Since the very beginning, The Trustees’ story has been shaped by incredible women. From Miss Ellen Chase and Mrs. Fanny Foster—two “Founders” in the Trustees’ 2nd Annual Report (1892)—to current President and CEO Katie Theoharides, their commitment has ensured the permanent protection of many iconic places. Here are just five conservation heroines who exemplify the dozens more across Trustees history.

Helen C. Butler

Monument Mountain in Great Barrington | Donated in 1899

This popular hiking spot with sweeping views of the Housatonic River Valley is famous for its literary connections, most notably a legendary 1850 picnic outing that included Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. Yet it would be impossible to follow in the footsteps of these literary giants had it not been for the generosity of Helen C. Butler of New York City and Stockbridge, MA (1843- 1929).

In 1899, Butler donated 260 acres of the reservation in memory of her sister, Rosalie, to “prevent vandals from disfiguring it with advertising signs…[and] that it might be preserved forever for the enjoyment of the public.” Later, she added an endowment for its care that has supported maintenance of the site for its thousands of annual visitors.

Mabel Choate

The Mission House and Naumkeag in Stockbridge | Donated in 1948 and 1959

Mabel Choate (1870-1958) first learned about The Trustees from her friend and collaborator, landscape architect—and former Trustees board member—Fletcher Steele. For over 30 years, Choate and Steele transformed Naumkeag (the family home she inherited in 1929) into the stunning 20th-century designed landscape visitors marvel at today.

Choate left the property to The Trustees to help preserve the “aura of good times and gracious living” enjoyed by her family there. In 1927, she purchased the historic Mission House—in disrepair on the hill near Naumkeag—relocated it to Main Street, hired Steele to design colonial gardens and buildings around the restored house, and filled it with colonial-era antiques. It operated as an independent museum until Choate donated it to The Trustees in 1948, along with a significant endowment for its upkeep.

Mary P. Wakeman

Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge, Wasque, and Mytoi on Martha’s Vineyard | Donated in 1959 (through 1995), 1967, and 1976

Mary P. Wakeman (1901-1984) devoted her life to land conservation on Martha’s Vineyard where she had lived since 1949. A founding trustee of the Vineyard Open Land Foundation and Vineyard Conservation Society, Wakeman led the fundraising efforts to protect Wasque from development by purchasing it for The Trustees in 1968.

In the 1970s, she made significant contributions to help add protected land to the Trustees’ Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge, and in 1976 she donated her 15-acre Japanese-inspired gardens—called Mytoi—to the organization. In 1970 she received the Trustees’ Conservation Award for “distinguished service in the field of conservation and the environment.”

Louise Doyle

Doyle Community Park in Leominster | Donated in 1961

Louise Doyle (1912-2007) was a practicing Buddhist and an extraordinary philanthropist who supported causes ranging from Little League to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts to the work of Mother Teresa. She challenged The Trustees to “do something important” with her donation of 170 acres of land and house in Leominster. In 2004, her dream was realized when the organization dedicated the LEED-certified Doyle Center on her property.

Eugenie Beal

Boston Community Gardens in 8 Boston Neighborhoods | Founded Boston Natural Areas Network in 1977

Eugenie “Genie” Beal (1921-2013) was committed to preserving the green spaces of Boston and firmly believed that people living in cities needed to see and experience nature. A dedicated urban environmentalist, former Boston Mayor Tom Menino eulogized her as “the mother of green space in the City of Boston.”

In 1977, the Boston Redevelopment Authority identified thousands of acres of threatened open space in the city of Boston. Concerned by what they heard, Beal and five others created Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN) to protect urban wilds from potential loss. BNAN merged with The Trustees in 2014, which today includes 56 community gardens across eight Boston neighborhoods.