Woman's Commonwealth facts for kids

The Woman's Commonwealth was a special community of women. It was also known as the Belton Sanctificationists or Sisters of Sanctification. This group started in Belton, Texas, in the late 1870s or early 1880s. It was founded by Martha McWhirter and her bible study group. The women in the group used land they received when their husbands passed away or left home.

Who Lived in the Community?

The people who lived in the Woman's Commonwealth were women and their children. Many of these women had left difficult homes to join the group. At one point, there were between 42 and 50 women members. This included at least one African American woman, who was likely a former slave.

What They Believed In

The Sisters of Sanctification believed in ideas from the early women's rights movement. They wanted women to have equal spiritual, economic, and social rights. To achieve this, they chose not to marry or have children. They believed this choice would help women be free from the demands of marriage and raising children.

In the 1880s, some people in Belton thought the Sanctificationists were causing more separations and divorces. They felt the group's way of life was changing the idea of marriage.

How They Grew and Moved

The Sanctificationists were very good at business. They ran several places where people could stay, like boarding houses and two hotels. They also owned companies to manage their properties. They operated two farms to grow food for their many dining rooms. They even started the first public library in Belton, called the Woman's Wednesday Club Library, in one of their boarding houses.

In 1899, the entire community moved to Washington, DC. There, they opened more boarding houses and a hotel. They also joined women's groups in the city. By 1903, only ten members remained. They bought a farm in rural Maryland to grow food for their city dining halls. This farm also gave them a peaceful place to live in the countryside. Martha McWhirter died in 1904. After her death, the community slowly became smaller.

The last member of the Woman's Commonwealth passed away in 1983. She was 101 years old.

Their Lasting Impact

The George and Martha McWhirter House is located at 400 North Pearl St. in Belton, Texas. This house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Bell County, Texas. There is a special historical marker there that tells about the Sanctificationists. Some people, like Jan Berliner Statman, believe the Woman's Commonwealth was one of the first places in the United States to offer shelter for women.

In 1979, a short article was published in a women's magazine called Austindyke. It was later printed again in Sisters United in 1980. This article said the Woman's Commonwealth was an early example of women's land movements. It is not clear if the Sanctificationists directly influenced these movements that became popular in the 1970s and 1980s.