Calvert, TeXas Legacy—American Woman’s League

“Anything, everything, is possible.” 

THOMAS  A. EDISON, 1908

“Woman’s Mission” became the American Woman’s League symbol depicting woman’s highest function: educating, guiding, and protecting childhood.

KATY HAMMAN-STRICKER

WOMEN’S HERITAGE CENTER

Calvert is a proud

Preserve America

Community!

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The jewel of Calvert’s Historic District is the Katy Hamman-Stricker Women’s  Heritage Center built in 1909 by the American Woman’s League (AWL).  E.G. Lewis, a St. Louis, Missouri, publisher and visionary promoter of women’s rights, established the organization committed to empowering women through education, cultural and business opportunities as well as selling his magazines. Inspired by Katy Hamman-Stricker, Calvert’s ambitious founders were entitled to the first of three houses in Texas based on community population and membership size.  “In lieu” of commissions for selling his magazines, they were eligible to a “free of charge” craftsman style community center that included arts and crafts furnishings and a complete kitchen.    Lewis established an

&

FOUND

in 2004

art academy in the city he founded, University City, outside of St. Louis.  Women could order pottery from famous artists of the day and sell them. By 1910, Lewis claimed he had 100,000 members throughout the US, but only 38 chapter houses were ever completed; Calvert’s chapter house was one of the first four built in the nation.  It is one of the few left in the US and has changed little, much of the original arts and crafts furniture remains.  In 1939, the Calvert Woman’s Club adopted the building for a library and since then, has made it their main civic project.  The focus for the past eight years has been raising funds for its historical restoration to preserve its important place in the history of Texas and the nation; in March 2012 it will open as a tourist information center.