Career Woman

My Great Aunt Lydia Peelle was one of  a small number of women in the early 1900s who moved to the city, went to business school, and pursued a career forsaking the traditional marriage path. 

 

Grocery Clerk

Although Lydia may have held a job prior to her 20^th birthday, the first record of her working is in 1913 when she was clerking in Morrison’s store in Pawnee (Anna), KS.  It seems that she helped in the store off and on (July 13, 1913; October 1913 newspapers) and also worked for some time in Fort Scott (December 15, 1914 newspaper).  It appears that she had been working at Morrison’s store more regularly in May 1915, as the newspaper reported her absence from the store when she took a trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas.

 

Wichita Bound

In November 1917, Lydia threw a party as she was soon to depart for Wichita.  The oil boom had brought rapid growth and Wichita’s residents numbered approximately 70,000, which was a far cry from the few that inhabited Pawnee.

 

Despite having moved from a farm to the city myself, I can’t imagine the experience Lydia had moving alone in the early years of the 20th century  to what had to seem like a huge city to a country gal.  I do know that years later she worried about everything.  She even put cement on the locks on her windows in one house so that no one could get in.   I don’t know whether her mother put fear in her before she moved, she had a bad experience, or it was just her nature to worry.

 

Business School

Upon arrival in Wichita, Lydia attended business school before journeying into the working world. Over the coming years Lydia would move from residence to residence and from job to job, earning enough to support herself.

 

The Implement Company

In 1919, Lydia was a stenographer for Emmerson-Brantingham Implement Company at 218 S. Wichita.  She lived at 340 N. Market, with a less than 20 minute walk between her home and her job.  Note:  A map at the bottom of the article shows the locations mentioned in this article.

 

Inland Printing Company

By 1922, Lydia was living at 631 N. Topeka.  Her brother Passco “Pat” lived with her.  They were both employed by Inland Printing Company (410-412 E. Williams St.) with Lydia still working in the role of stenographer.  The plant was believed at that time to be the largest of its kind in the country, selling products across the country with the exception of to the New England states.

 

 

Central Electric Company

By 1924, Lydia and Pat had moved to 728 W. 3^rd St.  That area is close to the Arkansas River and has been redeveloped.  Thus, this address no longer exists.  Lydia’s job was a stenographer for the Central Electric Company (133 N. Market/117 N. Market), which sold lighting fixtures. She had a 20 minute walk to work.  Later that year, Lydia shortened her walk to work by moving to 638 N. Market St.

 

The Accident

In November, Lydia had to take a break from work as she was hit by a car while walking to church with a friend one Sunday evening.  The accounts vary with one stating that she was hit as she crossed the street in front of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at 925 N. Waco Ave.  However, a later article stated that Lydia was hit when she crossed the street at 8^th and Market St.  The articles also provided different details as to her injuries with one stating that she broke her leg and the other stating that she suffered internal injuries and nervous shock. 

 

In either case, upon receiving word of the accident, her mother, Matilda (Jury) Peelle, rushed to Wichita to be with her.  Before the month was out, Lydia had filed a $5,000 lawsuit against the two couples in the car.  She claimed they were going 40 miles per hour and that she had been dragged about 100 feet.  I have not yet found any information regarding the resolution of this lawsuit.  I don’t know of any known long-term effects of this accident and don’t recall ever hearing anyone mention it.  However, she did return to this job as she was working there the following year.

 

The Texas Company

 

In 1927, she was still living at the same location, but had started working for The Texas Company.  You might recognize them better by their later name, Texaco.  At this time, Texaco was advertised as new type of gasoline.

 

Cities Power Company

Two years later, she had moved to 155 N. Poplar Ave. and changed jobs again.  She was working for a company that only been charted a few years earlier.  They provided water, gas, and electricity.  However, by 1931 KG&E had bought out at least a portion, and perhaps all, of this company.

 

Utility Garment Factory

In 1930, business was booming for Utility Garment Factory, located at 137 ½ Main St.  The growth in manufacturing and other business had driven the need for their product much higher than previous levels.  Lydia was a bookkeeper for the company.  She was now living at 1059 N. Topeka Avenue, where she shared a room with Helen Clark.  This rooming house was located near the north edge of the Ascension Via Christi St. Francis campus.  The house has been replaced with parking and access to a McDonald’s.  However, a big Victorian next door still stands.

 

Service Foundry

 

 

Service Foundry, which is also referenced as Service Brass Foundry and Service Brass and Aluminum Foundry, appears to have been Lydia’s next employer.  The foundry located at 331 N. Mosley made bronze monuments, brass and aluminum castings, iron castings, stoves, unique traffic signals, golf club heads, other sporting equipment, numbers for homes, etc.

 

Lydia is documented as working as a bookkeeper for the company for 10 years between 1933 and 1943. However, it is likely that Lydia was working there at least by 1932 as she gave Grandma and Grandpa a very unique ashtray  of George Washington made at the foundry.  It appears to commemorate his birth.  1932 was the 200^th anniversary of Washington’s birth and many celebrations and events celebrating his life and contributions to the country were held.  It seems likely that this ashtray was Service Foundry’s contribution to that celebration.

 

Lydia also gave my grandparents two small busts of Will Rogers that were made by Service Foundry.  I would assume that they may have been made to honor him after he died in a plane crash in 1935.

 

During her tenure at Service foundry, Lydia lived at 928 N. Topeka and 128 S. Erie.  She lived at the latter address by 1935 and would remain in that house for many years.

 

The Internal Revenue Service

Towards the end of 1944, Lydia took out advertisements in the Wichita Eagle and the Wichita Beacon looking for a job as a bookkeeper or stenographer.  Her reason for leaving her previous job is unknown.

 

Her next job (or at least long-term job) was working as a clerk, typist, and stenographer for the Internal Revenue Service.  She worked for the IRS until her retirement February 28, 1960.

 

Lydia’s exact work location prior to 1953 is not known as the IRS offices were distributed between the Federal Building at 401 N. Market, the post office, and other office buildings in the area.  In 1953, however, all the IRS offices were consolidated in a new building at 412 S. Main St. (Main & Waterman).

 

She remained in her home on Erie Street (1182 sq ft., 2 bedrooms, 2 baths) until 1955 or 1956.  She then lived briefly at 1218 Jackson, before moving to 619 N. Oliver (712 sq. ft., 2 bedrooms, 1 bath).  Unless the IRS moved her to a different location, this house was much more distant to her work than her previous ones.

 

Lydia lived  at 721 S. Crawford St. in Fort Scott until she died on December 19, 1969.   Apparently, she had a heart attack while walking to the Post Office to mail Christmas cards.