SWE - Spring 2008 - (Page 16) HONORING National Women’s History Month SUSAN B. ANTHONY HOUSE I n 1978, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated Women’s History Week to celebrate the long-overlooked achievements of women. They had discovered that women were for the most part absent from traditional history books. It was estimated that a meager 3 percent of the information presented in such books referenced the accomplishments of women. In 1980, the National Women’s History Project (www.nwhp.org) was founded and lobbied Congress and the White House to recognize the roles women have played in shaping our history. The organization was the major force behind the creation of National Women’s History Week. The week of March 8 was chosen to coincide with International Women’s Day. In 1987, Congress designated the entire month of March as National Women’s History Month. Museums are an excellent resource for discovering the roots of women’s history. The National Women’s History Museum (www.nmwh.org) is a nonprofit educational institution dedicated to preserving the diverse historic contributions of women. Founded in 1996, the institution operates as a cyber museum. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE CENTER, HARTFORD, CONN. Susan B. Anthony House, Rochester There are a numThe Harriet Beecher Stowe Center offers a ber of museums in view of the life of the woman best known the United States as the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a devoted to preserv- landmark in American literature that fueled ing women’s role in the abolitionist movement. history. National Women’s History Month is an excellent time to plan a visit, but a trip to one of these institutions at any time of the year promises to provide an informative and rewarding experience. The following list is not intended to be a comprehensive record of all women’s history museums. — Editors California International Museum of Women, San Francisco www.imow.org Connecticut Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford www.harrietbeecherstowe.org Maryland Clara Barton National Historic Site, Glen Echo www.nps.gov/clba Massachusetts Sophia Smith Collection, Northampton www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/index.html Michigan Michigan Women’s Historical Center and Hall of Fame, Lansing www.michiganwomenshalloffame.org New York Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Hyde Park www.nps.gov/elro National Women’s Hall of Fame, Seneca Falls www.greatwomen.org Susan B. Anthony House, Rochester www.susanbanthonyhouse.org Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls www.nps.gov/wori Ohio International Women’s Air & Space Museum, Cleveland www.iwasm.org Oklahoma Pioneer Woman Museum, Ponca City www.pioneerwomanmuseum.com Texas The Women’s Museum, Dallas www.thewomensmuseum.org West Virginia Women’s History Museum (traveling exhibit), West Liberty www.geocities.com/womenshist/womenshist.html 16 SWE SPRING 2008 http://www.nwhp.org http://www.imow.org http://www.harrietbeecherstowe.org http://www.nmwh.org http://www.nps.gov/clba http://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/index.html http://www.michiganwomenshalloffame.org http://www.nps.gov/elro http://www.greatwomen.org http://www.susanbanthonyhouse.org http://www.nps.gov/wori http://www.iwasm.org http://www.pioneerwomanmuseum.com http://www.thewomensmuseum.org http://www.geocities.com/womenshist/womenshist.html
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