Ashland Chautauqua Adult Workshop: African American Women in the Wild West
Date: 07/22/2026
Time: 10:00 am-11:00 am
Location: The Golden Center at the Loudonville Public Library in the Library basement meeting room, 122 E. Main Street, Loudonville, OH 44842
Organizer: Ashland Chautauqua
Cost: Free
Contact and more info:
info@ashlandchautauqua.org
https://www.ashlandchautauqua.org/scheduleofevents.php
About the event:
The Western Frontier was hard on women, especially the formerly enslaved. Hear the success stories of some African American women who ventured West and started anew, such as Mary Ellen Pleasant, Clara Brown, and Biddy Mason. They had a strong work ethic, a head for business, and a desire to create community – and in one case, the desire to find a daughter sold away from her in slavery. This workshop is led by scholar Becky Stone who will be portraying Mary Fields the evening of July 23.
The workshop will be held at The Golden Center at the Loudonville Public Library in the Library basement meeting room, 122 E. Main Street, Loudonville.
Ashland Chautauqua’s 5-day America’s Stories event, in celebration of America 250, runs from July 21-25, 2026 with daytime workshops at various locations in Ashland County and living history performances each evening at Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell at Brookside Park, Ashland. All events are free, open to the public, accessible and sensory-friendly.