Katy Hamman-Stricker Library and Museum
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The Katy Hamman-Stricker Library and Museum is located in Calvert, TX. This museum and library is located in a small home which was originally built as the first Chapter Home in Texas for the American Women's League in 1909.
[edit] History
The Katy Hamman-Stricker Library was named after one of the original League members whose family donated the lot to the AWL for the building to be constructed. Katy Hamman-Stricker was a life long supporter of the women of Calvert and their projects. The Calvert Women's Club has maintained the library since 1939. This library and museum has a potential to become a true symbol of women's lives in the Texas Progressive Era.[neutrality disputed]
The Katy Hamman-Stricker Library is in the historic Calvert, Texas. Calvert is the home to 3 wholesale grocery stores. In addition they home cotton gins, cotton oil mills, and a cotton warehouse. Calvert was the 1st town in the State to have secured a chapter of the American Women's League in its own Chapter house.
The Katy Hamman-Stricker Library and Museum has a historical background that is rich in history. It lies in historic downtown Calvert, Texas. One of the first settlers to the town of Calvert was B.F. Hammond, at his arrival, he purchased two large tracts of land and opened up farming plantations. He oversaw the cultivation of over 1000 acres (4 km²) of cotton. The large amount of cotton coming out of the area is what brought the railroad into town.
In 1907, a magazine publisher by the name of Edward Gardner Lewis began the American Women's League as a way to spread women's suffrage and social relevance as well as gain new salespersons for his magazine business. Small towns across the United States began to have chapter houses built with the assistance of Mr. Lewis' funding. These houses helped women do work outside of the home. They worked on local newsletters, pottery, and other craft items to sell. Not only did they produce items to sale but also had a community of other women to go to in a time of need. In Calvert, a wealthy local resident, Miss Katy Hamman, donated a plot of land to the Calvert AWL chapter and soon the first Texas chapter was constructed.
