Women’s History Month: Who was Blanche Ellis Starr?
In celebration and recognition of Women's History Month, the Rockford Register Star has partnered with Midway Village Museum to bring readers a local women's history fact of the day.
Visit rrstar.com or the Rockford Register Star newspaper each day throughout the month of March to read about the women who played significant roles in Rockford history.
Born in 1853, Blanche Ellis Starr developed an early love for music and piano and graduated with a music degree from Rockford Women’s Seminary. After marrying newspaper publisher Chandler Starr, she began hosting female music performers in their home.
In 1884 she founded The Mendelssohn Club, now the Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center and the oldest continuously operating music organization in the U.S.
The Mendelssohn Club presented at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, and Starr later became the first vice president of the National Federation of Music Clubs. During World War I, she served on the War Camp Community Service Committee and organized concerts for soldiers at Camp Grant. On Sundays, the Starrs held suppers for soldiers at their home. Blanche Ellis Starr died in 1943.
Want to learn more about Blanche Starr? Visit Midway Village Museum online at midwayvillage.com or in person at 6799 Guilford Road, Rockford.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Women’s History Month: Who was Blanche Ellis Starr?
