What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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8 What's up! February 19-25, 2023 Feature All For Love hawkins house a perfect home for romantic memories BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette C elebrating Valentine's Day all spring long, "The Etiquette of Courtship," a themed tour, "was inspired from the history of the Hawkins House itself," says Rachel Smith, assistant director and curator of collections for the Rogers Historical Museum. "When Lizzie Hawkins lived in the house, she was courted by Finis Miller, whom she married in 1910. Both their courtship and their wedding played out in the front parlor of the Hawkins House. So, this was the perfect space to explore the history of courtship in the early 1900s. Having this exhibit overlap with Valentine's Day really brings out the romance!" Lizzie Hawkins, says Smith, was an accomplished musician who was well known locally as a singer and music teacher. Miller had been born in Rogers, where his father had established the first dry goods store and grocery. "On April 23, 1910, Lizzie Hawkins and Finis Miller were married in the parlor" of the Hawkins House, Smith recounts. "A newspaper article reported that Lizzie and Finis were considered to be 'among the best and most popular young people of Rogers.' Finis worked for the Frisco Railroad, later became the local agent for the U.S. Express Company, and last worked as a cashier at Farmer's State Bank. The couple had no children." Their successful courtship required navigation of a host of rules and social expectations illustrated throughout the Hawkins House tour, beginning in the kitchen, where "training for married life began at an early age. Young girls learned the skills of cooking, sewing, cleaning, doing laundry and caring for younger siblings," the tour explains. "These were considered essential skills for a housewife and the key to a happy home. "For young men, courtship demanded social grace to call at a lady's house and follow all appropriate etiquette when visiting or out in public. It also demanded that he woo her through romantic gestures and love letters." In the front parlor, custom dictated a young lady receive a gentleman caller, under the watchful eyes and ears of her mother. "They might enjoy tea and refreshments, read or play games, sit on the porch, or even play the piano," the tour states. "The family was still in earshot — perhaps the curtain was pulled closed, but the couple was rarely ever truly alone. When calling on a lady, appropriate gifts included valentines, flowers and candy," but etiquette strictly regulated those gifts. "One 1908 advice column argued, 'visits and notes are as complimentary as presents… Thank him for his kindness, but say you have made it a rule not to accept presents from men.' A woman might give something handmade in return." As the relationship advanced, the Faq 'The Etiquette of Courtship': Tours of the Hawkins House WHEN — 10 a.m.-4 p.m. tuesday through Saturday, through May 20 WHERE — rogers Historical Museum COST — Free INFO — 621-1154, rogershistorical - museum.org "For the exhibit we have a number of interesting artifacts that help illustrate what an early 1900s courtship might have been like," says rachel smith, assistant director of the rogers historical Museum and curator of the "etiquette of Courtship" exhibit in the hawkins house. "We have a small collection of historic Valentines cards, as well as sheet music for love songs, and women's magazines from the period. We also have a wedding announcement from 1910, and a wedding dress from 1908 that would have made part of the woman's trousseau — the items she took with her when she married. all of these give us a glimpse into ideas about love and courtship in the early 1900s." (Courtesy photo/rhM)