University of New England

English major Camille Smalley researches Saco ‘bad girls’ at the turn of the century

By Sarah Day

Society has always placed demands on the female gender to mold them to the ideals of a specific time. At the turn of the century, society’s expectations of female behavior were focused on the virtues of the “True Woman,” which included piety, purity and domesticity. Breaking those roles led to swift and harsh punishments, not only by one’s family, but also by the state as well.

English major and women’s studies minor Camille Smalley ’08 from Bremerton, Washington spent the fall semester 2006 working with Elizabeth DeWolfe, Ph.D., chair of the History Department and associate professor of American studies, on research that looks at societal expectations of women during the early twentieth-century and how the state chose to deal with those girls who didn’t conform.

Research
 
Smalley’s work centers on a Saco girl, Margaret Bushey who was charged by her mother, Laura Bushey, with leading an “idle, vicious and licentious lifestyle” in 1906. According to research, Margaret’s mother felt that she was not upholding the virtues of a woman. Instead of acting as a “True Woman,” Margaret was considered a “New Woman” who believed in receiving an education, becoming a consumer and earning her own money.

At the turn of the century, the “New Woman” was feared for stepping out of the traditional female role. Margaret worked as a waitress at a former police officer’s restaurant in Saco, became friends with an older woman and consorted with members of the opposite sex. Instead of following the “True Woman” ideals of her mother, Margaret put herself out in public view, worked for money and chose her own friends, which horrified her mother who upheld the traditional female virtues.

“I think [Laura and Margaret’s conflict] was a result of the clash between the two systems, comparable to how immigrants and their first generation American children have rifts due to changing cultures, as well as new beliefs,” said Smalley. Margaret’s antics led to her subsequent arrest and placement in the Maine State Industrial School for Girls at Hallowell.

Society's Expectations

Margaret Bushey was charged by her mother, Laura Bushey, with leading an “idle, vicious and licentious lifestyle” in 1906.

The kitchen at the Maine State Industrial School

Smalley’s work has many layers to it. She not only focuses on the biography of Margaret Bushey, but also comments on twentieth-century society’s expectations of women and the consequences when those expectations are not met. Smalley also looks at how and why the state chose to deal with girls that didn’t “fit the mold.”

The Maine State Industrial School was established for girls who had formal court proceedings like Margaret or girls with impoverished families. Centered on promoting the family influence and the virtues of domesticity, the school required the girls to live in dormitories set up like real houses and the curriculum consisted of sewing, cooking and kitchen work, academics, laundry and gardening.

Girls who excelled in academics were allowed to attend high school in Augusta and earn a high school diploma. After all sections were passed, the girls were placed in actual homes to assist the lady of the house with her domestic work where they earned wages. Girls were typically discharged at age 21, with a school-sponsored savings account of their wages.

Margaret was discharged at 21, but contracted pneumonia and stayed at the school until she got well, after which she was placed in another home. After that, nothing else is known of Margaret, other than that she eventually got married and changed her name to Doughtry.

Smalley’s exploration took her to the McArthur Library in Biddeford and the Augusta Archives where she read Margaret’s file from the Industrial School. The file contained her registry card from the school, her mittimus and a letter from Massachusetts requesting her date of birth when she became eligible for social security. Smalley also viewed 100-year-old logbooks of home visitors to get an idea of what Margaret's work was like at the school.

Smalley presented her research at the 21st annual Maine Women Writers Conference on November 18 at the University of Maine. The conference was titled “Globalization, Immigration and Borderlands.”

A Change in Plans

Camille Smalley '08, left, with Elizabeth De Wolfe, chair of the UNE History Department, at the 21st annual Maine Women Writers Conference

Smalley’s passion for history and writing wasn’t always at the forefront of her life. Growing up in Washington she initially wanted to study athletic training, having worked as her high school baseball team’s student athletic trainer for two years. She also worked with the junior high school athletic teams.

“I had big dreams of being a professional athletic trainer and began looking for a school that promoted [it].” A friend living in Massachusetts was familiar with and recommended UNE. Wanting to “be as far away from home as possible,” Smalley was offered and accepted a scholarship to be an athletic training major.

By her sophomore year, Smalley realized she had done athletic training for so long that she wanted a change. Having always been good in English and history, and urged by her English composition professor to try it out, Smalley switched majors, which she says proved to be “the best decision I could have made.”

Smalley’s transition to a women’s studies minor was just as easy, though she hadn’t always looked beyond traditional feminist stereotypes.

“I was one of those individuals that merely stereotyped feminists as bra burning scary women,” she says. “I walked into that class with the feeling that it was just a 3-credit course full of girl power. I have never been so wrong in my entire life.” Realizing the subject was realistic and a part of everyday life, she became a Women’s Studies minor.

Future Plans

Smalley already has another research subject in mind, this one a girl from Saco who was also sent to the School for Girls in Hallowell for hitting people with sticks as they walked down the street.

After graduating next year, Smalley plans on getting her master’s degree in education, English Literature, and possibly, history. From there, she wants to teach high school and get her Ph.D. in American studies or English. She hopes to write historical fiction in her downtime, and perhaps even a book stemming from this and past research.

(Last updated February 2007)

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