East Coast Destinations Honoring Women Who’ve Made a Difference: These destinations honor women who have made an impact on the world
From Betsy Ross stitching the first American flag to Lucille Ball shaping the future of sitcom television, the East Coast of the United States is filled with women whose actions have made lasting impressions in history. Below are six stops that honor these women and their impacts on the world.
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Betsy Ross House
According to legend, Betsy Ross was visited by George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross in her upholstery shop in 1776. In the privacy of her parlor room, they showed her a sketch—the design for a flag with thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen stars. Ross was chosen for the quality of her work and her loyalty to the Revolutionary cause, and she agreed to make the flag, honored that General Washington had sought her out. In Philadelphia, visitors can explore her home, stepping back through time into the life of an 18th-century working woman. Each room is overflowing with artifacts and documents that outline her background and reveal the impact her flag had on the United States. The house is also filled with costumed interpreters who are always eager to chat about 18th-century life and Betsy Ross’s history.
Susan B. Anthony House
Susan B. Anthony was one of the most prominent figures in the women’s suffrage movement and a well-known abolition activist. She traveled the country with Elizabeth Cady Stanton to give speeches on women’s right to vote, risking arrest for sharing her ideas. Anthony and Stanton later co-founded the American Equal Rights Association and became editors for the association’s newspaper, raising money for its publication through Anthony’s lectures.
When the 14th and 15th amendments were passed giving African American men the right to vote, Anthony and Stanton protested and split from other suffragists because the amendments didn’t include women. In 1872, Anthony was arrested for voting and fined $100. The event captured national attention, and Anthony continued traveling the country to give speeches, gathering petition signatures, lobbying Congress, and even merging two of the largest suffrage associations into the National American Women’s Suffrage Association. In Rochester, New York, visitors can tour the three floors of the Susan B. Anthony House to learn about her admirable history.
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Finger Lakes
You would be hard pressed to find a location packed with more women’s history than the Finger Lakes. Starting even before the arrival of European settlers, Jikonsaseh established the rights of male and female leadership within the Iroquois Confederacy. Additionally, the Seneca, one of the nations that comprised the Confederacy, had a matrilineal society, giving women great influence within the nation. The area also contains the 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse, known for its activism promoting women’s, African American, and Native American rights. The meetinghouse has regular events like historical walking tours and hosts speakers who lecture about equal rights throughout history.
Nearby is the Ontario County Courthouse, the site of Susan B. Anthony’s trial after she voted in the 1872 presidential election. Today, the road between the courthouse and the visitor center is named in her honor. Sarah Hopkins Bradford, known for her children’s books that teach moral lessons and her biography of Harriet Tubman, is also honored here. Visitors can view her home at 629 South Main Street. The last notable stop in the Finger Lakes isa statue of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in the U.S. to earn a medical degree, which can be found on the Hobart and William Smith Colleges campus.
Harriet Tubman Home
Born into slavery in 1822, Harriet Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849. She is known for her role in the abolitionist movement, specifically the Underground Railroad where she led approximately 70 enslaved people to liberty. Named “Moses” for her bravery and leadership, she also served as a nurse and spy in the Civil War, becoming the first U.S. woman to plan and lead a military raid. After the war, she became a key figure in the women’s suffrage movement and established the Home for the Aged, an institution that cared for those with paralysis, epilepsy, and impaired vision. In Cambridge, Maryland, visitors can take a guided tour of Tubman’s house and property and learn about Tubman’s impressive history.
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Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad is a national park in Maryland centered around Tubman and her accomplishments as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Tubman prided herself on the number of people she helped escape to the North, saying, “I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.” The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Center is serves as an orientation to the broader Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway, a self-guided driving tour with over thirty stops through Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania that tell the story of her many journeys leading people to freedom. The visitor center itself contains exhibits and a film to orient travelers before their trip.
Lucy Desi Museum
The Lucy Desi Museum in Jamestown, New York, honors Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the stars of the popular sitcom “I Love Lucy.” The museum is located in Ball’s hometown and explores the lives and careers of the two actors through costumes and artifacts. Visitors can explore recreated sets and learn about the show’s impact on history. The museum also holds many events, and the nearby National Comedy Center displays even more artifacts like Lucy’s classic polka dot dress as well as exhibits on the history of comedy
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