Encyclopedia o f Chicago
Historical Source
Historical Source
F
"Free Lake Baths for the Poor," 1892

"Free Lake Baths for the Poor," 1892
In 1892 Sarah Hackett Stevenson, one of Chicago's most accomplished and respected women doctors, was the chair of the new Municipal Order League's Committee on Public Baths. The League, composed of primarily women, was formed to address the unsanitary conditions that existed throughout much of the city. It initiated a campaign to secure bathing facilities for the city's poor. As chair, Dr. Stevenson appealed to the Mayor to assist in opening the beaches of Lake Michigan to the public.