Celebrating 101 years of women's voting right

LEWIS| Gathering in long skirts and flower-laden hats despite the hazy, hot and humid day, reenactors with the Champlain Valley Suffrage Centennial Auto Tour rolled and cantered into town on Sunday, Aug. 7. It was a day after what would have been Inez Milholland's 135th birthday, and the assembled group sang Happy Birthday with gusto. Milholland's summer home, now Meadowmount School of Music, opened for guests to view the historic property. A large group met for luncheon festivities before noon, and after historical discussion and reflection, took a solemn walk to Milholland's gravesite at the top of the Lewis Cemetery. Speakers talked of the hard and vigorous fight, spanning decades, by women across the United States, many who lived and visited here, to win women's right to vote. The 19th Amendment passed Congress on June 4, 1919, and was ratified Aug. 18, 1920. It is a complicated story, since not all persons agreed that women ought to vote, Weber said in her remarks, even as ongoing work to secure equal voting rights in America continues. Postponed from last summer, the Suffrage Centennial Auto Tour drew an enthusiastic group in Lewis, led by historian and author Sandra Weber, town Councilwoman Lanita Canavan, Master Gardener Kathy Linker, Kathy Scott, David Hodges and town historian Jean Dickerson. The ensemble welcomed former state Sen. Betty Little and Attorney Nancy Duff Campbell to speak about history and reflect on the significance of Milholland's life and work. Local equestrian Nancy Lindquist rode to the First Congregational Church on a white horse (Jester) wearing a white cape, much as Milholland had done in leading protests through the early 1900s. The tour picked up here from where it left off on July 31 at the Clinton County Historical Society in Plattsburgh and at the North Star Underground Railroad Museum. Events continue Aug. 14 at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and at Chimney Point Historic Site, and then on Aug. 21 at city park in Glens Falls. To read more about the breadth and scope of suffrage history in the region, or find out more about upcoming events: champlainvalleywomen.com

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Celebrating 101 years of women's voting right

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