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Delaware occupies a
special place in the history of women obtaining the right to vote in
America. It was unusual as a segregated state where Black and white
suffragists met together publicly in support of their common interests.
Now, that history is reflected in physical spaces as well – with
historical markers positioned at 7 (soon to be 8) spots on the National
Votes for Women Trail. The recognition is due to the work of retired
history professor Anne Boylan. Boylan was working on a project profiling
Delaware suffrage leaders when, serendipitously, she heard about the
nationwide effort to create the trail and volunteered. (Suffragist is
the preferred term for those who advocate for the right to vote. The
oft-used term suffragette was originally coined to mock women advocates.)
Originally, the trail was a virtual one.
Boylan provided 37 sites in the First State for inclusion to the
organizing body, the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites.
Then, the Syracuse-based William G.Pomeroy Foundation stepped in to fund
historic markers, creating an actual trail with locations nationwide.
Purple and white signs began springing up, allowing history buffs to
follow the Road to the 19th Amendment.
Boylan and her team were asked for five nominations, but supplied
eight and were successful with every entry. “In my wildest dreams, I
didn’t imagine that we could do that but we did,” she said. The wins may
be due to Boylan’s construction of a dream team for the task. She
recruited the Honorable Susan Del Pesco, a retired Delaware Superior
Court judge, and Marsha White, a former Wilmington prosecutor, to the
cause.
“I could do the historic research, no problem, but I needed people
who had some savvy about ‘How do you go about getting a homeowner or a
historic site to let you put up a marker?’” Boylan said. “I was
extremely fortunate in my two friends.”
Together, they were able to secure locations throughout the state:
four in Wilmington along with one each in Dover, Lewes, Georgetown and
New Castle.