OUR WOMEN
“We are all just walking each other home.”
—Ram Dass
Beside our front door, we have a carving of Hestia & her steadfast animal companions.
Hestia is the Greek goddess of hearth and home. She carries within her elements of sanctuary, warmth, and centeredness. She is symbolically shown as a circle to represent her inherent wholeness.
As we walk closer to home, closer to our hearth and our center, we believe that there are many women walking with us. In coming to know the home and the land that encircles Hestia Field, we have discovered that this house was built by and for strong women.
The first woman that we can connect to our land is Mary Seiver, a widow from Vermont. In the 1800s, she accepted a land warrant for 160 acres in Colorado on behalf of her late husband, who served in the War of 1812. Our current land, a bit over two acres, fell within those original 160.
It’s unlikely that Mary came to live in Colorado, and the ownership changed hands continuously until the late 1890s. In 1898, a couple from Germany named Charles and Hanna Klenk purchased a five-acre plot in an area called Jefferson Gardens – and together built the home that we now live in.
We often think of Hanna coming to Colorado in the late 19th century and wonder...
What was her life like here?
Did she watch the moon’s phases through the same windows that we do?
Are there traces of her footsteps under the strong, quiet pines beside the house?
What elements of her story remain, scattered like seeds across the field?
We also ask these questions of the women who followed Hanna. Amanda, Bess, Martha, Iva, and Margaret (among others) all brought their own wisdom, spirit, complexity, and strength to Hestia Field – some for as little as one year, others as many as 30. The energy and vibrancy of the land and our home has been transformed by their presence.
Now, as we pass through the same rhythm of seasons and cycles felt by the women who came before us, we are certain that they are still alongside us and helping to walk us home.
