Elizabeth Moore (educator)

Elizabeth Irwin Moore (1832–1930)^[1] was an American educator and principal of the Woodburn Female Seminary in Morgantown, West Virginia from 1865–1866.^[2]

Elizabeth Irwin Moore
Moore c. 1875
Occupation	Seminary principal
Spouse	James Robertson Moore
Children	1

Career

Civil War

In 1863, Moore invited Confederate troops intent on invading Morgantown to obtain horses, in for "bread, butter, and coffee". Her action was credited with saving the Woodburn Female Seminary from being burned.^[3]

While working as the principal at Woodburn Female Seminary, Mrs. Elizabeth I Moore was cited to be one of the only female teachers at the school.^[4] In the 1870 Morgantown census, Moore was only one of the very few working women mentioned, alongside Prissie Clark, to be working in a field other than housework.^[5] This opportunity to work outside the house was rarely granted to women at this time, making Moore's accomplishments extremely revolutionary in 1870's West Virginia.

Legacy and ghost

Jason Burns, educator, journalist and West Virginia storyteller, calls Elizabeth Moore a figurehead symbolizing the women's rights movement in West Virginia.^[6]

The construction of Elizabeth Moore Hall marked an increase in "the role of women," ... and the "need for facilities for women students and the new realization of their role" at West Virginia University.^[7]

The ghost of Elizabeth I. Moore is repeatedly reported to appear to women in Elizabeth Moore Hall, the building named for her.^[8]