Confederate Girlhoods: A Women's History of Early Springfield

From News-Leader:

For the most part, history is written by men and about men. So, it was refreshing and enlightening for me to participate in a roundtable discussion at the Carnegie Midtown Library of a new book about a history of Springfield written from the perspective of women.

The book, "Confederate Girlhoods: A Women's History of Early Springfield," Missouri, was published by Moon City Press, part of the English Department at Missouri State University. It brings together in one volume many of the letters, memoirs, family histories, stories, journals, photographs and newspaper clippings in the Campbell-McCammon Collection at The History Museum for Springfield-Greene County.

The Campbell-McCammon women reveal their "struggles, disappointments, joys, courage, determination, and sorrow," writes Greene County Associate Commissioner Roseann Bentley in her foreword to the book. At a time when about the only things available to women were teaching, marriage, and writing the women stood resolutely for temperance, preservation of historical places, education, business opportunities, dignity and honor for the dead, entrepreneurship and improving the lives of women.