Happy Spring!
The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House will be closed on Sunday, March 27.
Our administrative offices will also be closed on Monday, March 28.
The Anthony Museum & offices will reopen at 11:00 am on Tuesday, March 29.
On March 13, 1906, at forty minutes past midnight, Susan B. Anthony died at the age of 86 in her own bed on the second floor of the house on Madison Street, her home of 40 years.
At her request, much of the ceremonial mourning of the day was not observed: no shades were drawn, no black crepe hung. Only a simple wreath of violets was placed on the front door. For two days, close friends and family came to call. Then on March 15, the world said good-bye at an immense funeral held in Central Presbyterian Church (now the Hochstein School of Music). Amid a raging blizzard, thousands of mourners filled the church and over ten thousand more passed by her flag-draped coffin that was flanked by an honor guard of women students from the University of Rochester—the school she’d finally opened up to them in 1901. Next to the coffin was a silk suffrage flag with four gold stars, representing the only states where women then could vote; pinned on her breast was a jeweled flag pin with four diamond stars, a gift from women of Wyoming, the first in our nation to win the vote, thanks to all of her efforts on their behalf.
The Rochester newspaper of the day reported: “Rochester made no secret of its personal grief. There must have been people of every creed, political party, nationality, and plane of life in those long lines that kept filing through the aisles of Central Church. The young and the aged of the land were represented. Every type was there to bow in reverence, respect and grief. Professional men, working men, financiers came to offer homage. Women brought little children to see the face of her who had aimed at being the emancipator of her sex, but whose work had ended just as victory seemed within reach. Priests, ministers…, rabbis …, came to look upon her who had more than once given them inspiration in dark moments.”
The service in the church lasted an hour and a half. It took another 2 or more hours for the thousands of mourners to file past the coffin. Finally, in late afternoon, with the snowstorm still raging, Susan B’s most intimate friends and relatives accompanied her to her final resting place in Mt. Hope Cemetery. There, beneath a simple white stone engraved only with her name and dates, she was laid to rest. The final words were spoken by her dear friend, the Rev. Anna Howard Shaw, who in tender and reverent voice, pronounced these solemn words: “Dear friend, thou hast tarried with us long; thou has now gone to thy well-earned rest. We beseech the Infinite Spirit who has upheld thee to make us worthy to follow in thy steps and carry on the work. Hail and farewell.”
Some years earlier, during a family reunion at her birthplace in Adams, Massachusetts, Susan B. Anthony had written her own epitaph. As the family gathered out in the yard on a glorious summer day, amid the horse-drawn carriages of all those who had come to call, someone remarked that the scene looked like a funeral. Anthony immediately replied:
“When it is a funeral, remember that I want there should be no tears.
Pass on, and go on with the work.”
Please join us for a memorial wreath ceremony on Sunday, March 13, at 11:00 am. The short ceremony will be followed at 12:30 pm by A Conversation with the CEO in our Carriage House. Anthony Museum president & CEO, Deborah L. Hughes, will provide an update and lead a discussion of future plans for the Museum. Both events are free and open to the public.
All general public tours will be available at the student rate of $5.00 that day only (members are always complimentary).
Rochester, NY – Billie Jean King and Susan B. Anthony have proved a winning combination! Thanks to an overwhelming and enthusiastic response, the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House is pleased to announce that the 2016 Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon is officially sold out. This milestone, ten days before the event, is the earliest ever for this annual luncheon.
The Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon is held each year in mid-February to celebrate Susan B. Anthony’s February 15th birthday, to honor contemporary women who continue her legacy, and to raise awareness of the educational and inspirational programs offered by the Museum.
This year’s event will be held on February 10th at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center at noon.
Questions related to this event may be directed to luncheon@susanbanthonyhouse.org.
Media inquiries may be directed to Sarah Murphy Abbamonte, Director of Communications, at 585/279-7490 x 15 or sarah.abbamonte@susanbanthonyhouse.org.
Rochester, NY – The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House is proud to announce that the keynote speaker for the 2016 Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon is Billie Jean King, sports icon, humanitarian, and champion of equal rights.
The annual luncheon will be held Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center.
A native of Southern California, Billie Jean King has won thirty-nine Grand Slam singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles during her tennis career. She famously defeated Bobby Riggs in the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” match. King is the founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, which seeks to address inclusion and diversity issues in the workplace, and the Women’s Sports Foundation. In 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor, and, in 2010, was appointed to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition.
King’s accomplishments, both on and off the court, make her the perfect candidate to speak on the 2016 luncheon theme, Making History, a celebration of the many ways in which women leave their mark and inspire today’s women.
“When Billie Jean King entered the national tennis scene, it was commonly believed that women were inferior as athletes and competitors,” noted Anthony Museum president & CEO, Deborah L. Hughes. “She has been making history and fighting for equal rights for half a century. We are thrilled to bring her to Rochester, to honor her, and to challenge and inspire our audience.”
The Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon is held each year in mid-February to celebrate Susan B. Anthony’s February 15th birthday, to honor contemporary women who continue her legacy, and to raise awareness of the educational and inspirational programs offered by the Museum.
Questions related to this event may be directed to luncheon@susanbanthonyhouse.org.
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UPDATE 2/1/16: Tickets for this event have SOLD OUT! Thank you for your enthusiastic support!
Rochester, NY – The 2015 Susan B. Anthony Festival will take place on Sunday, August 16, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the Susan B. Anthony Square Park between Madison & King Streets. This annual event celebrates the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women throughout the country the right to vote. The amendment is commonly known as the “Susan B. Anthony Amendment”.
Live music and entertainment will be provided throughout the afternoon in the Park. Food vendors and unique artisans will also be on hand. Free walking tours of this 19th century Historic Preservation District will also be offered, highlighting recent neighborhood developments including the Carriage Factory Apartments and public art murals. Tours of the Susan B. Anthony House will be available at a discounted cost from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm on Festival day.
This event is presented by the Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood Association and the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House. “This year’s festival kicks off an exciting time for the Museum with women’s suffrage centennials upcoming in 2017 for New York State and 2020 nationally,” said Anthony Museum President & CEO, Deborah L. Hughes. “With the national spotlight on this incredibly important period of our history, we continue our mission to inspire and challenge individuals to make a positive difference in their lives and communities.”
Dawn Noto, President of the Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood Association, said, “The Susan B. Anthony Festival will celebrate the 95th anniversary of the vote this year. We are thrilled to showcase our community’s growth each year at this important celebration.”
Join the Friends of Susan B. Anthony Museum & House for this very special tour opportunity on Wednesday, September 30, 2015! The day begins with a special viewing of Anthony artifacts at the Rochester Museum & Science Center and concludes with a guided tour of the LeRoy Barn Quilt project.
Full Itinerary:
8:45 am – Meet at RMSC; cars may be parked in the lot near Oxford Street
9:00 am – View special Anthony artifacts not available to general public
10:15 am – Board bus & depart for the University of Rochester
10:50 am – View Anthony papers and artifacts from UR collection
12:15 pm – Board bus & depart for LeRoy, NY
1:15 pm – Lunch at D and R Depot Restaurant (chicken or vegetable pot pie)
1:45 pm – Brief history of the Depot by owner Nancy Nickerson / Presentation on turn-of-the-century kitchens by Mary Ellen Sweeney
2:30 pm – Presentation by Lynne Belluscio, LeRoy Town Historian
2:45 pm – Board bus for guided tour of select LeRoy barn quilts
3:45 pm – Depart LeRoy for Rochester
4:30 pm – Return to Rochester Museum & Science Center
Online registration for this event has now closed. Some seats may be available by calling 585/279-7490 x 10.
The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House will be closed on Saturday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. We will reopen on Sunday, July 5, at 11:00 am.
We wish everyone a very happy & safe July 4th holiday!
Did you know that suffragists, including Susan B. Anthony, crashed the Centennial Celebration at Independence Hall on July 4, 1876? They presented a “Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States”. To read more: http://ecssba.rutgers.edu/docs/decl.html
Rochester, NY – Secretary of the Treasury, Jack Lew, recently announced a redesign of the ten dollar bill. Slated for release in 2020, the centennial of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote, the new ten will feature the portrait of an as yet undisclosed woman.
This announcement comes on the heels of the grassroots Women on the 20s movement, which advocates for the removal of President Andrew Jackson from the twenty dollar bill. A nation-wide survey sought public input on a female replacement.
The Treasury is also seeking public comment and nominations for the woman who will share the new ten dollar bill with Alexander Hamilton, who already appears on the bill. Anyone can share their nominee(s) by using the hashtag #TheNew10 on social media or by visiting:
https://thenew10.treasury.gov/share-your-ideas/submit
The ten dollar bill was, according to the Treasury, chosen in 2013 for the redesign and will feature a theme on “democracy”. This theme, along with the announced release date to coincide with the centennial of the 19th Amendment, is aptly personified by Susan B. Anthony’s life and work:
“Woman will never have equality of rights anywhere, she never will hold those she now has by an absolute tenure, until she possesses the fundamental right of self-representation…All is on an insecure basis till woman holds in her own hand the ballot – that little piece of paper which can make or unmake laws and legislators, and which compels respectful consideration from the representatives.”
The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House formally submits the great reformer as a candidate for this honor and requests the assistance of supporters in making their voices heard by the Treasury and Secretary Lew.
“Susan B. Anthony never lived to see the fruit of her labors and, even today, much of what she worked for remains undone,” says Anthony Museum President & CEO, Deborah L. Hughes. “Her appearance on the new ten would commemorate the achievement of voting rights for women, as well as serve as a reminder that there is still work to be done.”
Connect with the Anthony Museum online for more:
www.susanbanthonyhouse.org
www.facebook.com/susanbanthonyhouse
www.twitter.com/susanbhouse
The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a 2015 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor.com.
Now in its fifth year, the award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve great traveler reviews on TripAdvisor. Certificate of Excellence winners include accommodations, eateries and attractions located all over the world that have continually delivered a superior customer experience.
When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the honorees that takes into account the quality, quantity and recency of reviews and opinions submitted by travelers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period as well as business’s tenure and ranking on the Popularity Index on the site. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months.
Please visit our TripAdvisor page for more information.
Rochester, NY – The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House is pleased to welcome Nicole Tadgell, illustrator of Friends for Freedom: The Story of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, as our featured speaker for this year’s intergenerational Family Tea event.
Tadgell will lead guests on a special tour of 17 Madison Street, as seen through the eyes of a children’s book illustrator. Activities, refreshments, and a reading of the book will be held in our Carriage House following the tour.
“I was delighted to be able to visit the Susan B. Anthony House while doing research for the book, and enjoyed the tour very much,” says Tadgell. “It was wonderful to see Susan B. Anthony’s dress, work area, and see what her daily life was like.”
This year’s event will be held on Sunday, April 26, from 2pm to 4pm. The cost to attend is $25 per person. This price includes a signed copy of the book for each child. Additional copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.
Space is strictly limited for this special event. Reservations may be made online or by calling 585/279-7490 x 10. If you any questions about this event, please contact Program Director, Annie Callanan, by email or by calling 585-235-6124 x 19.