Thursday, March 19th at 7pm

The Cairnwood Literary Guild is a unique book club experience. Gilded Age and Victorian literature enthusiasts, from novice to experienced educators, come together to explore the rich and intriguing cultural and social history of the 19th century. The Literary Guild meet bimonthly to enjoy a diverse reading list, including fiction and non-fiction.

• Current reading selection: “The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote”by Elaine Weiss
• Free Admission
• Limited availability. RSVP: info@cairnwood.org

Nashville, August 1920. Thirty-five states have ratified the Nineteenth Amendment, twelve have rejected or refused to vote, and one last state is needed. It all comes down to Tennessee, the moment of truth for the suffragists, after a seven-decade crusade. The opposing forces include politicians with careers at stake, liquor companies, railroad magnates, and the “Antis”–women who oppose their own enfranchisement, fearing suffrage will bring about the moral collapse of the nation. They all converge in a boiling hot summer for a vicious face-off replete with dirty tricks, betrayals, and bribes.

Following a handful of remarkable women who led their respective forces into battle, along with appearances by Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, Frederick Douglass, and Eleanor Roosevelt, The Woman’s Hour is an inspiring story of activists winning their own freedom in one of the last campaigns forged in the shadow of the Civil War, and the beginning of the great twentieth-century battles for civil rights.

Tuesday, March 24 at 7:30pm

An illustrated talk celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote.

• Free admission; $10 donations appreciated
• Space is limited; reservations required

Women worked for the right to vote for over a century before the 19th amendment to the Constitution guaranteed that the right of citizens to vote would “not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.” This illustrated lecture will discuss the traditional story of women’s suffrage, highlighting the remarkable accomplishments and sacrifices of famous women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Susan B. Anthony, but will also explore lesser known history, such as the fierceness of anti-suffragist activists and the importance of women of color in the pro-suffrage movement. If you are feeling festive, wear purple, yellow, or white: the colors of the suffrage movement that successfully gave women the right to vote 100 years ago.

Speaker Kendra Knight, an alumna of ANC and Bryn Athyn College, has been teaching United States history in the Academy of the New Church Girls School for the last decade. She recently earned a Masters in History concentrated on race and gender in United States history from Villanova University. She is particularly interested in developing the histories of people whose voices have been omitted from traditional accounts such as minorities and women.

Thursday, April 16 at 7:00pm

An enchanted fundraiser supporting Cairnwood and ANC Performing Arts. Inspired by the tale as old at time – Beauty & the Beast, this event will feature student performers, live entertainment, show-stopping food stations, a silent auction, and some whimsical surprises!

• Refreshments sponsored by Sage Catering
• Beer, wine, & signature drinks included.
• $100 per person; $50 guests under 35 years of age.
• Cocktail attire
• Space is limited; reservations required

Sunday, May 10 at 12:00pm & 2:30pm

Celebrate Mom while enjoying a traditional tea and self-guided tours of the Estate and grounds! Menu includes: premium teas by master blender Harney & Sons, traditional tea sandwiches, soup du jour and seasonal salad, family style petit fours, and scones with clotted cream and jams.

• Refreshments sponsored by Karen Spire Catering
• $55 per person
• Space is limited; reservations required