Cost: Free to RHS Members, suggested $5 donation for non-members. More info: www.redmondhistoricalsociety.org

LEARN ABOUT ONE OF REDMOND’S EARLY LEADING LADIES!

Born an heiress in the Age of Industry, Elise Farrel-McWhirter led the life of one of the most intriguing socialites in New England in the early 20th century. Follow the incredible life journey of a woman who was independent and bold before it was in vogue.

Before the Women’s Suffrage moment, before Women’s right to vote, Elise Farrel-McWhirter lived a remarkable life on her own terms and traded the glamour of society for a small farming community in rural Washington. A community named Redmond that she chose to live over all the other places she had traveled in North America, Asia, and Europe.

We can walk with history today, because she donated her beloved home upon her death that became Farrel-McWhirter Park. Learn about one of Redmond’s early leading ladies, who loved children, horses, nature, and left us all a legacy that helped foster Redmond’s modern-day Parks Department.

Portrait Photo: Portrait of Elise Farrel-McWhirter by George Chickering Munzig, ca. 1900. This painting, which now hangs in the farmhouse at Farrel-McWhirter Park, was the first artwork accessioned into the City’s public art collection in 1972.