ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY GRACE BENNETT
On Friday, September 15, visitors to Greeley’s Garden at the Horace Greeley House surely felt magically transported back a century for a couple of fascinating hours.
And that was true whether you arrived dressed in contemporary wear or as a guest fully embracing the spirit of the occasion wearing the era’s fashion. The Garden was decorated with assorted signs on the lawn plus ones with ‘Vote’ banners dangling from robust apple trees; these served as a pointed reminder of the intense struggles of the time, and could only begin to hint that courage and true grit among the women fighting for the amendment were in no short supply as “1,006,503 women in New York State ask you to vote for Women Suffrage; Amendment No. 1, Nov. 6th.”
With this backdrop and with a brochure in hand detailing the women’s suffrage movement and the historical amendment’s ratification, the New Castle Historical Society and their guests celebrated “100 Years of Women’s Suffrage in New York State” with plenty of good cheer and fine food on a beautiful September evening. Guests also enjoyed a challenging game of “Women’s Suffrage Bingo!” Cassie Ward, executive director of the New Castle Historical Society (NCHS) led the game engaging everyone in questions about the history of the women’s suffrage movement.
A special Thank You was extended to sponsors for ‘Susan B. Anthony’: Judy and Morgan McGrath; ‘Elizabeth Cady Stanton’: Margaret Macchetto; and for ‘Carrie Chapman Catt:” Jamie and Rich Comstock, Bonnie and Gerard Curran, Lois and Bill Donnecker, Sue and Ken Fuirst, Georgia and Ron Frasch, Victoria and Owen Gutfreund, Ivy Pool, Kimber and Ray Sanseverino, and Barbara Wagner and Jeremy Novak.
There were also a host of wonderful silent auction items and gift certificates from local business sponsors including the Inside Press (as official media sponsor), Douglas Elliman and the Nicolaysen Agency. The evening was an important backdrop for an upcoming exhibit too.
Following the garden party, the NCHS mounted a new exhibition, New Castle’s Carrie Chapman Catt & the Women’s Suffrage Movement: Celebrating 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage in New York State (on display until June 2018). This family friendly exhibition is packed with historical photographs, documents, and information that introduce museum visitors to the organizations, leaders, supporters, and opponents of the women’s suffrage movement.
For more information, visit newcastlehs.org
