Get a QR Code for this tour

Description

Welcome to the official Frances Willard bicycle tour presented by the Frances Willard House Museum! This tour, designed to be enjoyed as either a biking or walking tour, takes visitors on an exploration of Frances Willard's legacy through the lens of influential relationships. Given the importance bicycle riding played in Willard's wellbeing and independence, this tour fittingly invites the community on a pedaling journey across the historic fabric of Willard's beloved hometown of Evanston, Illinois Frances Willard's seminal contributions to the early women's rights and temperance movements were influenced (and even bolstered) by central figures in her life. This guided historic tour examines the role key relationships played in shaping the achievements of Frances Willard and the impact those achievements had on the community of Evanston. In addition, this tour serves as a complementary experience to the Frances Willard House Museum and Archives by encouraging visitors to explore Willard's Evanston neighborhood and social reform legacy. Although Willard was a talented and formidable figure in her own right, understanding her through the lens of relationships humanizes her and makes her legacy more relatable to a contemporary audience. Her relationships – especially those with a select few women in her life – contributed to the emotional, intellectual, and professional stability vital to Willard's success. An exploration of Willard’s relationships with family, friends, God, and community – across a network of historic Evanston sites – offers unique and relevant insight into the lasting influence her activism and leadership had on women's rights and temperance attitudes across the nation and at home in Evanston. Bicycles can be rented from Divvy bike-share stations located at Chicago Avenue and Sheridan Road, Benson Avenue and Church Street, or at the university library on Northwestern’s campus. Please exercise caution and follow all rules applicable to biking and walking on urban roadways. We hope you enjoy Frances and Gladys: A Bicycle Tour of Frances Willard’s Evanston Life & Legacy.