Journal of Mary Dalm, April 1918

Petoskey Evening News April 9, 1918

Mary Dalm was a teacher at Sheridan School 1917-1920. She was a member of the Club of '17, a group of 17 women who knit and sewed for the Red Cross. Mary was 23 years old in 1917.

     April 11, 1918
     Tuesday we started to clean our apartment. We have the living room, dining room, and nearly all of the kitchen finished. Seems good to live in clean rooms, not that ours were so dirty. We always clean them every week. May and I made candy Monday night and I sent Jake a box Tuesday morning.
      At night we went to Club at Mrs. Grace Easton's– a Mrs. Clark talked on Woman Registration. She told us our fortunes afterward. Read our palms...told me I was going to marry a brilliant man and be very happy.
     Yesterday afternoon we had Mother's Meeting. We had a sociable time. I enjoyed myself very much. My children sang a few dramatic songs. Marie McGoogan's (4th grade) sang a two part song and a few danced a folk dance Hopp Mor Anika.
     April 15, 1918
     It is very smoky today. There are forest fires at Alanson– north of here. The sun was a red ball  this morning when it came up. Too smoky to shine.
     It was Esther's birthday Saturday. I gave a little theater party and we went to Don's Confectionary afterward. We saw Douglas Fairbanks in Reaching for the Moon.

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Boarding House at 123 Mitchell Street

Mary and Esther boarded at 123 W. Mitchell Street (currently Mancino's). Grace Easton, who hosted the Club of '17, lived at 126 W. Lake. The Mrs. Clark who spoke at the club meeting was Jessie F. Clark, Vice President of the Emmet Equal Suffrage Committee. She and her husband Alex owned Clark's Tavern on Lake Street (currently vacant) and many suffrage meetings were held there. Don's Confectionary isn't listed in the City Guide, so we imagine Mary's friend Don worked at one of several in downtown Petoskey.

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Sheridan School at the corner of Sheridan and Howard Streets Petoskey

​The former Sheridan School burned down, and the site is currently used for the administration building. Notice the arch on the school, which is still visible today at the Spitler Building.

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