Celebration of the 160th Anniversary of the First Women's Rights Convention

Date: May 5, 2008
Contact: Lee Werst, 315.568.5302

Seneca Falls, New York – Women’s Rights National Historical Park, the site of the first women’s rights convention held in 1848, announced today the scheduling of several events on July 19 and 20, 2008 to commemorate the 160^th anniversary of this historic event.

“We are pleased to host a variety of programs to celebrate the first convention in the United States in which women and men gathered specifically to discuss the issue of women’s social, economic and civil rights. Mark the weekend of July 19 on your calendar – it is sure to be an exciting and memorable event,” explained Superintendent Tina Orcutt.

On July 19, 2008 the park will offer several special events including living history presentations with Eleanor Stearns as Lucretia Mott and David Anderson as Frederick Douglass, ranger-guided walking tours of the Village of Seneca Falls, and an open house at the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House with Stanton’s great-great granddaughter Coline Jenkins. 

At 5:00 p.m., UCLA historian and Stanton scholar Ellen Carol DuBois, Ph.D. will join Jenkins at the Wesleyan Chapel for a discussion of the historical legacy of the 1848 Convention, including the 100^th anniversary celebration held in 1908 and marked with the placement of a bronze commemorative plaque on the Wesleyan Chapel. Additionally, a new exhibit chronicling the contributions of Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter of Elizabeth Cady and Henry B. Stanton, to the twentieth-century women’s rights and suffrage movements will be unveiled.

“More events are in the works for July 20.  We are offering a full weekend of activities,” said the park’s Chief of Interpretation, Lee Werst.  “There will be something for everyone, so plan to join us this summer,” added Werst.

The schedule for the anniversary weekend’s events will be updated on the park’s website. For more information call 315.568.0024 or visit https://www.nps.gov/wori/planyourvisit/160th-anniversary.htm.

Women’s Rights National Historical Park exists to commemorate and preserve and story of the First Women’s Rights Convention and historical structures associated with it in Seneca Falls and Waterloo, New York. All public tours and programs are free and open to the public.