Sojourner Truth Contributing Scholars and Historians

Berenice Lowe (1896 - 1983)

BERENICE BRYANT LOWE was a graduate of the University of Michigan and a drama and speech teacher at Battle Creek Central High School. She was a passionate collector of local history and spent years ferreting long-forgotten items out of attics and collecting anecdotes from residents. She was one of the moving spirits behind the revitalization of the Historical Society of Battle Creek and the renovation of the Kimball House into a museum of local history.

She wrote the popular Tales of Battle Creek, an anecdotal local history, as well as the texts on state and local history used in elementary schools for many years.

Mrs. Lowe was recognized as a national authority on Sojourner Truth, having spent years researching the life and influence of the orator and social reformer. She was cited by the National Organization for Women and the NBPWC and was frequently consulted by authors from all over the country who were writing on Sojourner Truth.

She was honored locally with the George Award for community service, the DAR Award of Merit, a commissioned portrait in Kimball House and plaque in Local History Room at Willard Library. The Historical Society of Michigan and the national American Association of State and Local History also recognized her achievements with Awards of Merit.