Cordelia J. Stanwood was an American ornithologist and wildlife photographer. One of her great achievements was the creation of Birdsacre Sanctuary, also known as Stanwood Wildlife Sanctuary. Before being known as an ornithologist-photographer, Cordelia was a teacher and principal. She taught both grammar and art during her lifetime.
Early life and education
Cordelia was born to a wealthy merchant's daughter and a sea captain in Maine. When she was fourteen, Cordelia moved in with her aunt, also named Cordelia, and her family in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1886, Cordelia J. Stanwood graduated from a Girls' High School of Providence. For the next year, she trained to become a teacher at Providence Training School for Teachers. She graduated in 1887, and her first teaching job was at Messer Street Training School. Cordelia desired to become a Critic Teacher at the school, so she studied in Martha's Vineyard for a summer. This was where she first met Henry Bailey, an artist who eventually became a teacher and friend. Five years after being hired as a teacher, Bailey persuaded Cordelia to attend the Normal Arts School in Boston, Massachusetts. Cordelia was also a principal at this time. While she graduated from the school in Boston, she did not find employment. She then went back to Providence, Rhode Island, and taught. Until the year 1900, Cordelia taught in other places in Massachusetts and New York.
Beginnings in ornithology
At the age of 39, Cordelia had a "nervous breakdown" and stopped teaching. She moved back to Ellsworth, Maine, where she spent the first fourteen years of her life. During her recovery, Cordelia began bird watching. She both wrote about the birds she observed and took pictures of them. Her findings and writings were shared in journals. This includes, "The Boys Scouts’ Yearbook, House Beautiful, Farm Mechanics, American Poultry Journal, and Nature Magazine." While she grew up in a home of means, she did not have much funds to go around when she was older. Cordelia insisted on being independent and sought to provide for herself. This often came from doing farm chores or selling the crafts she would make. Other income came from articles she wrote that were published in farming magazines. Marcia Bonta says in her book, "Too proud to accept help from anyone, even her siblings, she was reduced in her old age to selling greeting cards from door to door."
Cordelia J. Stanwood died at age ninety-three on November 20, 1968. Her final home and land became the Birdsacre Sanctuary and is considered a National Park. Cordelia's writings, photographs, and findings live on at Birdsacre Sanctuary as well as places such as the Smithsonian.
