The founder of Rainey Institute, Edwards was an early activist in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and a friend of the organization's most well-known nineteenth century leader, Frances Willard. When one day she came upon a group of young immigrant boys, working and drinking beer in a saloon near what is today East 55th Street and St. Clair Avenue, she curtailed her organizational work with the WCTU and devoted the rest of her life to providing young boys in what is today Cleveland's Hough neighborhood with healthier alternatives to hanging around local saloons. The caption to this undated photo identifies her as Superintendent of the Willson Avenue Reading Room, a position she assumed in 1888 when she was about 39 years old, which may be when the photo was taken. | Source: Album of the Western Reserve Centennial (Edw. H. Clark & Co., Cleveland, 1896)Download Original File
Source
Album of the Western Reserve Centennial (Edw. H. Clark & Co., Cleveland, 1896)
