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Julia Green
Scott
Julia Green Scott was born to privilege
and distinguished ancestry on February 14, 1839 in Danville, Kentucky.
She was the daughter of Rev. Lewis Warner, a renowned Southern preacher
and
president of Centre College in Danville,
and Mary Peachy Fry Green. Both parents were able to trace their
ancestry back
to the great-grandfather of George Washington. She was sent to one of
the
finest Eastern finishing schools in New York and went on to excel in the
life into which she
was born.
Julia
married Matthew T. Scott of Lexington,
Kentucky on May 12,
1859.
Together they embarked as pioneers to the north central Illinois
prairie, where she and her husband were among the first residents of
the town
of Chenoa.
Pioneers
settling in Chenoa typically raised livestock, grew flax (which they
used to
make their own clothing), and made candles and lye soap. Chenoa’s soil
is very
fertile and favorable to growing crops. However, Matthew had to dig
hundreds of
miles of ditches for irrigation and drainage purposes since there was
no
natural stream flowing through Chenoa. The
Scotts also helped establish one of the first institutions in Chenoa, a
Presbyterian church. Besides owning land
in McLean County,
Matthew also had purchased thousands of acres of land in McLean, Ford,
Livingston, Iroquois, Platt, and Vermilion counties in Illinois
as well as in Iowa.
However, Chenoa did not prosper as the
boomtown the Scotts had envisioned. They
moved to Springfield
in 1870, publicly because of Julia’s health, but it’s more likely that
they
moved because Julia was unhappy with the pioneer lifestyle. They
continued to
remain active in the agricultural world and held on to ownership of
their many
acres of land for many decades.
Julia and Matthew eventually settled in Bloomington.
While living
in Bloomington,
Matthew organized and became president of the McLean County Coal
Company. In
1872, they purchased a home at 701 E. Taylor,
which was considered one of the three most elegant homes of the day in Bloomington. The
other
homes were the David
Davis Mansion
(completed in 1872) and Asahel Gridley’s “The Oaks” (built in 1859).
Two
daughters were born to Julia and Matthew in the 1870s, Letitia (known
as
“Lettie”), and Julia. However, Matthew would die in May of 1891.
Julia Green Scott was a very capable
woman. After Matthew’s death, she took charge of managing 9,000 acres
of farmland
in IL and IN as well as being the principal stockholder, and eventually
president, of the McLean County Coal Company. In 1900, she expanded the
family
home on Taylor Street
by adding 60% more floor space. Her house included conspicuous electric
lights
with candle backups because of the unreliability of power sources at
the time
and an open parlor which allowed guests to admire her belongings while
they
awaited her arrival. These additions cost over $10,000, which is almost
$250,000 today.
At various times, her social circle
reached to the upper echelons of the nation. Her sister, Letitia, was
married
to Adlai Stevenson I, Vice President of the United States
to Grover Cleveland.
Julia’s son-in-law, Carl Vrooman, was Secretary of Agriculture during
President
Woodrow Wilson’s administration. Articles appeared in the Pantagraph
describing
the parties, receptions, and functions taking place at her Taylor Street
residence. They often
included a description of the flowers or other décor in place
for the occasion
as well as the guests. In 1901, she held a reception in her home for
the
Letitia Green Stevenson chapter of the Daughters of the American
Revolution of
Bloomington, to celebrate the opening of her new home expansion. The
entire
house was decorated in red, white, and blue, with over 300 guests
attending.
Julia was a very active member of society.
She was a member of several organizations, including the Peace
Commission of
the Washington D.C. Federation of Women’s Clubs as well as the Women’s
Council
of George Washington University. She was perhaps best known for her
heavy
involvement with the Daughters of the American Revolution. The D.A.R.
was
founded in 1890 as a healing gesture after the Civil War. It was
incorporated
by Congress in 1896. Letitia Stevenson, Julia Green Scott’s sister, was
a
founding member and its third president.
Julia made many contributions to this
organization. She was elected vice-president general in 1901, holding
that
office for four years. In 1909, she was elected president general after
barely
defeating her opponent, Miss Mary R. Wilcox in a highly publicized
election. During
her tenure in office, Continental Hall was dedicated as the national
D.A.R.
headquarters in Washington,
D.C. in 1910.
President Taft gave
the opening address at the ceremony. It is a magnificent
Corinthian-style
building which still stands today as a monument to all men and women
who helped
achieve independence. She traveled around the country recruiting
members and
giving speeches promoting the D.A.R. During Julia’s time in office, the
membership of the D.A.R. increased by 7,000. The organization’s
financial
status was strengthened as well. Upon the expiration of her second term
in 1919,
she was elected honorary president general, a position she retained
until her
death.
As president of the War Relief Committee
for the D.A.R. during World War I, she led the crusade to raise money
for the
benefit of French war orphans. Her efforts were acknowledged in 1921
when the
French ambassador, M. Jusserand, presented Julia with The Medal of
French
Gratitude of the First Class in recognition of her work raising money
to rehabilitate
the French town of Tilloloy
and the adoption of 4,000 war orphans. This was the last time she
appeared in
public.
Besides her remarkable work with D.A.R.,
Julia was also very active in private philanthropy. The Matthew T.
Scott
Institute was established in Phelps,
KY in 1906, in
memory of her
husband, to provide education for poor mountain whites using Julia’s
own
private funds. In 1908, Julia enlisted the interests of the D.A.R. in
erecting
a monument dedicated to George Rogers Clark and his companions for
defending
the territory
of Illinois. It
was built on the banks of
the Ohio River near the site of Old Fort Massac near Metropolis, Illinois.
In 1911, as one of the largest landowners
in IL with 10,000 acres of farmland and an advocate of conservation,
Julia sent
40 of her tenant farmers to the University of Illinois College of
Agriculture
to acquaint them with new and advanced methods in farming. It was a
huge
success for the farmers as well as the university.
Throughout her active years, Julia often
arranged her time by spending the spring in Washington,
D.C., the summer in Charlevoix,
Michigan, the fall in Bloomington,
and the winter in Mississippi.
Her summer home in Charlevoix, which she called “The Wilds,” was a
beautiful
cottage in a private, wooded setting near the lake. In 1918, the city
of Charlevoix
tried to build
a sidewalk along Julia’s street. Julia, fearing the loss of her privacy
and the
natural environment which she loved, told the city they could build the
sidewalk “over my dead body.” When the construction crew came to build
the
sidewalk, they found Julia and her housekeeper-companion, Mary Hunter,
sitting
on their property line drinking lemonade—directly in the way. To this
day,
there is no sidewalk directly in front of “The Wilds”.
Aside from her philanthropy, Julia was a
shrewd business woman. In 1918, her income was $118,000 which was a
huge sum
for anyone at that time. However, in 1921, after managing the McLean
County
Coal Company since her husband’s death in 1891, she resigned as
President and
as a Director, turning over her stocks in the company to her son-in-law
Carl
Vrooman and grandson Scott Bromwell.
Just a few years later on April 29, 1923, Julia
Green Scott died at her home on Taylor Street in Bloomington
after suffering a paralyzing stroke. The lengthy obituary printed in
the Daily Pantagraph quoted one of the U.S.
Supreme Court justices as saying “I should call Mrs. Scott a great
lady.” To
many people, her energy and drive were an inspiration. She was buried
next to
her husband at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery
in Bloomington.
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