Hard, Margaret Steel (1886-1974)

Name/Title

Hard, Margaret Steel (1886-1974)

Entry/Object ID

1.1.41

Description

Born: June 26, 1886 in Manchester, Vermont Died: February 19, 1974 in Colchester, Vermont Primary Residence: Manchester Owner and operator of the Johnny Appleseed Bookshop and the author of "A Memory of Vermont," and "This Is Kate." Co-authored with her husband, "This Is Vermont," an informal guidebook of the state.

Biographical Information

Biography

Margaret Hard was born at her parents' summer home in Manchester, Vermont in 1886. She was raised in Pennsylvania and New York and was a graduate of Columbia University's Teachers' College. She taught at the Chapin School, a private all-girls school in Manhattan, for several years and spent time studying with John Dewey. In 1907, Hard moved to Manchester, Vermont and four years later she married Walter Hard, Sr. They had two children, Ruth and Walter Hard, Jr., the latter became the editor of Vermont Life. The Hards were owners of the Johnny Appleseed Bookshop and in 1967 Hard published "A Memory of Vermont," which describes what it was like to run the bookshop. She devoted a significant amount of time to writing, and she and her husband published "This Is Vermont," an informal guidebook of the state in 1936. Hard also wrote a novel, "This Is Kate," about a young girl living in a Montreal convent in 1944 and many of her articles were collected in "Footloose in Vermont," which came out in 1969.

Education

Pratt Institute High School Ethical Culture School Columbia University's Teacher College

Occupation

Teacher Owner of Johnny Appleseed Bookshop Author