This image is from a postcard in our archives...where is this? #WhereIsItWednesday #lamesaca

Another great image from our archives! Where is it and can you guess the year? #WhereIsItWednesday #lamesahistory

The Ladies of La Mesa - Sarah "Nan" Van Rensselaer Couts (August 28, 1889 - September 9, 1985)
Nan Couts was one of the most extraordinary woman you could ever hope to learn about and a true force for good within La Mesa and the surrounding communities.

Born in Richmond, Yorkshire, England in 1889, the Van Rensselaer family moved to Southern California when Nan was only 1 year old. She married her husband, John "J." Forster Couts, Jr., in 1915 and the couple moved to La Mesa in 1927. The couple had three children - Susan, Nanette, and Richard. She lived in La Mesa for 38 years until she moved to El Cajon following her husband's death. She died in El Cajon on September 9, 1985.

The list of Nan's service is long and the following paragraph highlights just some of her activities and accomplishments. During WWI she was a volunteer with the American Red Cross and during WWII she served as Director of Home Service for the organization. During the Depression, she spearheaded welfare relief activities that led to the formation of the La Mesa Thrift Store. She served on numerous La Mesa Committees including the Police Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission. She was a founder of the Grossmont Hospital Auxiliary and served as the group's first president. Her work to provide a recreational home for the girls of La Mesa led to the building of Nan Couts Cottage in 1956 which is named in her honor and the City of La Mesa celebrated "Nan Couts Day" on October 5, 1969.

The La Mesa History Center is grateful to hold an oral history interview with Nan, as well as digitized copies of the La Mesa Community Welfare Association's early ledger books and a small collection related to the Nan Couts Cottage. Stop by Saturdays from 1pm to 4pm to learn more!

Where is this and what do you know about it? #WhereIsItWednesday #LaMesaCA

The Ladies of La Mesa - Helen M. Gerrells Stoddard (July 27, 1850 - December 31, 1940)

In honor of Women's History Month, the LMHC is kicking off its next social media series, the Ladies of La Mesa. For our first post, we are highlighting a political groundbreaker, Helen Stoddard.

Born in 1850 in Sheboyan Falls, Wisconsin, Helen Gerrells was dedicated to education from a very young age. She attended Ripon College and trained as a teacher at Genessee Wesleyan Seminary in Lima, New York where she graduated as valedictorian in 1873. Following graduation, she married her classmate Sheppard D. Stoddard. The couple had two sons, one of whom died in infancy, prior to Sheppard’s death in 1878. Helen and her surviving son Robert moved around the country as she taught in multiple locations.

While she lived in Texas, she helped establish a women’s industrial arts college known today as Texas Women’s University. In 1910, she moved to La Mesa and soon after was elected President of the La Mesa Woman’s Club. In addition, she was also the leader of the La Mesa chapter of the Women’s Temperance Society. Stoddard was integral in the fight for women’s right to vote, and in 1911, when California finally granted women the right to vote in the state’s constitution, she led 40 members from the La Mesa Women’s Club to the Registrar of Voter’s office in downtown San Diego to register to vote. With the help of Stoddard and the new demographic of women voters, the vote to incorporate La Mesa as a city passed in 1912. Soon after, Stoddard decided to run for Congress as a member of the Prohibition Party. Her campaign targeted women with a slogan “A Vote for Helen M. Stoddard is a Vote for the Home.” She didn’t win but did draw over 1,300 votes out of more than 20,000 cast for the five candidates in the race.

Helen Stoddard died in Dallas, Texas in 1940.

Where is this and what do you know about it? Also, give us your best guess on the date of the image. #WhereIsItWednesday #historyiscool

Any guesses what, where and when this is? (Thanks again to our volunteers who are scanning in all these great images from our archival collection.) #WhereIsItWednesday #lamesahistory

This is a fun shot from our archives. Where is it and what do you know about it? Extra points if you can guess the date. #WhereIsItWednesday #lamesahistory

Any guess what this is? #WhatIsItWednesday