City Center in Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Frances Willard House
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 16, 2021
1. Frances Willard House Marker
placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Charity & Public Work • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1928.
Location. 35° 2.937′ N, 85° 18.292′ W. Marker is in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Hamilton County. It is in City Center. It is on Lindsay Street south of Vine Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 615 Lindsay St, Chattanooga TN 37403, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hamilton County (about 600 feet away); Military History of Chattanooga (about 600 feet away); Abby Crawford Milton (about 700 feet away); First Methodist Church (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named Point in the Line of Fort Sherman (approx. 0.2 miles away); Headquarters of Brigadier General George D. Wagner (approx. 0.2 miles away); Site of General Bragg's Headquarters (approx. 0.2 miles away); Chancellor T. M. McConnell House (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chattanooga.
Other markers no longer nearby. A Point in the Line of Works
this page online
Regarding Frances Willard House. Excerpt from the historical and architectural survey:
During the 1880's, Chattanooga was beginning to grow rapidly and many new jobs became available. As a result, The Frances Willard Home was established in 1887 as a home to provide a protected home environment for young women from rural areas who had come to the city seeking these jobs. This home was the result of efforts of the Chattanooga Chapter of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, established in 1882 as one of the first W.C.T.U. chapters in Tennessee.
The concept of this type of home originated with Frances Willard's "Rest Collage" experiment of a residentialclub for business women in Illinois.Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 16, 20212. Frances Willard House MarkerThe marker is behind a tall bush. The cornerstone reads "1899 W.C.T.U. 1927" in reference to the Women's Christian Temperance Union's first Frances Willard House and the second (and current) building that replaced it.
In the early years the home was located in various places, but in 1890 it moved into a permanent home for the next thirty years. By the 1920's, these facilities were not sufficient for the number of women seeking rooms, and the W.C.T.U. began the construction of a new building adjacent to their former structure. In 1928 the new
home was opened Today, none of the former Frances Willard Homes remain; thus 1928 structure is the only building remaining in Chattanooga associated with this concept.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 16, 2021
3. Frances Willard House Marker
The marker is behind the tall bush at the building's right corner. The building currently is an apartment building that caters to students of nearby University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.
via NPS, unknown
4. Frances Willard House
National Register of Historic Places Digital Archive on NPGallery website entry
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Bain News Service via Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
5. Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard (1839-1898)
She was an American educator, temperance reformer and women's suffragist. Willard was the national president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) from 1879 until her death in 1898. Her influence continued in the next decades, as the Eighteenth (Prohibition) and Nineteenth (women's suffrage) Amendments to the United States Constitution were adopted. She also advocated for prison reform, labor laws and women's rights.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,262 times since then and 84 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 18, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 4. submitted on April 9, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 5. submitted on October 18, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
