Elida Fowle was born in New York City. She moved to Washington, D.C., with her family when she was eighteen years old. The Civil War was in its early stages, and Elida found a way to express her patriotism by aiding the wounded in area hospitals and singing to groups of soldiers to help lift their spirits. As a member of a musical quartet, she sang at religious services held in the U.S. House of Representatives. She met John Allen Fowle, a Boston merchant and widowed father with two children, while he was working as a clerk in the Navy Department. He later became the chairman of a Navy relief organization. The two were involved in a number of joint efforts to comfort the wounded and married in 1863. Elida felt strongly that in addition to bandages, blankets, and food, positive influences such as access to books and religious materials would aid in the soldiers’ recovery. With the support of wealthy backers and using her own concert earnings, she was instrumental in establishing the Soldiers’ Free Library, located near the U.S. Capital on land granted by Congress. The Fowles moved to Dorchester in 1877 and lived at the site on Columbia Road, where they raised their four children. Elida continued her charitable work, founded the organization Grandchildren of the Veterans of the Civil War, and created a free library for local children. The Songbird of the North, a short silent movie based on Elida’s life and her work during the Civil War was released in 1913.
