Grace Evelyn Arents, a Progressive-era philanthropist, social reformer, educator, and world traveler, left a lasting impact on Richmond, Virginia. Historical markers attest to this. But who was the woman behind this legacy?
These poems stitch details from historical sources and imagine into gaps in the historical record to provide glimpses into Grace’s life and her relationship with Mary Garland Smith, the companion with whom she shared her later years.
What led Grace, born and raised in New York, to make her home in Richmond? How did she navigate having family members on both sides of the Civil War? What sustained her in times of grief and struggle? What led her to establish a school and library, and guide the construction of a cathedral, pressing against the constraints society placed on women?
How did her global travels inform her work and expand her interest in horticulture? How did she balance her dedication to social betterment with her preference for privacy? From what progressive movements was she absent? How did she experience close companionship and motherhood without marrying or having a child?
Today, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, named for Grace’s uncle and built on land bequeathed in her will, thrives, as do other tangible traces of her like the school and cathedral. Yet, what else might be gleaned from the story of this woman who lived and loved in another divided time? See what threads from these poems linger with you.
.png)
