During her book launch at the United Methodist Church in Clearwater last Saturday, Minnesota author Cynthia Frank-Stupnik introduced the community to Pins & Needles, the second book in her Minnesota’s Main Street Women series, historical fiction novels that are all based on real women from Clearwater.

 

Pins & Needles centers around Maude Porter, who owned a millinery store in the upstairs of Boutwell’s Hardware Store. Porter was a Clearwater icon, born in 1862 and passing away in 1965. She fought for women’s rights and was a proponent of prohibition, believing that shutting down Clearwater’s saloon was the answer to the problems of alcohol.

 

With this sequel to Scruples & Drams, which is set in 1909 - 1910, readers can see what life was like in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s for the “new women” who were educated, strong-minded and had careers.  

 

After Stupnik introduced her latest novel to attendees, Clearwater resident Merte Gohman told the crowd about making fifty cents cleaning house for Porter when she was a teenager in the early 1950’s, whom she described as ‘nice but eccentric.’

 

“The name Pins & Needles is perfect for the book,” said Gohman. “Because the first thing I had to do when I came to clean her house was get down on the floor and pick up all the pins and needles she’d dropped since the last time I was there.”

 

She showed the crowd a crocheted doily Porter had made and given her for her high school graduation before gifting it to Stupnik.

 

Elaine Paumen’s grandparents used to live across the street from Porter. Paumen told attendees Porter was notorious for leaving her phone of the hook. Because it was a party line at that time, someone always had to go over and ask her to replace it.

 

Along with speakers, refreshments and book signings, the launch featured a hat show with 10 hats, eight of them made by Stupnik in the 1910 Edwardian style and modeled by Kitty Johansen and Stupnik’s four granddaughters. Her two oldest granddaughters, aged seven and eight, each made their own hat.

 

The event concluded with Stupnik leading a tour of Clearwater which focused on the various homes people had lived in and the businesses that had existed along Main Street, including the homes of Porter and her parents.