Margaretta Hare Morris and Elizabeth Carrington Morris were sisters who transformed American science in the 19th century. Margaretta, an entomologist, was famous for her research on 17-year cicadas and other troublesome insects. She was one of the first women elected to both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. Elizabeth was a botanist, prolific illustrator, and trusted supplier of specimens to the country's leading experts, and she published many articles in scientific journals.

Author and historian Catherine McNeur will discuss the research involved in recreating the Morris sisters' lives and the many ways they were erased from the history of science.

Catherine McNeur is the award-winning author of Mischievous Creatures: The Forgotten Sisters Who Transformed Early American Science (Basic Books, 2023) and Taming Manhattan: Environmental Battles in the Antebellum City (Harvard University Press, 2014). She is a professor of history at Portland State University where she teaches courses on environmental history, public history, and the history of food.

Enjoy 15% off your hotel stay on History Pub nights! Show your ticket at check-in.

These events are open to everyone interested in Pacific Northwest history, and beyond! Often co-sponsored by local or state historical and civic organizations, we bring you experts, scholars, first-person experiencers, historians and documentaries expounding on topics from indigenous history to the birth of Portland, early explorers to hop growing, and on and on! It's like being back in the classroom - except this time you get to settle into comfortable seats and enjoy a drink or two with dinner while you listen and learn.

This event is eligible for a History Pub Stamp