Syracuse and Upstate New York house a rich history of monumental movements & accomplishments that have shaped not only our country's culture but our constitutional rights. Celebrate the courage & determination of brave women throughout history & discover the lives of those who have called Syracuse home.

 

Matilda Joslyn Gage Center

“There is a word sweeter than mother, home or heaven. That word is liberty.”

-Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826-1898)

Matilda wore many hats, abolitionist, suffragist, philosopher, author, and activist for Native Americans. She was given the honorary adoption into the Wolf Clan of the Mohawk Nation in 1893. At age 26, she was one of the earliest champions of woman’s rights in America, leading the woman’s suffrage movement along with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Matilda also had five children, the youngest married L. Frank Baum in 1882 at their Fayetteville home. Matilda was instrumental in encouraging Baum to write his stories down. Without her encouragement, we may have never learned about The Wizard of Oz.

In the early 2000s, the Gage Foundation converted her suburban home in Fayetteville into a museum where visitors can explore her personal memoirs depicting the horrors of sex trafficking in the U.S. circa 1893, and see the hiding space where Underground Railroad freedom seekers took sanctuary in her home over 150 years ago.

 

Fayetteville Cemetery

Near the home and museum, Matilda Joslyn Gage was laid to rest in the Fayetteville Cemetery. Here, visitors can pay their respects to the human rights activist, abolitionist, and author. Proceed through the cemetery's main entrance, take the second left and pay homage to her large headstone located on the right side of the road.

 

Onondaga Historical Association

Preserving incredible historical artifacts related to Syracuse history, the OHA highlights the impassioned women from Syracuse through their Women's Suffrage Exhibit Tour "Seen and Heard." Visitors can explore the museum in Downtown Syracuse where fascinating relics cover the museum halls and highlight Central New York women and their prodigious contributions not only within our community but across the country.

 

Harriet Tubman Home & Harriet Tubman National Historical Park

“I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.”

– Harriet Tubman (1822-1913)

Known as the "Moses of her people", Harriet Tubman fled her life of slavery in Maryland and led approximately 70 enslaved people to freedom via the Underground Railroad.

Tubman later made her home in nearby Auburn, NY, where visitors can explore her residence and the rich history surrounding her extraordinary life.

Also in Auburn is the site of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church with which Tubman was heavily involved, the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged, and her burial site at Fort Hill Cemetery.

 

William H. Seward House

 

William Seward was a fierce abolitionist, U.S. Senator, Secretary of State, and governor of New York State. Seward’s wife, Frances, acted as her husband’s advisor. Both were friends with Harriet and very active in the Underground Railroad. They had close relationships with fellow suffragists, contributing to the fight for women's property rights. Visiting this national historic landmark, you'll discover the hidden spaces where freedom seekers took refuge.

William H. Seward House

 

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