Women’s Educational & Industrial Union (WEIU)

Women’s Educational and Industrial Union (WEIU). . The first Women’s Educational and Industrial Union was founded by Harriet Clisby in Boston, MA, in 1877 to “increase fellowship among women and to promote the best practical methods for securing their educational, industrial, and social advancement.” , Clisby was a doctor and recognized the need women, particularly immigrant women, had for various services. The WEIU provided education and job placement assistance, social services, and social programs for its members. , Auburn resident Eliza Wright Osborne was inspired by Clisby’s model and founded Auburn’s WEIU in 1882, the third to open in the country. , The WEIU provided education and social opportunities for the growing population of young women coming to Auburn to work in the factories along the Owasco Outlet. Rooms were rented to wage-earning women who worked in the surrounding factories, and numerous classes teaching basic home and life skills were available. The WEIU was originally located on Exchange Street in three rooms over the Jennings and Trowbridge Art Store. The popularity of the services offered meant the WEIU quickly outgrew these rooms and in 1904, after moving to several different locations, Eliza Wright Osborne purchased property next to the Seward House on South Street. Eliza Osborne, along with generous donors, funded the construction of a permanent home at the South Street location for the WEIU that opened in 1907. Classes were added in bookkeeping, typewriting, and nursing, and an employment bureau was added. Summer camps were founded and more recreational services were offered. Demands for WEIU services began to slow after the World Wars and the union reached out to the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) for operational assistance. , The WEIU formally merged with the YMCA in the late 1960’s and facilities moved into the new YMCA building on William Street. The South Street home of the WEIU was demolished in 1972, but the chandelier from Osborne Hall now hangs in the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Auburn. , Eliza Wright Osborne , (1829-1911). , Eliza Wright was born in 1829, in Aurora, NY. Her parents were Martha Coffin Wright, one of the organizers of the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, NY, and prominent New York State lawyer David Wright. , In 1851, she married David Munson Osborne, founder of the D.M. Osborne Co., which manufactured farm machinery, and together they had four children. , Eliza followed in her mother’s footsteps, holding various leadership positions in the women’s suffrage movement. She was the first vice president of the Cayuga County Political Equality Club, and often hosted meetings of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association, of which she served as vice president. , In addition to providing the funding for WEIU building, Eliza served as its head until 1907. Her obituary calls the WEIU the “most enduring monument to her memory.” , Edith Foster Dulles , (1863-1941). , In 1907, Eliza Wright Osborne turned over leadership to Edith Foster Dulles who led the institution for the next 25 years. , Dulles’ tenure saw a shift in interests and demographics of the woman utilizing the WEIU’s resources. New immigrants to the city declined in numbers over the years and many of the original services of the WEIU were no longer. , In 1921, Dulles helped to found the Professional Women’s Club, a social club meant to foster relationships between professional women, including teachers, nurses, secretaries, and librarians. , Edith was the wife of noted Presbyterian minister Dr. Allen Macy Dulles who served as head of the Auburn Theological Seminary. Three of their children, John Foster Dulles, Allen W. Dulles, and Eleanor Dulles, served the United States Government in various capacities. , You are now standing on the grounds of the former site of the WEIU pictured here. , The retaining wall on the bottom left corner of this sign remains from the east side of the courtyard parallel to South Street where a Votes For Women historical marker now stands.