A few weeks ago, I was invited to speak to Weirton Heights Rotary at its morning meeting. I have spoken to the group before on a few occasions and I always enjoy the time I spend with them. Usually, I am invited to shed some light on a piece of the past from our area. There is so much one could speak on and I enjoy researching a topic and presenting that history. We certainly have much to be proud of in our area. That is why I do this column, after all, to shed some light on our history and make each one of us proud to be from where we come from. Hometown pride is an important part of what makes a great community and knowing our past is an important aspect of that.

When I was invited to come and speak at Rotary, I was asked to shed some light on women’s history in Weirton specifically. I was excited to dive into that history because it is a topic that I never explored. Women have made important contributions to our community, not just in the past, but right here and now.

Historically, one of the first women we have a record of in our area is Mary Greathouse who lived in Holliday’s Cove in the 18th century. Mary was the first wife of Harmon Greathouse Jr., who was one of the first settlers in our valley. It is from that family that Harmon’s Creek gets its name. Mary was living in the area in 1787 when she died at the age of 22 during childbirth at the residence of John Holliday, who operated a tavern at the corner of Overbrook Drive and Cove Road. His home was just adjacent to Fort Holliday, named for John.

Mary certainly had a difficult life on the frontier supporting her family. Her husband, Harmon Jr., was a revolutionary war veteran who was born in 1762. In addition to his role in the revolution, he fought under Col. William Crawford against the Native Americans in 1781. Harmon’s father, Harmon Sr., was born in 1717 and came to our area with his wife, Mary Stull Greathouse, in 1773. He was granted a patent for 800 acres of land in March of 1785 by Patrick Henry, governor of Virginia, for land adjacent to Harmon’s Creek, but in 1787, sold all of their holdings to their sons and moved to Maryland.

Mary, Harmon Jr.’s wife, certainly would have known hardship and upon her death at John Holliday’s tavern, was interred in the back garden of the home. Her gravestone, made from native stone, is on display at the Weirton Museum. I find it fascinating that when Mary Greathouse was living at John Holliday’s Tavern, the men of the First American Regiment were living in Fort Steuben just across the river.

As the years went on, and settlers moved into our area, times were a little easier at home. By 1829, women had the opportunity to be educated outside of the home and those who could afford it sent their daughters to the prestigious Steubenville Female Seminary. The school was founded by the Rev. Charles Beatty and his wife, Hetty. This school, which educated women exclusively, turned out more that 5,000 graduates before it closed in 1898.

Many well-known women from prominent families in the east sent their daughters to the female seminary during its existence. One of the alumni was Amanda Reed McFarland. She was born in Brooke County in 1832 and attended the seminary. In 1857 she married the Rev. David McFarland and began missionary work among Mexican and the Nez Perce people in the West. In 1877, she removed to Fort Wrangell, Alaska, after the death of her husband and took charge of a school there. She earned the respect of the native tribes and was able to set up schools and churches in that wild place. According to her biography on Wikipedia, she was able to set up a training school for Alaskan girls known as the McFarland School. She is credited as being the first woman missionary in Alaska.

Another important missionary who attended the female seminary was Holliday’s Cove native Samantha Knox Condit. Samantha was born in August of 1837 and trained as a teacher at the seminary, where she eventually taught for 14 years. Samantha removed to San Francisco in 1871 and married the Rev. Ira Miller Condit. She started a rescue mission specifically for Chinese women and children in 1888 and worked with them until her death in 1912.

Moving further into the future, another important woman came from our valley and would be known for her athletic abilities. May Louise Kolanko was born in 1932 and after attending Weir High School she was scouted in 1950 to play for the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. At Weir High, she was head cheerleader but never had the opportunity to play ball. Mary played for the Peoria Redwings and the Springfield Sallies in 1950. She played in 17 states and played at Yankee Stadium. When she left the game, she returned to Weirton and worked for the Bank of Weirton before joining the convent. She eventually would become a public school teacher and fight for women’s sports in schools. She passed away in 2007 and is honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

In my work, I owe much to female historians who have worked so hard to capture and preserve the past in our area. Those include Mary Ferguson, Pam Makricosta, Goldie Baly, Inez Orler, Sharon Byers-Pepper, Susan Lindsey, Mary Zwierchowski and Jane Kraina, to name a few. These historians have influenced my work and without them, our knowledge of the past would be much dimmer.

All in all, women have made important and substantial contributions to our area and its history. Collecting their stories is not done.

There are so many more stories yet to be discovered. Even in my own family, I am proud to say that my mother, Jolene, was the first female sanitarian in the state of West Virginia. Through the accomplishments of so many women who have come before, my daughter, Stella, will have endless opportunities to be anything she desires. Her future is bright, and that is all I could ever ask for.

(Zuros is the director of Historic Fort Steuben)