WHEN WE WERE NORMAL
A Historical Augmented Reality Walking Tour
Alice Palmer Paving the Way for Women in College
LOCATION: FIRST FLOOR NEAR LIBRARY ENTRANCE
Alice Palmer came to the Fitchburg Normal School only twice as a part of John Thompson’s lecture series: in 1896 for her talk “Present Duties to Our Public Schools” and again in November 1900 for “The Cambridge Poets.” During one visit she spoke of how important it was to have cheerfulness when teaching and how good it was to stay positive everyday. After her talk, she dined with John Thompson and Joel Miller and they discussed ideal living arrangements for students. Thompson and Miller convinced her that dormitories over townhomes were preferable. Some twelve years later, the second dormitory on campus took her name.
Alice Elvira Freeman was born on February 21st, 1855 in Colesville, New York. She grew up on a farm where it was often challenging to get quality food because of her family’s poor living conditions. Despite the tough conditions, she taught herself to read by the age of three. Education in Colesville was limited, and at four years old she went to a cheap district school.
At the age of seventeen, she applied to Michigan University but failed the entrance exams. However, she managed to leave a good impression on President Angell who requested she be admitted on a trial basis.
Angell’s confidence was well-founded: Palmer graduated in 1876 as one of only eleven women in her class (there were sixty-four men). The co-educational experience at Michigan resonated with Alice. According to her husband, George Palmer, Alice felt that co-education “brought good sense and a pleased companionship to take the place of giddiness and sentimentality.”
After teaching in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin for three years, she became a history professor at Wellesley College in July of 1879. The college was fairly new, having only opened four years prior. Previously, women were unable to teach at colleges, but President Henry Durant changed this by hiring mainly female professors. After Durant died in 1881, Palmer became the acting president of Wellesley.
Palmer sought to fix the issues that were plaguing Wellesley’s initial years. She raised admission requirements and began more scholarships for students. She encouraged a close bond between classmates - as well as with herself, as she lived and dined with them. Wellesley College grew under her leadership, from hiring more teachers to doubling the library’s collection.
After marrying George Palmer in 1887, she retired from Wellesley (though she remained a trustee of the college until her death). She was appointed to the Massachusetts Board of Education in 1889, and remained in that position until she died in 1902. Her work to increase access to college for women at Wellesley, as the first Dean of Women at the University of Chicago, and as the organizer for women’s education at the Harvard Annex was undoubtedly an inspiration to the women living in Palmer Hall. They too were committing their life’s work to education.