(September 4, 2021) To memorialize Montgomery County suffragists Mary Bentley Thomas and Caroline Hallowell Miller, Sandy Spring Museum will unveil a historic marker that is part of the National Votes for Women Trail, one of only 250 sites across the United States, and one of 15 such sites in Maryland.
It reads, “Votes for Women: In 1889 Caroline H. Miller began a suffrage club here. In 1894 Mary B. Thomas led state suffrage association & testified at US Congress.”
Keynote speaker will be Maryland Women’s Heritage Center (MWHC) volunteer researcher and writer Jean Thompson, who will speak on the lesser-known Black women who were active in the fight for women’s voting rights but, because of racism, had to establish their own suffrage campaigns.
MWHC volunteer Dr. Pam Young took the lead in researching the lives of these Maryland suffragists and applied to the William G. Pomeroy Foundation for funds to support the marker installation.
The National Votes for Women Trail will remind future generations of the valiant work of women across the country who fought for voting rights.
A reception will be followed by a view of archival materials that pertain to local women’s suffrage activities.
For accommodation requests, please contact Sandy Spring Museum via email or call 301-774-0022.
