LEC Women's Rights Project | Painesville, OH
Dr. Katharine Delavan and the LEC community have joined forces to organize the Women's Rights Project - a permanent feature on LEC's campus.
How The Women's Rights Project Began
The Women's Rights Project originally was the brain child of Dr. Amanda Curtis, Dr. Katharine Delavan, Annalise Kelleher and Jeanna Purses as a year long celebration for the Centennial Suffrage Celebration. This project involved several different parts, including a year long student research project and implementation of the women's rights walkway on LEC's campus.
Student Research Project
The intention of the year-long project was to involve students in active research related to alumnae activities at the local, state and national levels. This included the Painesville Equal Rights Association and the Ohio Suffrage Association, both founded by LEC alumna and Painesville citizen Frances Jennings Casement.
In 1885, Frances Jennings Casement hosted Susan B. Anthony in her home for one week and organized her visits to Lake Erie College, the Painesville Methodist Church and The Union Chapel in Newbury where she gave speeches and inspired the community to support the suffrage movement.
In the LEC Library Archives
A hand-written, personal letter from Susan B. Anthony to then President Mary Evans was discovered in the College archives. Dated May 21, 1885, the letter thanks President Evans for the opportunity to visit and sums up with this heartfelt show of gratitude: “give my kindest regards to the teachers and the students alike -- I enjoyed that morning’s look into the faces and talk with the heads and hearts of those dear young girls...very much.” The letter was signed affectionately, “With great respect & love, Susan B. Anthony.”
In the letter, Mrs. Anthony also mentioned her forthcoming gift to the College of a set of History of Woman Suffrage. The cherished, commemorative volumes have been located in the library and will be displayed with Susan B. Anthony’s letter among other letters and photos of Lake Erie College suffragettes: including, Frances Jennings Casement, Elizabeth Bartlett Grannis, Luette Bentley, Emma Gillette, Ellen Spencer Mussey among others.
The Women's Rights Walkway
The Women's Rights Walkway runs from the front of College Hall to Mentor Avenue. The path is lined with interpretive signs that honor notable LEC alumna such as Mary Evans, Frances Jennings Casement, and others who helped pave the way for the women of today.
The walkway and its initial signage were dedicated in 2021. In 2022, Dean of the School of Education Dr. Katharine Delevan submitted grant requests to expand the Women's Rights Walkway with more signage, in order to honor LEC's history and inspire young women today. The dedication for this expansion will be hosted on August 26, 2022.
Sponsorship Opportunities
In order to fund new signage and expansion of the Women's Rights Project, LEC allows local businesses or individuals to sponsor the creation of signs or amenities for the walkway. Interested parties can email Dr. Katharine Delavan directly at kdelavan@lec.edu.