Womens Right to Vote
Amendment XIX to the United States Constitution “Susan B Anthony Amendment” was introduced to Congress in 1870, and enacted in her exact words on August 18, 1920: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex” In 1848, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and three other ladies, put an invitation in the Seneca County Courier to attend “A convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of woman” in the Wesleyan Chapel at Seneca Falls New York on the 19th and 20th of July. This event was the catalyst that catapulted the women’s movement forward and resulted in the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Getting the vote was not an easy journey. Susan B Anthony joined the ladies of Seneca Falls a few years later and became a driving force in achieving their goal. In 1860, they achieved their first win: an amendment to the New York Married Woman’s Property Act of 1848, which allowed any property received by a woman to be her own, and gave her the right to keep her own earnings, to enter into contracts, and most important, to have joint guardianship over her children. It was later watered down in 1860 but it was an important first step. In 1863, the National Women’s Loyal League was established, and gathered the petitions necessary to pass the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in America. Unfortunately, they were unable to get women included in the 1870 Fifteenth Amendment, which granted black males the right to vote. They were told they had to wait for another time. They waited another 50 years before the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920 and they won the right to vote. If you would like to learn more about the journey for women’s suffrage, read The Ladies of Seneca Falls, The Birth of the Women’s Rights Movement, by Miriam Gurko.
Copper Beech Tree
The Copper Beech Tree For many years, the Pierce Willits property that currently houses the Concord Township Historical Society Museum has enjoyed an old establishment. In the side yard there stands an ancient Copper Beech tree. The arrangement of the dark leaves is such that they overlap one another, creating an impenetrable canopy and a welcome cool space in the stifling Concord Township summers. It is believed that the Copper Beech tree was planted when the original log cabin was replaced with the stone home built by the Pierce family, the original inhabitants of the Willits farm. That would make our Copper Beech tree about 200 years old! It continues to provide welcome shade and interesting conversation starters for any passersby. May 2016
Civil War and Concord
The Civil War and Concord One hundred and fifty years ago, on April 9, 1865, General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, ending the war between the North and South. To commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, our museum has some exhibits that highlight the part Concord Township played in that conflict. The Society has an original photo of the horse that carried Major Frederick Cushman Newhall, of Philadelphia, when he escorted General Grant to the Court House, on behalf of General Sheridan. This photo included a narrative in the frame, which explained the importance of the horse. The “Concordville Rifles”, Company D of the Pa 97th Regiment, was formed in 1861 with 50 men from the local area. This Company was part of the reinforcements sent to Fort Wagner, South Carolina, but found only dead and wounded members of the 54th US Colored Troops Regiment. The movie Glory is based on this battle. Pennsylvania was the 2nd northern state in number of troops in this war, at 362,000, suffering a lost of 10%. William Palmer, of a prominent local Quaker family dating to the 17th century, joined the 16th Regiment Pa Militia, Company D, under Colonel Joseph Willcox, of another prominent local family dating to 1720. Of the letters Palmer sent home, he writes to his father “I have a little time to spare this morning and I thought that I would write a few lines to thee and let thee know where we are and how are getting along, … there are about four thousand militia from Penn encamped here… Jackson’s army is about 15 miles from here. McClellan’s army is situated directly between us and them about 10 miles from us. August 2015
First Telephone Switchboard
Village of Concordville: The First Telephone Switchboard in Concord Township K . Jester house, circa 1870, Resource # 174 on the Concord Township Historic Resources Inventory The Village of Concordville grew during the mid-late nineteenth century, with homes and businesses to support the growing agriculture in the township. Located at the intersection of Baltimore Pike and Concord Road, it still serves as an important transportation hub today. This photo shows the C. K. Jester home, dating to the 1870’s, located on the north side of Baltimore Pike, almost directly across from where Concord Road comes out to the Pike. It was the location of the first telephone switchboard in Concord, during the early part of the 1900’s. At that time, a call was placed by picking up the telephone handset and waiting for an Operator, who would say “Number Please”. You would give her the telephone number and she would connect you via a switchboard, an example of which is seen in the photo above. It was easy at that time to know the Operators in this small local exchange area. The early exchange for Concord was “Valleybrook”, followed by 4 numbers. When dial phones came to Concord in the 1960’s, phone numbers went to 7 digits, with Valleybrook being replaced by the new “Globe 9”, which later became known as “459”. August 2014