We chose the name Maude to honor her forward thinking and positive contributions to her community. She was a guiding light and driving force in helping Minneapolis to come of age in the 20th century.
She was born in 1870 to a family who owned a farm on what is now the entire Armatage neighborhood. Her grandparents founded Harmony, MN, later to become Richfield, then annexed by Minneapolis in the mid 20th century.
They were civic leaders, founding the library, school, church and parks. Maude continued that tradition, living by the motto of “civilized leisure”.
Maude was a lifetime member of the Board at large, elected to the Park Board in 1920, just one year after women got the vote.
With leaders such as Theodore Wirth, she founded our fabulous park system and fostered the “greening” of our city.