WHITING – The story is often told through the eyes of males. At the Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society, it’s up to women to be recognized.
Visitors not only see women’s fashion as it evolved throughout Whiting’s history, but also see the contribution of 25 special women to the city’s history.
“Not all of them are perfect Whiting women,” said museum curator Gayle Kosalko.
Mary Maotivik had a colorful history. “There were bars, shops, inns for the most part” in that part of Whiting, said museum volunteer Rebecca Haynes. Haynes and Kosalko worked together on the exhibition, which ends on Sunday.

These are tools used by women to make themselves more attractive.
Doug Ross, The Times
She and her husband, both Polish, ran a saloon and lived upstairs. At that time, the ethnic groups clashed and a Hungarian group attempted to take over their establishment.
“A firefight ensued. Her husband ran upstairs and somehow barricaded himself inside, “Haynes said.” He ends up killing three people, “with two seriously injured.” Everyone says she shot the gun.
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One of the wounded men, cigar maker Jacob Gladstone, survived because the bullet was stopped by a matchbox in his breast pocket.
Maotivik’s tale continues with a murder trial. “We’re trying not to sweeten it,” Kosalko said.
Another honored woman is Mary Bercik, the first woman elected mayor of Indiana. The museum has materials for the campaign, including ashtrays with her name in which cigarette butts would be stuck to extinguish them. She succeeded her husband, William Bercik, who died of a heart attack on a fishing trip to Wisconsin before being elected in 1959.

Women’s fashion through the decades of Whiting’s history is on display at the Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society Museum.
Doug Ross, The Times
Helen Kocan is another honoree. She was the national president of the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Union of America for more than three decades. The organization sold low-cost life insurance to immigrant families and acted as a social club for women. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt asked her to meet the ambassador of Slovakia.
The other honorees also have interesting stories. “As small as a population like Whiting is, there are a lot of women who have done important things,” Haynes said. Narrowing the list wasn’t easy.
The women included in the exhibition represent different time periods and different life experiences. “There’s a woman in here who will connect with them,” Haynes said.
The exhibit also includes a look at women’s fashion and other aspects of their lives during the decades since Whiting’s founding.

Creating the popular Marcel wavy hairstyle in the 1920s required special tools and effort.
Doug Ross, The Times
Clothes, shoes, baby shoes, underwear and cosmetics tell their story. Among Kosalko’s favorites is the fox stole she played with as a child, moving the fox’s jaws as she created dialogue for it.
Haynes was fascinated by “The Modern Method of Birth Control,” a 1943 book that helps revolutionize women’s lives by giving them control over how many babies they would give birth.
Kosalko’s memories were stimulated by a permanent home kit. “She smelled awful, they burned your skin and then you had hair like a French poodle,” she said.

This atomizer was once used to spray perfume.
Doug Ross, The Times
World War II had a dramatic influence on women’s fashion. As women moved into previously female jobs, they began wearing pants to protect themselves from loose clothing that got trapped in industrial machinery.
Other items on display include a look at cleaning and cooking in the past. “The space isn’t very big, but we fill it with everything we can to exhibit,” said Kosalko.
Sunday is the last day of the exhibition. The museum is only open on Sundays, from noon to 4pm
PHOTOS: The women in Whiting’s story
The women in Whiting’s story

Corsets were used over a century ago to tighten women’s curves in different positions to suit the latest fashion trends.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

Gayle Kosalko models a fox stole at the Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society Museum. When she was little, she Kosalko played with the stole, pretending that the fox could speak.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

Women followed the guides to reduce or increase their chances of getting pregnant.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

This fertility wheel was used by women to determine when they were most likely to get pregnant.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

Feathers on a hat were once the pinnacle of fashion.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

When women wore gloves for more than keeping their hands warm in the winter, they used glove boxes like this to store the gloves.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

Women’s fashion through the decades of Whiting’s history is on display at the Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society Museum.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

An Edwardian hat and 1930s cap are on display alongside a vintage Marshall Field & Co. hatbox at the Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

Lace collars were used to make a dress more elegant.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

Women’s shoes have changed over the years.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

This doll head dates back to Gayle Kosalko’s childhood.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

This atomizer was once used to spray perfume.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

Patterns of simplicity have changed over the decades as women’s fashions have changed.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

Creating the popular Marcel wavy hairstyle in the 1920s required special tools and effort.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

Gayle Kosalko owns a permanent kit for Toni’s house. About half a century later, he still remembers the smell and feel of using the kits.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

These are tools used by women to make themselves more attractive.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

This is what the kinship of a permanent home kit looked like.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

Mary Bercik was Indiana’s first female mayor.
Doug Ross, The Times
The women in Whiting’s story

Whiting’s Fortnightly Club met every other week, as the name suggests. The club used elaborate custom menus for its events.
Doug Ross, The Times