Bunnell, Fl. – To celebrate the centennial of the passing of the 19th Amendment, the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (NCWHS) and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation have partnered to launch a new historic marker program commemorating the history of women’s suffrage in the United States.
American Association of University Women (AAUW) Flagler County Branch spearheaded efforts to have local Suffragist, Alice Scott Abbott added to the digital map for the National Votes for Women Trail, the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame, and have Ms. Abbott’s final resting place recognized and honored with a commemorative marker by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. AAUW Flagler and the Flagler County Historical Society will host a dedication ceremony to unveil the marker at 11:00 am on Saturday, August 27, 2022 at Espanola Cemetery, 3570 CR 205, Bunnell, Florida. A reception beginning at 12:00 pm, will follow the dedication at the Holden House Museum, 204 E. Moody Blvd., Bunnell.
In addition to honoring Mrs. Abbott, AAUW Flagler is working with the Flagler County Historical Society to recognize Flagler’s women who qualified and registered to vote for the historic November 1920 General Election by identifying and marking their final resting place at Espanola Cemetery.
Historic markers awarded through the program are highlighting sites on the National Votes for Women Trail (NVWT). Sponsored by the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites, the National Votes for Women Trail seeks to recognize and celebrate the enormous diversity of people and groups active in the struggle for women’s suffrage. The Trail consists of two parts: 1) a database with digital map and 2) a program of historic markers for about 250 women’s suffrage sites across the country, funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation and the federal Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission.
The Pomeroy Foundation, which is a private, grant-making foundation based in Syracuse, N.Y., is providing grants through its National Women’s Suffrage Marker Grant Program to recognize historically significant people, places or things across the U.S. instrumental to women’s suffrage, which was a national movement involving a diversity of women and men from all walks of life.
About AAUW Flagler County Branch
AAUW Flagler is a branch of the national organization American Association of University
Women. AAUW has been empowering women since 1881. One of more than 1,000 branches, AAUW Flagler began in 1984 when area women recognized a community need to support the goals of higher education and advance issues for women. AAUW Flagler proudly reinforces and sustains educational goals for middle and high school students, continuing education professionals, and undergraduate and graduate university scholars through an array of grants and scholarships.
Visit: flaglercounty-fl.aauw.net/
About the Flagler County Historical Society
The mission of the Flagler County Historical Society is to promote historical and cultural research and education for the benefit of the community. Chartered as a Florida non-profit corporation on October 25, 1983, the organization’s board of directors, along with its members, continue efforts to preserve Flagler County’s history while developing new ways to showcase history, promote tourism across the county, and highlight the many hidden historic gems of Flagler County.
Visit: https://flaglercountyhistoricalsociety.com/
About NCWHS
The National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites is a non-profit organization established to support and promote the preservation and interpretation of sites and locales that bear witness to women’s participation in American history. NCWHS is dedicated to making women’s contributions to history visible so all women’s experiences and potential are fully valued.
Visit: ncwhs.org
About the Pomeroy Foundation
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation is committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of community history; and to raising awareness, supporting research and improving the quality of care for patients and their families who are facing a blood cancer diagnosis. One of its initiatives is helping people to celebrate their community’s history. The Pomeroy Foundation meets this part of its mission by providing grants to obtain signage in the form of historic roadside markers and plaques. Since 2006, they have funded over 1,400 markers and plaques across the United States, all the way to Alaska. Visit: www.wgpfoundation.org
Media Release: AAUW Flagler Chapter
Featured Image: Road to the 19th Amendment marker installed at Alice Scott Abbott’s Final Resting Place, Espanola Cemetery, May 4, 2022. Photo Credit: Ed Siarkowicz.
