March 29, 2024

Author presents ‘Misbehaving Women of Iowa’ Monday

The Newton Public Library will host author Cheryl Mullenbach at 6 p.m. Monday for a presentation on Iowa’s most famous and infamous women.

It’s been said that well-behaved women seldom make history. Iowa has plenty of women who made history by behaving in uncommon ways, but their accomplishments have been overlooked or ignored. Author Cheryl Mullenbach has uncovered the stories of some of the state’s most intriguing women and invites you to meet these heroic, amusing, imaginative, nervy individuals. Learn about Iowa’s female riverboat captain, livery manager/cigar seller, and Cedar Rapids’ “girl in the trenches.” And, of course, there’s Iowa City’s “first woman executive,” who boasted, “I am 52 years old, don’t care who knows it; and I’m going to clean up this town and then run it properly.” And certainly the woman who spearheaded a drive to provide “vermin-proof underwear” to World War I soldiers in the trenches will capture the attention of the audience. Although history has forgotten these misbehaving women, we’ll take time to remember.

This event is free to attend and open to the public. No registration required. Questions? Please contact the library at 641-792-4108.