A Visit with Mrs. Potts Thursday

As described at the website “Ellie Presents,” Mary Florence Potts was an inventress at the age of 19 in 1871. She spent the rest of her life perfecting and promoting her “Boon to Women!” She visits the modern world fresh from her appearance at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago this Thursday, May 14th, 2015 at 7pm in a program titled “A Visit with Mrs. Potts.”

At the Philadelphia Exposition in 1876, Mary Florence Potts’ cold-handled sad iron was the toast of the fair. She spent the next two decades touring the country with a promotional lecture. Mrs. Potts will visit the DeKalb County Community Foundation’s Freight Room Thursday as a stop on her tour to promote her invention. She will discuss domestic life in the 19th Century, the science and technology behind the development of her invention, and what it means for a woman to hold a US Patent and manage her own affairs.

Mrs. Potts will visit 1893 Sycamore, on her way back from Chicago for the Columbian Exposition. Mrs. Potts arrives with examples of her invention and period appropriate promotional materials. Check out Mrs. Pott’s website and hear a podcast of this program.

This program is sponsored by the Mary E. Stevens Concert and Lecture Fund. The DeKalb County Community Foundation’s Freight Room is located at 475 DeKalb Ave, in Sycamore. Cost for the presentation is $5 per person.