On Wednesday, Feb. 28, The Women\u2019s Museum of California, located in nearby Liberty Station, hosted a book launch for a new paperback booklet called, \u201cThe Women of the Gaslamp Quarter.\u201d The 16-page booklet, which honors the 150th anniversary of the Gaslamp Quarter on its last page, is exactly as it sounds \u2026 and so much more.<\/p>\n \u201cThe following stories belong to those women who left their mark on this historic part of the city, the Gaslamp Quarter,\u201d author Anne Hoiberg writes in the booklet\u2019s opening pages.<\/p>\n Along with a short history of the region\u2019s \u201cdiscovery,\u201d Hoiberg not only shares biographical data of the many women she researched, but also other historic tidbits dating back to the mid-1800s, when \u201cNew Town,\u201d as the Gaslamp Quarter was then known, first came to fruition.<\/p>\n And while the booklet may feature black and white and sepia-toned photos from the San Diego History Center and other sources throughout, its pages are filled with colorful stories of the notorious neighborhood and its female inhabitants of the time.<\/p>\n Many of the biographies included have intriguing titles, such as \u201cThe Woman Behind the Man,\u201d \u201cThe Most Dangerous Woman in America,\u201d \u201cAn Imaginative Immigrant,\u201d \u201cWomen of the Night,\u201d and \u201cWomen Who Helped Women,\u201d among others.<\/p>\n Some of the famous names we\u2019ve generally always attributed to men are also found here, but refreshingly assigned to women; Marston, Grant, Horton, Greely, and even Earp.<\/p>\n Hoiberg\u2019s own immersion into San Diego\u2019s most famous historic neighborhood provided the inspiration.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the past three years, I\u2019ve been conducting tours of the Gaslamp Quarter, describing many of the 93 historic buildings and telling the stories of women associated with at least 25 of those buildings,\u201d Hoiberg said. \u201cMany people on the tour asked me to write a book about these women; the walkers wanted to remember these remarkable and relatively unknown women.\u201d<\/p>\n Women featured by Hoiberg in the booklet include Clara Shortridge Foltz, the first female attorney of California; Charlotte Baker, the first female obstetrician of San Diego; Lydia Knapp Horton, the founder of the library; as well as various suffragists, activists and other community organizers of the era.<\/p>\n Historical tidbits about Horton Plaza Park, China Town, the U.S. Grant Hotel, the San Diego Railroad, the Horton Grand Hotel, the Stingaree district and other brothels in the area are also revealed.<\/p>\n \u201cMy hope is that readers will be delighted to learn about the women of the Gaslamp and will want to explore the area to marvel at the buildings,\u201d Hoiberg said. \u201cThe jewels of the Gaslamp are its historic buildings, which the city leaders in the 1970s and 1980s saved by promoting and supporting the owners with low-interest loans to renovate and restore these architectural gems.<\/p>\n \u201c[But] the Gaslamp is just one area of San Diego where women have contributed to the richness of our city,\u201d she added. \u201cI\u2019ve also written about the women of Balboa Park and I\u2019ve been giving PowerPoint presentations with Gary Ferdman, who compiled the material for \u2018Women Who Made La Jolla.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Hoiberg and Ferdman\u2019s next presentation about the history of women in La Jolla will be held at 4 p.m., Saturday, March 3, at the La Jolla Library, located at 7555 Draper Ave.<\/p>\n Hoiberg has been a member of the Women\u2019s Museum of California since the 1980s \u2014 its early days while housed in a Golden Hill home \u2014 when it was called the Women\u2019s History Reclamation Project. She said she joined the museum\u2019s board in 2003 and remains a member today, having served as board president from 2010\u20132015.<\/p>\n In addition, Hoiberg is also chair of the Anne Hoiberg Women\u2019s Center, the museum\u2019s educational arm, which produced the booklet and is where the museum\u2019s women\u2019s history programs for schools, libraries and other organizations \u2014 as well as her monthly walking tours \u2014 stem from. Their mission can be summed up with the three words found in their logo, \u201cEngage. Educate. Empower.\u201d<\/p>\n During her career as a research psychologist for 25 years, Hoiberg has written two other books and been published in more than 130 scientific journals and reports and has authored the chapters of various other books.<\/p>\n The Point Loma resident is currently working on another book of her own, \u201cTears of War,\u201d which focuses on 35 women who have fled war, prisoner camps, displacement and have sought refuge in San Diego.<\/p>\n \u201cThis book is the story of women\u2019s resilience, strength and courage,\u201d Hoiberg said.<\/p>\n To supplement the publication of her new booklet, Hoiberg\u2019s walking tour is now called, \u201cThe Women of the Gaslamp Quarter.\u201d The tour meets on the third Saturday of every month at 10:30 a.m. and reservations are required as space is limited. To RSVP or learn more about the tour, contact Hoiberg at ahoiberg@aol.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copies of \u201cThe Women of the Gaslamp Quarter\u201d can be purchased at the museum\u2019s gift shop for $5. The Women\u2019s Museum of California is located at 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Suite 103. For more information, visit womensmuseumca.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MVIMG_20180228_120402.jpg\")
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