Projection on Historic Buildings
As part of our celebration of the Centennial of the 19th Amendment, collection images were projected onto historic buildings in the park at Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site. These images interpreted the story of O'Neill in Danville and most importantly, the women who were instrumental in getting Tao House recognized as an Historic Landmark deserving of Federal protection. Thalia Brewer, Ann Cavanagh, and Deidre Katz were the first officers of the Eugene O’Neill National Monument Association which in 1971 took the initial steps to get Tao House and all 158.6 acres of surrounding land once owned by the O'Neills recognized as a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1974, Lois Sizoo and Darlene Blair co-founded the Eugene O’Neill Foundation with just twenty-five members and lobbied Congress to put the site under the protection of the National Park Service. After eighteen months of the Foundation’s tireless fundraising efforts, letter-writing campaigns, and collaborations formed with East Bay Regional Park District, local Members of Congress, and the California Legislature, President Gerald Ford signed Senate Bill 2398 into law in 1976, designating Tao House and 13 acres of the surrounding property as a National Historic Site.
Women in the slideshow projected on Tao House include: Lois Sizoo, Darlene Blair, Thalia Brewer, Dorita Chaney, Helen Hayes, Linda Best, Helen Kelly, Karlyn Fralik, Virginia Rei, Dawn Perry, Barbara Pulley, Wendy Cooper, and Carole Wynstra. Thanks to the indomitable dedication of these and many others, Eugene O'Neill NHS can be enjoyed as a part of your public lands now and for years to come.
