336 women highlighted in the remainder of this section had varied formal training and advocacy roles within urban greening, botany, horticulture, and forestry, and their stories have been largely neglected in scholar- ship about the history of urban greening. Below, we discuss examples of women’s efforts that demonstrate how Harrison’s work was emblem- atic of her time. We briefly review the accomplish- ments of 3 women across the USA during the Progressive Era and then describe the urban greening activities of Philadelphia women who were in Harri- son’s social circles. The Philadelphia women have not yet been the focus of historical research; however, recent scholarship has illustrated the importance of women to street tree planting in the Progressive Era in other locales. For example, landscape historian Sonja Dümpelmann examined how women were involved in tree planting and urban forestry at a vari- ety of levels in New York City, including serving at the Tree Planting Association, as director of the Gen- eral Federation of Women’s Clubs Forestry Commit- tee, and as founder of the City Gardens Club of New York City in 1918 (Dümpelmann 2019). As demon- strated in the remainder of this section, the trend of women’s involvement in urban greening in Phila- delphia was similar to other US cities at the time (Merchant 1995). Professional Women in Botany, Horticulture, and Forestry Across the USA In 1881 Katherine (Kate) Sessions graduated with a degree in chemistry from the University of Califor- nia, Berkeley, where she wrote an essay on “The Nat- ural Sciences as a Field for Women’s Labor.” Sessions moved to San Diego, California, USA, where she established a florist shop and supported young women and girls interested in botany through employment. She was known for her advocacy in the creation of Balboa Park and was affectionately known as the “Mother of Balboa Park.” Sessions never had chil- dren, but it was said that, “Her plants were always her children” (MacPhail 1976). In 1939 Sessions was the first woman to receive the Frank N. Meyer medal for her work in plant introduction (Howard-Borjas 2001). Meanwhile, on the East Coast, in Washington, DC, USA, Eliza Scidmore lobbied for the planting of exotic Japanese cherry trees (Prunus serrulata). She became the first woman to sit on the Board of Managers at the ©2022 International Society of Arboriculture McNulty and Roman: Forgotten Contributions National Geographic Society in 1890, and she had a reputation for being a well-traveled correspondent during a time when societal norms confined women to domesticity. It was through her relationship with First Lady Helen Louise “Nellie” Taft that cherry trees were widely planted throughout Washington, DC, USA, which is still famous today for its flower- ing cherries (Jonnes 2016). In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, Mira Lloyd Dock was actively involved in professional forestry, conservation, and civic beautification. She was trained as a botanist at the University of Michigan. Admirers of Dock said she “did more for forests than any woman in America.” On December 20, 1900, Dock gave a speech in Harrisburg called “The City Beautiful,” which inspired the city’s elite to organize a City Beau- tiful planning program that continued for 40 years, including tree planting (Wilson 1975). Dock was the first woman in the world to be on a public forestry commission, the Pennsylvania Forestry Commission. However, even Dock thought that the “profession of forestry was a man’s work.” From 1901 to 1902, Dock’s letterhead read “M. L. Dock” in an effort to disguise her gender. Dock shared that her letterhead was gen- erated out of a genuine concern of being considered the “weak element on the board” (Rimby 2012). Her concerns aligned with the beliefs of the time that for- estry and wilderness management were masculine endeavors, as previously discussed. Dock worked closely with Joseph Rothrock at the University of Pennsylvania to promote forestry course work at the university and at Pennsylvania State College (Wirt 1939; Dudley and Goddard 1973). It was Rothrock who recommended that Dock should be part of the Pennsylvania Forestry Commission. Rothrock “[a]cknowledged women’s contributions to the con- servation movement, even as male dominated groups such as the American Forestry Association marginal- ized female supporters” (Rimby 2012). In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, US women were active in the conservation movement, working to save the nation’s parks, forests, and wilderness. However, it is primarily men that have received the credit (Merchant 1995). The important contributions of select women in rural conservation have been highlighted in scholarship, yet the role of women in urban greening has largely been neglected, especially in comparison to the volume of scholarship on men in urban forestry labor (Ricard 2005). Likewise, in
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