2012 NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
“Women’s Education- Women’s
Empowerment”
The
National Park Service proudly commemorates Women's History Month throughout
March and welcomes everyone to help celebrate and learn about women's
achievements and contributions to our Nation. With the theme of "Women’s
Education-Women’s Empowerment,” the National Park Service presents a
series of exhibits, programs and events that are directly connected to and
support this theme and concept. Learning
about women's tenacity, courage, and creativity throughout the centuries is a
tremendous source of strength for all. This calendar of events presents
highlights of efforts that National Park Service staff has created to enrich
and detail the work performed at the many sites listed that complete the unique
sphere of women's history.
All
visitors are invited to visit the websites listed or call the phone numbers
provided to confirm the event listed below.
Antietam National Battlefield
5831 Dunker Church Road
Sharpsburg, MD 21782
Visitor Center: 301-432-5124
Free with park entry fee of $6 per car
March 1-31
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Be sure to visit the Clara Barton
Monument during Women’s History Month at Antietam National Battlefield. The
Monument is located at stop 2, the only monument in the battlefield dedicated
to the memory of a woman and one of the locations Clara Barton became
synonymous with. The suggested best way to view the battlefield is to
take the self-guided driving tour. The tour road is 8˝ miles long with 11
stops. For further information and
directions please call the park’s visitor center.
Arlington
House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial (a unit
of George Washington Memorial Parkway)
Located inside Arlington National
Cemetery, Arlington, VA 20042
703-235-1530
11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday,
March 31
Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee
Memorial, will present a Victorian Dance program in recognition of Women’s
History Month. The Victorian Dance
Ensemble, a Civil War Dance group will perform Victorian dances in the
Arlington House. The Ensemble is a group of living historians who share a love
for the grace and beauty of mid-nineteenth century dancing. Victorian dancing
was enjoyed by the Lee family at Arlington Estate on the Eve of the Civil
War. Come out, watch, learn and join the
dancer as they perform Civil War dance.
Music will be provided by the Gilmore Light Ensemble. This program is
free and open to the public.
Catoctin Mountain Park
14707 Park Central Road
Thurmont, MD 21788
Visitor Center: 301-663-9388
March 1-31
10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Fridays
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Saturdays and
Sundays
March is the month to recognize, honor
and celebrate women. This month at Catoctin Mountain Park visitors can see an
exhibit on women who work at the park and their achievements and
accomplishments. Learn about the role of
women and education. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/cato
or call 301-663-9388.
Clara Barton National Historic Site
5801 Oxford Road
Glen Echo, MD 20812
301-320-1410
March 1-31
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Guided tours on
the hour.
Groups of 10 or more require
reservations.
Admission is free.
Clara Barton National Historic Site
commemorates the life of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. Barton’s home served as the headquarters and
warehouse for the organization. Learn
how Barton organized American Red Cross relief efforts for victims of natural
disasters and war and how this organization became known world-wide. For directions, please call the site or visit
the park’s website. This site is open
daily and guided tours are provided daily.
March 1-31
“Clara Barton: Equal Justice for All,” is
an exhibit featuring objects that highlight Clara Barton’s role in the major
social issues of her time, including civil rights for African Americans and the
women’s suffrage movement. Learn about Barton’s
work with the Freedman’s Bureau (to include U.S. Government aid for distressed
Americans of the Civil War, the Office of Missing Soldiers, and the
International Conference of Women, and emergency relief/disaster recovery
efforts of the American Red Cross (including the Sea Islands Hurricane). This exhibition will also
examine Baron’s ties to many prominent figures in both the civil rights and
women’s suffrage movements, including Frances Gage, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth
Cady Stanton, and Frederick Douglass.
March 1-31
Clara Barton National Historic Site
will host an exhibit highlighting imagery some of the numerous awards and
honors Clara Barton received for her service. Among her 23 medals is the Silver
Cross of Imperial Russia which she received for her work sending aid in the
form of Iowa corn to victims of an 1892 famine in Russia. Visitors will see the
Spanish Decoration of Honor award she received for her work in Cuba providing
relief to civilians and military personnel during the Spanish-American War.
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House
National Historic Site
1318 Vermont Ave., N.W. (located one-half
block south of Logan Circle, N.W.)
Washington, D.C. 20005
202-673-2402
March 1-31
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Tours on the
hour
Hear interpretive rangers make the
story of Mary McLeod Bethune come alive and learn why Bethune was one of the
first African American women leaders to recognize the need to preserve
historical records, especially those pertaining to African American women. For
groups of 15 or more, please call for reservations.
Wednesday,
March 28
8:00
a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Cannon Caucus Room of the Cannon House
Office Building
First
& Independence Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C.
Join the National Park Service for a
discussion entitled: “A Salute to Mary McLeod Bethune and Maggie Lena Walker:
The Power of the Past and the Power of their Paths.”
Monocacy National Battlefield
5201 Urbana Pike (located three miles
south of Frederick on Maryland Rte. 355)
Frederick, MD 21704
Visitor Center: 301-662-3515
March 1-31
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
During the month of March, visit the
second floor of Monocacy’s Visitor Center, and see
interactive and multimedia exhibits. Numerous vignettes will take the visitor
to important locations related to the Battle of Monocacy
as well as electronic maps, historical artifacts and interpretive displays of
the Battle. The exhibits are free and open to the public.
National Mall and Memorial Parks
Washington, D.C. 20024
202-426-6841
March 8-25
In honor of Women's History Month, a
National Park Service park ranger will present interpretative talks at various
monuments and memorials. See schedule
below:
Saturday, March 10
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
First
Ladies in Trying Times
Washington Monument Lodge
15th Street between
Independence and Constitution Avenues
Saturday, March 10 and 17
6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Lady
Patriots
DC War Memorial
Independence Avenue between 17th
and 23rd Streets
Wednesday, March 7
6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Women of
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
21st Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Friday, March 9
6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The
Battle of Hampton Roads
Lincoln Memorial
23rd and Independence Avenue
Saturday, March 10
11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where
are the Bands of Patriots?
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Tidal Basin
Saturday, March 10, 17
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Imprisonment
of Women: The Battle for Equal Rights –
walking tour
Beginning at Sewall-Belmont House, 144
Constitution Avenue, N.E on Capital Hill
Saturday, March 10
6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Rosie
the Riveter
World War II Memorial
17th Street between
Constitution and Independence Avenues
Sunday, March 11, 18
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Hispanic
Women of the Civil War
–walking tour
Beginning at the National
Archives, 9th and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Sunday, March 11, 18
6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Eleanor
Roosevelt: First Lady of the World
D.C. War Memorial
Independence Ave between 17th
and 23rd Streets, S.W.
Saturday, March 17
3:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Maya
Ying Lin: The Vietnam Wall and Beyond
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
21st Street and
Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Sunday, March 18
3:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Women of
the Civil Rights Movement
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
West Potomac Park, enter the Memorial
from Ohio Drive, S.W.
Sunday, March 25
6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Nellie
Taft: First Lady of Potomac Park
Japanese Lantern,
located on the north side of the Tidal Basin, just off eastbound Independence
Avenue, S.W.
Friday, March 30
6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Murasaki Shikibu’s
Tale of the Genji
Japanese Lantern,
located on the north side of the Tidal Basin, just off eastbound Independence
Avenue, S.W.
Oxon Cove Park (Unit of National
Capital Parks-East)
6411 Oxon Hill Road
Oxon Hill, Maryland 20745
Visitor Center: 301-839-1176
Sunday, March 25
Visitor Barn
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Reservations required
During
Women’s History Month, enjoy “Women and the power of the Pen,” at Oxon Cove
Park. Kids ages 7-14 are invited to visit the park and explore the letters of
Mrs. DeButts, the mistress of Mount Welby. Discover how historians used these letters to gain
insight into 19th century life on the Mount Welby
Plantation. Explore how women used their personal writings as a way to assert
themselves in a world that seemed to have no place for them.
White House Visitor Center
1450 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20230
202-208-1631
Rangers Talks and Walks
March 1-31
First Ladies, the wives of presidents,
have helped make this Office and its role stronger and better. First Ladies have helped improve this
nation’s communities and continue to play a vital role in achieving justice and
equal rights for all our citizens. First
Ladies have been and are today those remarkable women who believe in the
promise of all individuals and continue to strengthen this nation through their
jobs as First Ladies. Join a ranger-led
interpretive talk and gain a better understanding of these smart, courageous
women who supported respective Presidents of the United States. For further details, call the visitor
center.
Women in the Military Service for
America Memorial
Gateway to Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, VA 20042
1-800-222-2294 or 703-533-1155
The memorial is open to the public 8:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily
The Women in Military Service for
America Memorial is a unique, living memorial honoring all military women --
past, present and future -- and is the only major national memorial honoring women
who have served in this nation's defense in all services. Self-guided tours are
available at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial between 8:00
a.m. and 5:00 p.m. daily. If you plan to visit the memorial and would like to
schedule a personal tour, please call 703-892-2606. With a two week notice, a
docent, who provides guided tours, can usually be arranged.
Remember programs and events are subject to
change. Please contact the park or visit the park’s website to confirm
programs, dates, and times.
March
Highlights in U.S. Women's History
• March 1, 1978- Women's
History Week is first observed in Sonoma County , California
• March 1, 1987- A
Congressional resolution designating March as Women's History Month is passed
• March 4, 1917- Jeannette
Rankin (R-MT) took her seat as the first female member of Congress
• March 8 -International
Women's Day; its origins trace back to protests in US and Europe to honor and
fight for the political rights for working women
• March 11, 1993- Janet Reno is
confirmed as the first woman U.S. Attorney General
• March 12, 1912 - Juliette
Gordon Low assembled 18 girls together in Savannah , Georgia for the first-ever
Girl Scout meeting
•
• March 13, 1986 -Susan Butcher
won the first of 3 straight and 4 total Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Races in Alaska
• March 17, 1910-Camp Fire
Girls is established as the first American interracial, non-sectarian
organization for girls
• March 20, 1852- Harriet
Beecher Stowe's novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," is published and becomes
the best-selling book of the 19th century
• March 21, 1986- Debi Thomas
becomes first African American woman to win the World Figure Skating
Championship
• March 23, 1917- Virginia
Woolf establishes the Hogarth Press with her husband, Leonard Woolf
• March 31, 1888- The National
Council of Women of the U.S. is organized by Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton,
Julia Ward Howe, and Sojourner Truth, among others; it is the oldest non-sectarian
women's organization in U.S.
• March 31, 1776- Abigail Adams
writes to her husband John who is helping to frame the Declaration of
Independence: "Remember the ladies..."
March
Birthdays
•
March 5, 1931 - Geraldyn (Jerrie) Cobb,
record-setting aviator; first woman to pass qualifying exams for astronaut
training, in 1959, but not allowed to train because of her gender
•
March 7, 1938 - Janet
Guthrie, pioneering woman auto racer; first woman to compete in Indianapolis
500 (1977) and Daytona 500 (1977)
•
March 9, 1928 (1987) - Graciela
Olivarez, Chicana activist; first woman and Latina law graduate from Notre Dame
Law School; one of first two women on the board of Mexican American Legal
Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)
•
March 15, 1933 - Ruth Bader
Ginsburg, second female U.S. Supreme Court justice (1993)
•
March 18, 1964 - Bonnie
Blair, speed skater; one of the most successful Winter Olympian in U.S. history
and 5 time gold medalist
•
March 23, 1857 (1915) -
Fannie Farmer, authored famous cookbook, "The Boston Cooking-School Cookbook",
and included specific ingredient measurements for the first time which would
become standardized cooking measurements
•
March 23, 1924 (1980) - Bette
Nesmith Graham, invented Liquid Paper correction fluid which became an office staple; created 2
foundations to support women's business/ art
•
March 24, 1826 (1898) -
Matilda Joslyn Gage, suffragist, women's rights and Native American rights
activist, historian, founding member of the National Woman Suffrage Association
•
March 24, 1912 (2010) - Dorothy
Height, served over 40 years as President of the National Council of Negro
Women
•
March 25, 1934 - Gloria
Steinem, women's rights activist and journalist; founding editor of Ms.
Magazine; helped found National Women's Political Caucus, the Women's Action
Alliance, and the Coalition of Labor Union Women
•
March 26, 1930 - Sandra Day
O'Connor, first woman U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1981)
•
March 27, 1924 (1990) - Sarah
Vaughan, world renown jazz singer and pianist known as the "Divine
One"
•
March 31, 1889 (1975) -
Muriel Wright, Choctaw Indian, teacher, historian, author, and editor
Women's History Sites under the
jurisdiction of the National Park Service (This is not an all
inclusive listing):
Clara Barton National Historic Site, Glen Echo, Maryland
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Hyde Park, New York
Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, Richmond, Virginia
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House, National
Historic Site, Washington D.C.
Sewall-Belmont House National Historic Site, Washington D.C.
Women's Rights National Historic Park, Seneca Falls, New York
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH -A National Register of
Historic Places Feature visit www.cr.nps.gov/nr/feature/wom .
Heritage news - www.nps.gov/history/womenhistory/index.htm
Listing of statues to visit in honor of women
within the Washington metro area:
Ester Morris, Wyoming's "Mother of
Women's Suffrage," U.S. Capitol
Building
Frances Willard, temperance activist, U.S. Capitol Building
Grief,
the Adams Memorial, Rock Creek Cemetery,
Rock Creek Church Rd., N.W.
Jane A. Delano, American Red Cross Headquarters, 17th & E St. N.W.
Joan of
Arc, Meridian Hill Park, 16th
& Euclid Street, N.W.
Jeanette Rankin, first female member of
Congress, U.S. Capitol Building
Mary McLeod Bethune
Memorial, Lincoln Park, 13th
& East Capitol Street, S.E.
Negro Women and Child, Courtyard,
Dept. of Interior, 18th & C Street, N.W.
Nuns of
the Battlefield, 17th & M
Street, N.W.
The Suffrage Movement, U.S.
Capitol Building
Vietnam Women's Memorial, 21st & Constitution Ave. N.W.
Women in the Military Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery
For information on Women's History sites outside of
the metropolitan area, please contact the National Park Service Office of
Public Inquiries at 202-208-4747.
Please contact the Smithsonian Institution on major
Smithsonian programs related to Women’s History at 202-357-2700.
Dates and times are subject to change; please
verify information before attending any programs by calling the park or
Calendar Editor, Toni Braxton at 202-619-7222. All events are FREE unless
otherwise noted.
This Calendar of Events was compiled as
a courtesy of:
National Capital Region
Office of Communications
Calendar Editor: Toni Braxton
202-619-7222
Updated:
2/29/12