House of Refuge for Women
Incorrigibles

Incorrigibles

Please take the time to visit our sister project, Incorrigibles. The Prison Public Memory Project started out working with communities to unearth the history of local prisons, to imagine what...

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Josephine Shaw Lowell and House of Refuge for Women (1887 – 1904)

Josephine Shaw Lowell and House of Refuge for Women (1887 – 1904)

In the midst of the nation’s first great depression that began in 1873 with the collapse of the New York City financial markets, the House of Refuge for Women was built...

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House of Refuge for Women Founder Inspires New York City’s First Monument Dedicated to a Woman

House of Refuge for Women Founder Inspires New York City’s First Monument Dedicated to a Woman

As told by Joan Waugh in her book on the life of Josephine Shaw Lowell (Unsentimental Reformer,Harvard University Press, 1997): At noon on May 22, 1912, a granite fountain designed...

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“The Dungeons Are Damp and Cold…”

“The Dungeons Are Damp and Cold…”

A Board of Managers comprised of prominent citizens from throughout the State appointed by the Governor controlled the New York State House of Refuge for Women. Every year, the Board...

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