Dorothea Dix PORTRAYED BY PAT JORDAN
Born to a sickly mother and an absent father, Dorothea Dix was called upon to mother her younger siblings. At age 12 she visited her grandmother in Boston a strong New England woman who provided Dorothea with an education, allowing her to become a teacher. Dorothea started a school at age 14.
Visiting the horrific poorhouses, Dorothea met children, the disabled, the unfortunate and the insane, all thrown together and mistreated. She became an activist on their behalf, lobbying state legislatures and the US Congress eventually starting the first mental asylums. Later she put her efforts into the Civil War and became the Superintendent of Union Army Nurses, Her reports were brutally honest, earning her the nickname Dragon Dix. Her courage and persistence went way beyond what was expected for while she had the resources to have lived a comfortable life, Dorothea instead became a champion for the mentally ill, prisoners, and wounded soldiers.
Invite Dorothea Dix to your event: • Keynote Speaker: Women’s Issues, Civil War, Education, and other topics on request • Educational Programs: Schools, Libraries, Museums, Historical Sites
Pat Jordan: Bio Actor/Historian, Interpreter, Reenactor, Impersonator