The unimoggers' Roaring '20s 20-Cache Series is designed to bring you to little-known jewels within our region or to learn a little bit about the events happening during that time. We encourage you to read the complete descriptions so that you will have that "I didn't know that!" moment. Some are short hikes, some are park and grabs, some are lengthy hikes with each cache type presented for your caching enjoyment. They were published throughout 2020, 2021, and now 2022. In no particular order, this one is:
Cache #19: 19th Amendment to the US Constitution
The 19th Amendment to the US Constitution gave women the right to vote. On August 18, 1920, Tennessee was the last of the necessary 36 states to secure ratification. The 19th Amendment was officially adopted on August 26, 1920: the culmination of a decades-long movement for women's suffrage at both state and national levels. At 8 am on that day, Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed the proclamation which stated:
"Section 1: 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.
"Section 2: Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
But there were several organizations throughout the country opposed to suffrage including this one:
So the battle was on...
In Pennsylvania, not all counties agreed with the notion of allowing women to vote and voters in Monroe County voted AGAINST the 19th amendment. The counties in black were against suffrage, counties in white were for suffrage. How did your Pennsylvania county vote?
Amending the state constitution again to include woman suffrage required the passage of a resolution through two sessions of the legislature and then ratification by the state's voters in the next election, a multi-year process. To find the final north coords, about 40 feet west of the above coordinates there are initials in raised lettering on a stone laying flat on the ground which will not be visible in at least six inches of snow. How many initials are there? Multiply that by two and add that corresponding number to your north coords. The new number will change the last two digits for north. Anyway, beginning in 1911, women suffrage groups lobbied for such an amendment vigorously.
The Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C. in 1913 reinvigorated the push for a national amendment enfranchising women. Many Pennsylvania women joined the efforts to lobby for this amendment. A number participated in the more confrontational tactics of the National Woman's Party, including picketing the White House (try doing that nowadays) and going on hunger strikes. Are you with me so far?
Katharine Wentworth Ruschenberger, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association, funded the creation of a replica of the Liberty Bell in support of this effort. Christened the Justice Bell, its clapper was secured with chains so that it could not ring until women won the vote. The Justice Bell toured the state in 1915 to win support of ratification of the state amendment. It was expected that it would ring out in victory in Philadelphia once the election results came in. But the Justice Bell stayed silent; the referendum went down in defeat. I bet you didn't know that and aren't you glad you're learning this bit of history?
In Monroe County, the suffrage movement was headed by Mrs. Althea Staples, wife of Judge Charles B. Staples who became the chairwoman of the "Women’s Suffrage Society of Monroe County." She, along with other local women, formed the Stroudsburg Women’s Civic Club. This group became active in the community and established committees to report on social issues of the day. She organized meetings at Courthouse Square to report on any legislative bills that would impact the suffrage cause and even arranged for the suffrage movie, Your Girl and Mine to be screened in town, probably at the Sherman Theater.
You'll find her grave at the above coordinates. For the west coords, determine Althea's age at the time of her death and add one. Replace the last three digits from the posted coords with this new number. Suffrage gardens began to appear throughout Stroudsburg; such gardens were easily recognized as they were comprised entirely of yellow flowers because yellow became the color of the suffrage movement. Even local business owners decorated their window fronts with yellow ribbons and flowers to support Monroe County women’s suffrage.
Fast forward to June 24, 1919, when the Pennsylvania legislature voted to ratify the 19th Amendment. By August of 1920, 36 states (including Pennsylvania) approved the amendment, making women’s suffrage legal all across the country. Now go find the cache.
Thanks to several sources, including https://www.nps.gov/articles/pennsylvania-women-s-history.htm, https://www.monroehistorical.org/articles_files/030106_suffrage.html