Octavia Magoffin, El Paso Museum of History Digie

Learn more about the 19th century and early 20th century women of El Paso who were political activists. The speaker will be Joseph Longo, former Curator (2016-2021) and archive committee chair at the El Paso County Historical Society. He has spoken extensively about political and women’s issues here in El Paso. He was one of several co-authors of Lost Restaurants of El Paso and is currently working on a cookbook to benefit the Society.

During the late 19th century and early 20th century, El Paso women found their public and political voices as activists. They fought to enact important social reforms in various areas including education, public safety, and health and welfare. They also fought for suffrage, prohibition, and other reform issues. At the time, it was not acceptable for women to have a public role; they belonged in the home. To counter this, women activists argued that they needed to go out into the community to address important social issues in order to preserve their homes and families. They called themselves “social housekeepers.” This talk will discuss at some of the different clubs and individuals who fought for social change including Octavia and Anne Magoffin.

The talk will be at the Magoffin Home State Historic Site, 1120 Magoffin Avenue. (MAP)