Evangeline Whipple
Henry Whipple and Evangeline Marrs Simpson met in Maitland, Florida where both wintered. They married in 1896, and enjoyed five years of extensive travel within Minnesota and around the world. Evangeline is credited with numerous additions and upgrades to the Whipple house, the Cathedral of our Merciful Saviour, and many buildings on the Shattuck-St. Mary's campus.
Whipple died in 1901. In 1910 Evangeline left Minnesota, instructing caretaker Captain William Milligan not to let anyone in her home until she returned. Evangeline never returned to Minnesota, and spent the remainder of her life in Italy doing philanthropic work and setting up boarding schools for war orphans, based on the Faribault Indian model. Evangeline was in the process of returning to Minnesota when she suddenly became ill in London and died in 1930. She is buried in the English Cemetery in Bagni di Lucca, Italy.
Evangeline Marrs Simpson Whipple
Born:
January 15, 1862
Died:
September 1, 1930 
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Evangeline Whipple Grave Restoration in Italy
In June, 2012 the Commune of Bagni di Lucca, Italy began restoration efforts on the graves of Evangeline Whipple (1862-1930), Rose Cleveland (1846-1918), and Nelly Erichsen (1862-1918) in the town’s English Cemetery. This project was generously supported in part by The Very Rev. James Zotalis, Dean of the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault, Minnesota, with Bob Neslund Memorial funds. Evangeline Whipple was instrumental in Cathedral renovations and setting up endowments to fund the Episcopalian church and current day Shattuck-St Mary's school in Faribault, where she lived from 1896 to about 1905.
The graves of the three women were in terrible condition. They are on a steep hill, and with the foundation crumbling, there was a real risk of the coffins disintegrating and eroding downslope. The Commune of Bagni di Lucca inaugurated a restoration campaign to conserve graves in the English Cemetery in 2012, and their excellent work on Evangeline’s grave will hopefully initiate other donations to assist in their efforts. To contribute to the restoration of the graves of these American women, contact:
Professor Marcello Cherubini
biblioteca@comunebagnidilucca.it
The images below track the Commune of Bagni di Lucca's conservation efforts, from the degraded graves to their finished cleanings.
Evangeline Whipple, extraordinary woman and community organizer
Evangeline Whipple saw dramatic changes during her lifetime. Her reformist ideals might be primarily traced to being raised in a progressive Massachusetts household. After Evangeline’s first husband, businessman Michael Simpson died, she had considerable resources to support her progressive civic commitments throughout Evangeline's lifetime.
Evangeline’s second husband was missionary Henry Whipple, Episcopalian Bishop of Minnesota. During 1886-1904, her philanthropic work with American Indian communities included educating children in boarding schools, building and maintaining churches, bringing economic opportunities to Indian reservations, and generally encouraging Indians to adopt the Christian values and lifestyle of the dominant culture. Evangeline received many gifts from American Indian friends, mainly women. These objects are housed in museum collections including the Science Museum of Minnesota, and even a recently discovered collection at the Museo di Storia Naturale, Firenze.
In 1910, Evangeline and companion Rose Cleveland settled in Bagni di Lucca, Italy. Rose was the 27th First Lady of the United States (brother Grover was a bachelor when he first entered the White House) and a noted author. Evangeline lived in this small mountain town in Tuscany until her death in 1930. She is buried alongside Rose and poet Nelly Erichsen in the English Cemetery. Rose and Nelly died within one week of another in 1918 of the Spanish Flu after nursing and caring for patients in a hospital built by Evangeline.
In Bagni di Lucca, Evangeline utilized her Minnesota missionary experiences to create a legacy of programs and buildings that exist today, including the aforementioned hospital, chapel, school, and scholarships in her name for young women. She was deeply involved in Italy’s World War I relief efforts and in caring for war orphans. Perhaps Evangeline’s greatest impact, however, was authoring, A Famous Corner of Tuscany, 1928, an extensive and romantic history of the town.
Today, the graves of Evangeline, Rose, and Nelly, along with all of the graves in the English Cemetery, are in desperate need of restoration. The Town of Bagni di Lucca began restoration efforts in January, 2012, but the entire cost is more than they can afford. To contribute to the restoration of the graves of these American women, contact:
Professor Marcello Cherubini
biblioteca@comunebagnidilucca.it
Graves of Evangeline Whipple, Rose Cleveland, and Nelly Erichsen in the English Cemetery, Bagni di Lucca, Italy