College Graduate

In the mid 1800s, it was very rare for girls to go to college. Most girls didn't even finish high school. But Mary Gage was different. She attended Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts which is a school for women. She graduated from the State Normal School of New York, a school that trained teachers.

Even after moving to Chicago, Mary Gage Peterson stayed involved in the work of Mount Holyoke College until her death. When she discovered that some of the teachers at that school were living in poverty, she worked with the school to build them a home. That home was named "Peterson Lodge" in her honor and was a home for retired teachers. In 1910, Mary Gage Peterson became President of the Mount Holyoke Alumni Associaton. In 1911, Mount Holyoke made her a trustee for life.