How 4 suburban exhibits tell the suffrage story
Gaining the right to vote took decades of work for women and their allies.
Several suburban exhibits aim to make sure their work is not forgotten.
Artifacts honoring the efforts of suburban suffragists and their ties to the national push for the vote are on display in DuPage County, Evanston, Lombard and Naperville.
Visitors to these exhibits - whether in-person or online - can see what early ballots for women looked like, learn the strategies suffragists used and get an introduction to some of the big local names in the movement. Here are details on these four exhibits and what they have to offer.
<b>'Ballots of Power: A Century of Women's Suffrage'</b>What: Find out how women in DuPage County have used their power to vote by running for public office and pushing for change during the feminist and civil rights movements.
Where: DuPage County Historical Museum, 102 E. Wesley St., Wheaton; exhibit website at https://dupagemuseum.org/collections-exhibits/
When: On display through April 10, 2021; museum hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; noon to 4 p.m. Saturday
Suffrage artifacts: A miniature statue, photos, a dress worn to a political function and political pamphlets belonging to Lotti Holman O'Neill, the first woman to be elected to the state legislature in Illinois
Cost: Suggested donation of $5 for adults and $2 for children and seniors
Info: Mask requirement, social distancing and capacity limits in place; timed entry and reservations not required; call (630) 510-4941 or email dupagemuseum@wheatonparks.org
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'Evanston Women and the Fight for the Vote'</b>What: Learn about the role Evanston women, including Frances Willard, Elizabeth Boynton Harbert, and Catharine Waugh McCulloch, played in local, state and national movements for women's suffrage. Explore political strategies suffragists employed to convince men to give them the vote.
Where: Evanston History Center, 225 Greenwood St., Evanston
When: Reopens Aug. 26 and will remain on display through December or possibly into 2021, depending on COVID-19 restrictions; museum hours 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday; virtual tour on Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/EvanstonWomenHP at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26 to mark the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment
Suffrage artifacts: A pink women's ballot from 1920; Documents and a dress from Catherine Waugh McCulloch, an attorney and prominent suffragist architect of the 1913 passage of the Presidential and Municipal Suffrage Bill in Illinois
Cost: Admission is $10 for adults, free for children 10 and younger
Info: Mask requirement, social distancing and capacity limits in place; Call (847) 475-3410 or email ewhp@evanstonhistorycenter.org
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'Art & Artists of the Women's Suffrage Movement' </b>What: See a timeline of the women's suffrage movement as well as art created by independent business women who were affiliated with the suffrage movement. Learn the history of Ellen Martin, a Lombard attorney who was the first woman to vote in Illinois, using a quirk in the Lombard town charter, in 1891.
Where: Lombard Historical Society Carriage House, 23 W. Maple St., Lombard, rear of the property; virtual exhibit at www.lombardhistory.org/art-artists-of-the-women
When: On display through Sept. 15; museum hours noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Suffrage</a><![CDATA[ aacts: Ballot box from the time period when Ellen Martin became the first woman to vote in Illinois; images of book plates created by independent women artists and business owners; a Lombard Lilac Queen crown fashioned out of melted silver spoons by a local artist with ties to the suffrage movement
Cost: Suggested donation $5 per person
Info: Mask requirement, social distancing and capacity limits of 10 people in the exhibit at once in effect; Call (630) 629-1885 or email director@lombardhistory.org
<b>'Women: Waves of Change'</b>What: See how Naperville women advocated for change in their community and beyond through reform movements and protest movements during the century after women's suffrage.
Where: Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville; online information at https://www.napersettlement.org/83/Exhibits
When: Opens Aug. 26, on display through December; museum hours 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday
Suffrage artifacts: Voter rolls; images of journal entries from Naperville women suffragists
Cost: Free to Naperville residents, Naper Settlement members and children younger than 4; $8 for youths ages 4 to 12, $10 for seniors 62 and older, $12 for adults
Info: Mask requirement, social distancing and ticketed, timed entry in effect; Call (630) 420-6010 or email towncrier@naperville.il.us