As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the United States, you can visit monuments and memorials to suffrage throughout the nation. With international travel grinding to a halt as this article was being written, you may decide to limit your travel within the States this summer. In a way, that’s great because you can combine your exploration of the country with women’s history, as you discover women’s accomplishments in the battle for the passage of the 19th Amendment. That act granted 27,000,000 American women the right to vote. These historical moments are noted, big and small, in roadside markers and famed museums. If your child has a school social studies project due, this collection will make excellent material for a blog, a vlog, or an Instagram page.
The Maryland Historical Trust funded a special project to explore the events that took place in Maryland. Kacy Rohn, a graduate student intern in the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, found more than 50 sites around the state where significant contributions were made to the cause. They’ve created a map so you can explore them over a weekend or longer (https://mht.maryland.gov/research_suffragestorymap.shtml). The sites are located in St. Mary’s, Montgomery, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Prince George’s, Garrett, Anne Arundel, and Baltimore counties, and Baltimore City.
We introduce several regional sites of note, plus a few worth the long-distance drive it takes to visit them, beginning with…
St. Mary’s City, Maryland
Our battle began in 1648 when Margaret Brent (1601–1671) of St. Mary’s City, demanded the right to vote because of her importance in the community. The Maryland legislature denied her request, but she is considered by many as the first woman suffragette in the country. It would be another two centuries before the establishment of the Maryland Equal Rights Society in 1867 and the creation of the Baltimore City Suffrage Club in 1894. It would take decades, but the citizens of Maryland were always in the forefront. There’s a Margaret Brent Middle School in Mechanicsville, a Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award (American Bar Association), and, as of September 28, 2019, a roadside marker recognizing a pilgrimage “which saw Maryland Suffragists take a 23-day journey by covered wagon from Baltimore to St. Mary’s City in honor of Margaret Brent, an English colonist considered one of the most important women and advocates for women’s rights in colonial history.” More on this can be read online here.
Still Pond, Maryland
One stop along the trail is the town of Still Pond, Kent County, Maryland, where five tree-lined roads meet in the center of an island surrounded by vast acreage of farmland. It’s an idyllic location where you can almost smell the peaches that formed the commercial center of this agricultural area. A marker was installed in 2003 by Maryland Historical Trust and Maryland State Highway Administration commemorating an historic moment in suffragette history. Positioned where the former Town Hall stood (it burned in 1916), the marker notes:
Maryland’s First Women Voters
In the village of Still Pond, twelve years before the 19th Amendment established women’s suffrage, Mary Jane Clark Howard, Anne Baker Maxwell, and Lillie Deringer Kelley cast their ballots in the municipal election of 1908. That year, an act for incorporation of the town had provided the right to vote to any male or female resident taxpayer over age 21. Fourteen women were registered to vote, two of them African American.
Regrettably, the Maryland legislature voted against the 19th Amendment during its 1920 legislative session. It wasn’t until March 29, 1941, two decades after Tennessee became the 36th state to approve the law, that Maryland joined the bandwagon. Intersection of Still Pond Road and Old Still Pond Road can be explored here.
Additional Markers in Maryland
Several markers have been installed throughout Maryland. Recently, a “Couriers to Congress” highway marker was installed at 4666 Rhode Island Avenue, in Hyattsville, on Saturday, March 3, 2020. Earlier, on June 9, 2014, another marker was installed at 6908 Belair Road, in Overlea with the legend:
Women’s Suffrage
Before the 19th amendment was passed in 1920, American women were not guaranteed the right to vote. The National American Women Suffrage Association organized a large parade in Washington, D.C., for March 3, 1913. On February 12, a group of women called “The Army of the Hudson” began marching from New York City to the capital. They were met by supporters at Overlea Town Hall on February 23. After a journey of 230 miles, they joined the parade of 8,000, bringing national attention to voting rights for women.
Other markers honoring suffrage leaders and “suffrage hikes,” include one recognizing the Garrett County Pilgrimage and another placed on Druid Hill, have been installed over the past few years.
Additionally, there are several events scheduled throughout the state. Here are two for your special attention (pending COVID-19 restrictions):
On Sunday, August 16, 2 p.m., women of all ages, from young to old, are invited to gather on Main Street in Historic Downtown Mount Airy, Maryland, where an historic aerial photo will be taken in honor of the “Year of the Woman 2020.”
The Maryland Commission for Women, established by the Maryland Legislature in 1971, promotes the “social, political and economic equality of Maryland women.” Among the activities they’re sponsoring is the 2020 Women’s Centennial Summit on Women’s Equality Day, Wednesday, August 26, 2020, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Maryland House Office Building, in Annapolis. The keynote speaker is the Hon. Adrienne Jones, Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates. Besides celebrating 100 years of women’s voting rights, the program will feature seminars about women’s leadership, and commemorate Maryland women who participated in the suffrage campaign and advocate the continuation of progress of women and girls in the state.
Washington, D.C.
Andrea DeKoter, acting superintendent of the Women’s Rights National Historical Park (see below) of the National Park Service, says there are “a number of sites and museums across the United States that celebrate the achievements of women suffragists.” She suggests the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument in Washington, D.C., “is typically the one visitors think of when they consider sites related to women’s suffrage. There are other sites in the National Park system dedicated to such women as Clara Barton and Maggie Lena Walker.”
The epicenter of the struggle, the Belmont-Paul House in Washington, D.C., was home to the National Woman’s Party for almost nine decades. Alice Paul and the NWP pioneered strategies and tactics to promote the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. President Barack Obama designated this national monument, in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court (and a short walk from Union Station), on April 12, 2016. It’s named for Paul, the party’s founder, and Alva Vanderbilt (of The Vanderbilts) Belmont; the NWP president from 1920–1933 and a major benefactor. Former Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski introduced legislation for the National Park Service if the NWP would transfer it at no cost, and with the NWP collection that includes the wide-ranging library on women’s suffrage and women’s issues. Paul is credited with changing the focus from a state-by-state approach to the fight for a constitutional amendment. They were successful, also, in the inclusion of gender equality language in the United Nations Charter and the 1964 Civil Rights Act. They changed from lobbying to education in 1997.
The home houses art, memorabilia, and exhibits and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and ranger-led tours are offered at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., or you can do your own private tour during open hours. Alas, it’s no longer available for private weddings. The site is located at: 144 Constitution Ave., NE, Washington, D.C. 20002. And can be explored online.
About a mile to the west, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has an exhibit, “Creating Icons: How We Remember Woman Suffrage” through May 2021. With 57 artifacts and graphics, the display relates tales of the famous and forgotten. Items donated by the National American Woman Suffrage Association (now the League of Women Voters) are the core of the exhibit. It includes a 6’ tall portrait of Susan B. Anthony by Sarah J. Eddy and Anthony’s signature red shawl. Busts of Anthony, Lucretia Mott, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, all by sculptor Adelaide Johnson, are also on display.
Jeannette Rankin, from Montana, was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives in 1916, although she lost her race for the Senate in 1918. A campaign pin or other memorabilia from each of the 131 sitting women members of the 116th Congress is included in the exhibit. In addition to this temporary display, “American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith,” is on permanent display and relates the story of voting rights. Transportation enters the subject with a suffrage wagon used by Lucy Stone when she traveled to speak and distributed the Woman’s Journal. Located at: Constitution Avenue, NW, between 12th and 14th streets, Washington, D.C. And online.
Richmond, Virginia
About 100 miles south of Washington, three attractions highlight the anniversary. The Virginia Museum of History and Culture has a display “Agents of Change: Female Activism in Virginia from Women’s Suffrage to Today.” The “today” part involves a group of contemporary “agents of change” to recreate an iconic 1915 photograph of the Equal Suffrage League of Richmond at Capitol Square. The photograph of today’s activists was unveiled on Sunday, March 8, 2020 to celebrate the opening of the exhibit. They are collecting stories and memorabilia about women as drivers of change, so let them know if you have one. The exhibit will run through September 2020. Located at: 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond, VA 23220. And online.
Over at the Valentine Museum is an exhibit called “#BallotBattle: Richmond’s Social Struggle for Suffrage.” It uses social platforms to “profile five Richmond viewpoints and the racial and generational tensions that each exposed. Between 1909 and 1920, both pro-suffrage and anti-suffrage advocates battled tenaciously, using all the platforms available to persuade both the legislature and the general public.” Obviously, pre-Twitter, Facebook, etc., they did use newspapers, pamphlets, postcards, banners, and other means of communication to express their opinions. The exhibit runs through September 2020. Located at: 1015 East Clay St., Richmond, VA 23219-1527. And online.
Seneca Falls, New York
The Women’s Rights National Historical Park tells about the first Women’s Rights Convention held on July 19–20, 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. There’s no admission fee to this National Park Service property. Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, this is the stepping-off point of the long journey toward suffrage. Prior to your visit, you can take a 360o view of park locations. The visitor center includes three dimensional figures, a theater, gift shop, and exhibits that “support the preservation and interpretation of sites in Seneca Falls and Waterloo, New York, associated with the convention. The primary focus “documents the lives and activities of the planners of the convention and the people who signed the Declaration of Sentiments issued from that convention.” Located at: 136 Fall St., Seneca Falls, NY 13148. And online.
Finger Lakes Region, New York
The second place to visit in New York is along a trail in the Finger Lakes area that is designated “100 Ways to Celebrate Women Empowerment” (https://www.fingerlakestravelny.com/see-and-do-/celebrate-100). It highlights the accomplishments of iconic women and places known for activities associated with the cause, starting and ending in Rochester.
Knoxville, Tennessee
As mentioned above, the vote that sealed the 19th Amendment’s passage was cast in Tennessee on August 18, 1920. This is now Febb Burn Day in Tennessee in honor of the woman who persuaded her young son, 24-year-old Harry Burn, to vote in favor of the amendment. He was the youngest state legislator, and his vote broke the tie in the Tennessee legislature, thus ensuring that 27 million women could vote. A Burn Memorial is in the works. A life-size bronze Tennessee Woman Suffrage Memorial sculpture by Alan LeQuire was unveiled at Market Square Mall on August 26, 2006. The statue features three Tennessee suffragists, Lizzie Crozier French of Knoxville, Anne Dallas Dudley of Nashville, and Elizabeth Avery Meriwether of Memphis. Learn more online.
Cheyanne, Wyoming & Fort Worth, Texas
Wyoming is recognized as passing its own suffrage legislation in 1869. Esther Hobart Morris (1812–1902) was appointed the first woman justice of the peace in South Pass, Wyoming, shortly thereafter, on February 14, 1870. Although she is often called the “Mother of Woman Suffrage,” there is some dispute about her actual role as a leader in the Wyoming suffrage movement. Nevertheless, you can see a larger-than-life-size bronze statue of her in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., dedicated in 1960. A replica of the statue was installed in 1963 in the state capitol building in Cheyenne, which is where you’ll find the inscription, “Mother of Woman Suffrage.” In 2006, she was recognized and inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas, based on her “influential efforts [that] made it possible for women to vote in the Wyoming Territory in 1869.” She was also inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1973. Visit the Cowgirl Museum here: 1720 Gendy St., Fort Worth, TX, 76107. And online.
And Then...
If you can’t travel afar, you can learn about the first Women’s Rights Convention right on your home computer. The National Women’s History Museum tells the story of their battles for civil rights and equality. Their mission is to “tell the stories of women who transformed our nation. We will do that through a growing state-of-the-art online presence and a future physical museum to educate, inspire, empower, shape the future, and provide a complete view of American history.” The website includes lessons and a calendar of related events throughout the country.
