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Chronicling America
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Newspaper Woman's Enterprise (Baton Rouge, La.) 1921-19??

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About Woman's Enterprise (Baton Rouge, La.) 1921-19??

In July 1921, less than a year after the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed women the right to vote, the Woman’s Enterprise was founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the state capital and a center of industry and education. Devoted to women’s interests, the paper was published and edited by Mattie B. McGrath (1867-1926). Formerly a writer for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, McGrath was the daughter of John McGrath (1835-1924), founder of two Baton Rouge newspapers, the Daily Truth  and the Weekly Truth.

In its inaugural issue, the Woman’s Enterprise declared that its purpose was to promote the “economic, moral, social and political uplift of the community…without trespassing upon the pastures of the daily and weekly papers…in a spirit of good will towards all.” It encouraged women to register to vote and, as the official organ of the local district of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (a nonpartisan, nondenominational service organization), reported on women’s volunteer work. Civic improvements were a major topic of reporting, and the paper was a strong advocate of the Good Roads Movement. Women’s education was frequently discussed, with much attention given to the activities of female students at Louisiana State University. For several months, the paper featured a series of articles for young women entitled “Choosing a Profession” written by local professionals of both sexes. This was coupled with regular profiles of Louisiana businesswomen. Most issues contain extensive historical sketches of local institutions and buildings, particularly churches and synagogues. Also of interest are news of lectures, plays, and concerts, household tips, and a fashion column.

The Woman’s Enterprise was targeted at white readers. Although it generally avoided issues of race, one editorial offered passive support for the Ku Klux Klan, and advertisements occasionally employed racial stereotypes. The paper was the official organ of the Louisiana Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, a heritage association devoted to preserving the memory of Confederate veterans and Civil War battles. John McGrath, a former Confederate officer, contributed a lengthy memoir of his military service, both in the Civil War and with William Walker, an American adventurer and one-time editor of the New Orleans Daily Crescent who attempted to establish an English-speaking slaveholding empire in Central America in the 1850s.

The Woman’s Enterprise was issued monthly, usually in sixteen but at times in as few as twelve or as many as thirty-two pages. The last extant issue is dated July 31, 1925. Publication appears to have ceased by the time of Mattie McGrath’s death in December 1926.

Provided By: Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge, LA

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Woman's Enterprise (Baton Rouge, La.) 1921-19??

Dates of Publication

  • 1921-19??

Created / Published

  • Baton Rouge, La. : Mattie B. McGrath, 1921-

Headings

  • -  Baton Rouge (La.)--Newspapers
  • -  Louisiana--Baton Rouge
  • -  United States--Louisiana--East Baton Rouge--Baton Rouge

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Monthly
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (July 22, 1921)-
  • -  "Published in the interest of the Club Woman of Baton Rouge, Louisiana."
  • -  Suspended with June 28, 1924 issue; resumed with Dec. 20, 1924 issue.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format as part of the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn89059303

OCLC Number

  • 20110050

ISSN Number

  • 2163-7288

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Woman's Enterprise Baton Rouge, La. -19??. (Baton Rouge, LA), Jan. 1 1921. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn89059303/.

APA citation style:

(1921, January 1) Woman's Enterprise Baton Rouge, La. -19??. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn89059303/.

MLA citation style:

Woman's Enterprise Baton Rouge, La. -19??. (Baton Rouge, LA) 1 Jan. 1921. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn89059303/.