Happy Womens’ History Month!

‘Women’s Rights Movement Parade; Oskaloosa, Iowa circa 1910’
Congratulations to Accord Home Solutions, LLC on their first residential home purchase!!! Many of our
friends out there on facebook watched Emily’s video late last year about our
accepted offer on a property in Oskaloosa, Iowa. We finally closed yesterday March 12, 2019. I want to
throw a big thank you to my mom whose birthday would have been Friday for her presence of love and
support I feel even now as we begin this exciting project.
The house is listed on the historical registry, not for architecture, but for the unique history of
ownership. At a time when women could not even have their own bank account, let alone their own property
in just their name.
The Dr. Ella Stokes House is a historic residence located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States. Dr. Stokes
taught at William Penn College for four decades, and was one of the longest serving faculty members.
She taught history, education, and philosophy during her career. Stokes lived in this modest house for
more than half of the time she served on the faculty. She was one of the few female employees of the
school who could afford to buy her own home, but she had to sell produce on the side and take in
boarders in order to accomplish it. It is Stokes’ association with the school in the context of the Quaker
testimony in Oskaloosa that makes this house historic. It was listed on the National Register of Historic
Places in 1996.
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Ella_Stokes_House
Over the next few months we plan to share our journey in giving respectful new life
to this beautiful Iowa home.
Women should be celebrated in March, but also everyday for their strength, brilliance, and heart. I want to share some of the historical
aspects of our own Iowa women and our history of our Iowa’s suffrage movement, incredible
women in our Iowa history. cdm270701.cdmhost.com/cdm/ref/collection/p270701coll6/id/182
Continue following our journey with this house and rehab by tuning into this blog each week!!!
-Rebecca from Accord Home Solutions, LLC
See original photo at: http://cdm270701.cdmhost.com/cdm/ref/collection/p270701coll6/id/182