the nation, Glassboro itself has a specifically intriguing history due to the sheer number of employment availabilities in the Gloucester County region. The women of Glassboro went to work all over the county, landing jobs in the DuPont Company, the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, the Owens-Illinois Company, among many others. In this way not only were the women in Glassboro able to aid the United States' war efforts, but they were able to aid themselves.This time in the history of the women of Glassboro is incredibly influential. Prior to this period, Glassboro had seen women filling women's careers, teaching, nursing, mothering, etc. (with Hannah Heston being the obvious exception). However it is from this point forward that we see Glassboro women able to effectively prove themselves as capable of competing with men in their own career fields, and in this way, the women who were active during the Second World War opened many doors for the future female generations in Glassboro.
