The Wenham Museum announced a new exhibition opening March 22, 2025, entitled “Iron Rails & Happy Trails: Helen Clay Frick and the Mill Girls,” which explores the history of the Iron Rail Vacation Home for Girls in Wenham, Mass.
The Iron Rail Property has been a part of Wenham since the 17th century, as a farm and a homestead, but perhaps its most important role was as a playground.
In 1910 Helen Clay Frick opened the Iron Rail Vacation Home for Girls (IRVH), with tennis courts, playground equipment, a gym, boats, guest cabins, and all the other mainstays of a sleepaway camp. The property became a place of rest and relaxation for one of the most underserved communities in the country, the Mill Girls of Massachusetts. Mill Girls – some of whom were as young as 8 years old – worked difficult jobs at the textile mills throughout the state. Frick’s goal was to provide some respite from their hard lives, and to try to improve their health with rest, exercise, good nutrition, and fun.
The new exhibit explores this history with photos and remembrances about the property and its time as a refuge for these hard-working girls. Included in the exhibition are many hands-on opportunities for young visitors. It features an indoor playground, including a slide and a seesaw, a mini ping-pong table, and even a child-size “vacation cabin” to explore.
Complementing the exhibit, Wenham Museum is hosting a sold-out event featuring bestselling author Anita Diamant in conversation with Kristin Czarnecki on March 29, 2025. This program will examine what life was like for women in the early 20th century through the lens of the novel and will further illuminate the period featured in the exhibit.
For more information, please visit www.wenhammuseum.org or call 978-468-2377.
