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Four people stand outside in front of white and purple sign.

Sarah E. Wall Women’s Suffrage Marker Unveiling in Worcester

On Monday, October 24, 2022,  Suffrage100MA (now the Massachusetts Women's History Center) and the City of Worcester, MA unveiled an historic women’s suffrage marker honoring the legacy of Sarah E. Wall  at the corner of Sycamore Street and Main Street, Worcester, MA. The marker celebrates Wall’s tax protest for women’s voting rights and will encourage passers-by to learn more. The marker is one of five new Massachusetts marker sites on the National Votes for Women Trail.

Group of adults stands in front of sign.

 

Scroll down for event photos and video!

Special thanks to our speakers, who included:

Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty

Councilor Morris Bergman

Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson

Worcester City Manager Eric Batista

Kristen Elechko, Regional Director, Office of Senator Edward J. Markey

Suffrage100MA Founder & President Fredie Kay

About Sarah E. Wall
Sarah Elizabeth Wall (1825-1907) was a women’s rights activist and abolitionist from Worcester, Massachusetts, famous for her refusal to pay property taxes because, as a woman, she could not vote. She was a member of the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association, participated in the First National Woman’s Rights Convention in Worcester (October 23-24, 1850), and was active in the movement for three decades. In 1863, Worcester’s collector of taxes seized and auctioned off Wall’s property to recover unpaid taxes. Wall’s home was located at approximately 2 Sycamore Street, the site of this new suffrage marker, celebrating her protest. The MA Supreme Judicial Court ruled that she must pay her taxes, which she refused to do.

About Massachusetts Suffrage Markers
The suffrage marker project is funded through a grant by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation®, sponsored by the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (NCWHS)’s National Votes for Women Trail (NVWT), and coordinated in Massachusetts by Suffrage100MA. There will be a total of five Massachusetts suffrage markers. In addition to a marker honoring Sarah E. Wall in Worcester, the other four are: Anne L. Page (Danvers) and Remond Family (Salem), which were recently installed, and Maria Baldwin (Cambridge) and Sojourner Truth (Northampton), which will be installed and unveiled in spring 2023. See this Boston Globe article about the markers!

Video of Sarah E. Wall Suffrage Marker Unveiling in Worcester, MA

Man stands at podium speaking.

Photos from Sarah E. Wall Marker Unveiling (Photo credit: Axie Breen Photography)

Group of people wearing purple sashes sitting in chairs.
10 people stand in front of Sarah E. Wall suffrage marker.
Woman stands at podium speaking.
Man stands at podium speaking.
Man stands outside speaking at podium.
Crowd watches woman speaking at podium.
Crowd watches woman speaking at podium.
Crowd standing and sitting outside.
Man wearing purple sash stands outside speaking at lectern.
Woman wearing purple sash speaking at podium.
Man stands out podium outdoors speaking.
Woman wearing purple sash stands outside speaking at lectern.
Crowd of adults looks up at sign.
Group looks at Sarah E. Wall suffrage marker.
Sarah E. Wall suffrage marker.
Three adults stand in front of sign.
Five people stand in front of Sarah E. Wall suffrage marker.
Woman looks at Sarah E. Wall suffrage marker.
Six adults stand in front of sign.
Three people stand in front of Sarah E. Wall suffrage marker.
Sarah E. Wall Suffrage Marker
Five people stand in front of Sarah E. Wall suffrage marker.
Two people look at sign.