Catherine Filene Shouse (1896-1994)

Philanthropist Catherine Filene Shouse purchased this land in 1930 and named it Wolf Trap Farm. In 1966 she donated 100 acres to the federal government to create a haven for the arts. Wolf Trap National Park, the only national park dedicated to the performing arts, opened here in 1971 in partnership with the nonprofit Wolf Trap Foundation, also founded by Shouse. An expert on creating career opportunities for women, Shouse was the first woman to earn a master's degree in education from Harvard University. She led fundraising efforts to aid post-World War II Europe and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.