Kate Harrington (poet) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kate Harrington
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| Born | September 20, 1831 Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | May 29, 1917 (aged 85) Ft. Madison, Iowa, United States |
| Occupation | teacher, writer and poet |
Kate Harrington was an American teacher, writer, and poet. She was born Rebecca Harrington Smith and later became known as Rebecca Smith Pollard. She wrote many books, including some especially for children, and helped change how kids learned to read.
About Kate Harrington
Kate Harrington was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, on September 20, 1831. She spent many of her most active years living in Iowa. Her father, Professor N.R. Smith, was a writer of plays and an expert on the famous writer Shakespeare.
Kate Harrington was married to Oliver I. Taylor, a poet and editor from New York City. She wrote a book called Emma Bartlett, or Prejudice and Fanaticism. This book was a fictional story written as a response to Uncle Tom's Cabin, a very famous book at the time.
Her Life as a Teacher and Writer
Kate Harrington's family moved around a lot. They lived in Ohio and then Kentucky, where Kate worked as a teacher. Later, she also taught in Chicago. She lived in several cities in Iowa, including Farmington, Keosauqua, Burlington, Ft. Madison, and Keokuk.
She started her writing career with a newspaper called the Louisville Journal. The editor of this newspaper was against states leaving the Union during the time leading up to the American Civil War. He was important in helping to keep Kentucky on the Union side.
Writing for Children
Kate Harrington wrote a special section for children in her Letters from a Prairie Cottage. This section included fun stories about taming and raising animals. One story was about a cat that adopted baby chicks who had lost their mother.
She also wrote other books for children, like a primer (a basic reading book) and a speller (a book for learning how to spell). Her work in teaching reading was very important. She created a step-by-step reading program that taught children to read using phonics (learning to read by sounding out letters and groups of letters). This program included a special guide for teachers and separate books for spelling and reading.
Her reading series was special because it connected spelling and reading lessons. It also focused on what children would find interesting and even included music to help them learn to read. Her books were used in schools all across the United States. In fact, they were still being used in Keokuk, Iowa, as late as 1937! Kate Harrington made a huge difference in how children learned to read.
Her Poetry
In 1869, Kate Harrington published a book of poems called Maymie. She wrote this book as a tribute to her ten-year-old daughter, who sadly passed away that same year. In 1870, she published another poem called "In Memoriam, Maymie, April 6th, 1869," which was a reflection on grief and loss after her daughter's death.
In 1876, she published a book of poems called “Centennial, and Other Poems.” She wrote this book to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It also honored the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, which was the first official World's Fair held in the United States. This book included many poems about Iowa, as well as some poems written by her father, Professor N.R. Smith. It also had pictures of the Centennial grounds in Philadelphia.
Kate Harrington, also known as Rebecca Harrington Smith Pollard, continued to write throughout her life. She was 79 years old when she wrote the poem “Althea” or “Morning Glory,” which is about Iowa. She passed away in Ft. Madison on May 29, 1917.
