This Day in History - 1857

Adelaide Hoodless, founder of the Women's Institutes was born in St. George, Canada West.

St. George is just down the road from me and one day, several years ago, when we were out for a drive we stopped in at her homestead.  They, the national WI I guess, have made it into a little museum; the house is the way it would have been when she lived there.  I'm sure there was information about the WI as well but I can't remember it. 

I always thought the WI was a British invention that spread to Canada.  But maybe it started in Canada and spread to Britain or maybe Miss Hoodless moved to Britain and started it there. 

I don't know if it's a big thing in rural Canada anymore.  There are a couple of branches around here but you don't hear much about them.  I think their members keep dying off.