The U.S. National Park Service is spotlighting a number of locations where women made history for Women’s History Month.
The agency highlighted 12 locations across the U.S.
Clara Barton National Historic Site
Located in Glen Echo, Maryland, the site honors the founder of the American Red Cross. “Glen Echo was her home the last 15 years of her life and the structure illustrates her dedication and concern for those less fortunate than herself,” the National Park Service said.
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
Located in Hyde Park, New York, the site honors first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. She was the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“Get to know Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the United States, activist, and one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century. As wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she played a key role in leading the nation through two national crises, the Great Depression and World War II. Through her activism and post-war diplomacy, she played a key role in the development of civil and human rights for all people,” the National Park Service said.
Ellis Island, Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument
The island is part of the national monument at New York’s Statue of Liberty. The site honors the nurses who took care of immigrants in need of care when arriving to the U.S.
“Ellis Island afforded them the opportunity to attain the American dream for themselves and their descendants,” the National Park Service said.
First Ladies National Historic Site
Located in Canton, Ohio, the site honors the contributions of first ladies. The site consists of two buildings with exhibits. Although there have only been 45 presidents, there have been over 50 first ladies. In some cases, other friends or female relatives assumed the role of first lady.
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park
Located in Auburn, New York, the National Park Service operates the historic Thompson Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and Tubman's home. Auburn was a hub for abolitionists.
“Harriet Tubman used her connections to finally secure a place where she could have her own home and determine the course of her life in freedom,” the National Park Service said.
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park
Located in Church Creek, Maryland, the park houses permanent exhibits and a research library on the landscape that shaped Harriet Tubman’s life.
“She is the Underground Railroad’s best-known conductor and before the Civil War repeatedly risked her life to guide 70 enslaved people north to new lives of freedom,” the National Park Service said. The park “preserves the same landscapes that Tubman used to carry herself and others away from slavery.”
Lowell National Historical Park
Lowell, Massachusetts, played a key role in women’s workforce rights during the Industrial Revolution. Women there conducted walkouts at the town’s factories, demanding better pay and work conditions.
The park is highlighted by the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, which employed the Lowell Mill Girls.
Maggie L Walker National Historic Site
Located in Richmond, Virginia, the historic site is open year-round for tours of Maggie L Walker’s home. She was the first Black woman to operate a bank. She was noted for empowering women and the city’s Black middle class.
“Walker devoted her life to civil rights advancement, economic empowerment, and educational opportunities for Jim Crow-era African Americans and women. As a bank president, newspaper editor, and fraternal leader, Walker served as an inspiration of pride and progress,” the National Park Service said.
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
Located in Washington, D.C., the house is open year-round Thursdays-Saturdays. She became a prolific advocate for Black Americans as vice president of both the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Urban League, and was dubbed the “First Lady of Negro America.”
“Bethune used the power of education, political activism, and civil service to achieve racial and gender equality throughout the United States and the world,” the National Park Service said. “The first person in her family born free and the first person in her family afforded a formal education, Bethune emerged from abject poverty and oppression of the Reconstruction South to achieve greatness.”
Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park
Open daily, the site in Richmond, California, was chosen because of its number of surviving sites from World War II, the National Park Service said.
The park pays tribute to the women who worked in defense industries during the war. Among the noted attractions at the park is the Ford Assembly Plant, where workers put the finishing touches on 91,000 tanks before being sent to the battlefield.
Statue Of Liberty National Monument
The State of Liberty outside of New York City is one of the National Park Service’s most popular attractions.
One attraction to look for is Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus,” which is fixed to the base of the statue. “This poem vividly depicted the Statue of Liberty as offering refuge to new immigrants from the miseries of Europe,” the National Park Service said.
Women's Rights National Historical Park
Located in Seneca, New York, the park tributes the first Women’s Rights Convention, which was held in the town’s Wesleyan Chapel in 1848. The chapel was said to be a “safe haven” for the women to gather for antislavery and free speech events.
The site hosts “Convention Days” every July in commemoration of the 1848 gathering.
