Ohio – Isabella Alden

Isabella Alden had strong ties to Chautauqua Institution in New York. She and her husband Ross were early contributors to the assembly’s success. For years Isabella served as president of the Chautauqua Missionary Society and was superintendent of the Primary Department of the Sunday-school.

Isabella Alden, in an undated photo.

Several years later, in 1885, the Aldens were instrumental in opening a new Chautauqua in Florida. You can read more about that here.

So it’s no surprise that Isabella was among the first to get involved when a new Chautauqua assembly was organized in Ohio.

News clipping: FROM LAKESIDE. An Inter-State Sunday School encampment is now being held at Lakeside. This place is on the peninsula twelve miles south of Put-in-Bay and about the same distance from Sandusky. This is the second meeting of the kind that has been held here. The other one held last year was a success. There were present able teachers and lecturers. The present meeting has been a success so far. — Excerpt from The Tiffin (Ohio) Tribune, August 1, 1878.

Much like the original New York Chautauqua, the Lakeside Chautauqua (established on the shore of Lake Erie) began as a camp meeting in 1873 with a series of revival meetings.

Photo of a promontory point of land on the shore of the lake. a short pier extends from the land out onto the water. Beside the pier is a white building with a tower. To the right along the shore line is a grove of mature trees and a park. — View of the Tower and Park 1909. Caption: This 1909 photo shows the Lakeside tower and dock where steam boats delivered passengers every summer. The dock tower is similar to the one at the original New York Chautauqua.

The early meetings were so successful, attendance grew by leaps and bounds the following years.

Old sepia photo about 1910 of an open park area with children playing and standing in groups. Behind them is an elevated band stand. Behind the band stand and to the left is a grove of mature trees. People sit in groups in the shade or walk under the trees. — An early band stand in the park at Lakeside Chautauqua (courtesy Lakeside Heritage Society)

In 1877 Lakeside officially joined the Chautauqua movement and held its first Sunday-school training session.

Old photo about 1899 of a family posing on the steps of their cottage. The porch has numerous flowering vines that weave in and out of gingerbread trims. On the steps stand two women and a little boy in a sailor suit. Behind them, two men stand and one man sits; each wears a full suit and hat. — Family on a Lakeside cottage porch 1909 (courtesy Lakeside Heritage Society)

The following year, Isabella visited Lakeside Chautauqua to conduct training sessions for children’s Sunday-school teachers.

A normal class meets every day for which good instructors are provided, also an exegetical conference to which is given an exegesis of passages of Scripture difficult to interpret. This is conducted by Dr. Vall, of New York. There is also a children's class meeting every day. One of the instructors is Mrs. Alden, better known as "Pansy." A music class under the direction of Prof. N. Coe Stewart, of Cleveland, also meets daily. — An excerpt from The Tiffin Tribune, August 1, 1878.

Lewis Miller (one of the founders of the original New York Chautauqua) and “Chalk Talk” artist Frank Beard also participated in the Lakeside summer program of 1878.

At 2 P.M. we had chalk-talks by Frank Beard, Esq., of New York. His lecture was very entertaining. It is wonderful how quickly and accurately he does his caricaturing. — Excerpt from an article in The Tiffin Tribune, August 1, 1878.

Frances Willard, President of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, was also a featured speaker that summer.

At 3 P.M. Miss Frances E. Willard, of Chicago, delivered an address on "Our danger and deliverance." It was a priviledge [sic] to listen to her. She is a great temperence [sic] worker. God speed all such. — Excerpt from an article in The Tiffin Tribute, August 1, 1878.

Add to this the daily lectures and Bible studies conducted by leading theologians and academics of the day, and the new Lakeside Chautauqua was off to a brilliant start!

Lakeside Chautauqua is still a operating today and offers a thriving summer program. You can learn more about Lakeside Chautauqua by visiting their website here.

And the Lakeside Heritage Society has many charming historical photographs of Lakeside Chautauqua, which you can view here.

Have you ever visited a Chautauqua?

There are 18 Chautauquas still operating today in the U.S. and Canada. Click here to find one near you.

As the wife of a Presbyterian minister, Isabella moved house frequently, depending on when and where the Presbyterian Church assigned her husband. One of those moves occurred in 1876 when Isabella was 37 years old.

For a period of three short years (from 1876 to 1879), the Aldens lived in Greensburg, Indiana, where her husband had the ministry of Greensburg’s Presbyterian congregation.

A view of Greensburg Indiana, from the 1894 Illustrated Souvenir Book of Greensburg, Indiana.

In typical Pansy fashion, Isabella probably got right to work in her new community, serving the members of her husband’s congregation, writing stories intended to win souls for Christ, and speaking out on matters of importance to women.

In addition, Isabella maintained a very busy travel schedule. Here are just a few entries from her calendar that year:

February 28:

Isabella was in Cincinnati, Ohio, delivering a lecture “for the benefit of the Benevolent Society.”

The Cincinnati Daily Star, February 21, 1878.

June 26:

Her schedule took her to Indianapolis, Indiana, where she read a paper titled “What I Know about Boys” at the state’s annual Sunday-School Convention:

From the St Louis Globe-Democrat, June 27, 1878.

August 1:

The first week of August saw Isabella at the Methodist Sunday-School Assembly at Lakeside, Ohio, where she was one of a number of teachers who led daily children’s classes throughout the week.

September 26:

Isabella was in New York in her home town of Gloversville, where she read one of her short stories—“What She Said and What She Meant”—to an audience at the Baptist Church.

November 15:

Isabella was back in Indiana, this time giving a temperance reading to an audience in Indianapolis, about forty-eight miles from her Greensburg home.

The Indianapolis News, November 9, 1878.

At a time when the fastest way to travel was by train or horse-drawn carriage, Isabella sure got around!

By the way, Isabella’s story “What She Said and What She Meant” was published in 1880 and you can read it for free! Just click on the book cover below to begin reading.

Tag: Ohio