The Women of Locust Lawn

The women of Locust Lawn were well educated, upper class ladies who appear to have exhibited the ideal of high society womanhood in the Hudson Valley. Hylah Bevier and her daughters Sarah Maria, Ann Bevier, Louisa, and Laura Tallmadge all attended various schools throughout the Hudson Valley and Litchfield, Connecticut. Through their compositions we can see that they were taught to be intellectual, thoughtful, and well-articulated individuals. Hylah attended the Litchfield Female Academy as a young adult and eventually conducted with purpose while holding a leading position in the societies in which she circulated. Furthermore, her daughters would each become educated, both at home and in private institutions with each girl going on to establish and run their own prosperous households. It is through objects such as clothing, needlework, quilts, books, sheet music, and letters that we can obtain a glimpse into the daily lives of these women and learn about them through their own words. Though their stories do not reflect the experiences of the entire female population in the Hudson Valley, there is still much that can be learned about the nature of upper class womanhood by looking at the possessions and correspondences that these women left behind.