What a whirlwind day… The Market, Highland Park, Mount Hope Cemetery, and the Susan B. Anthony House tour. Amazing. While the tour was to last 45 minutes my docent, Martha, and I spent 90 minutes touring, and talking of the life of this astonishing woman. Susan B. Anthony was born a Quaker into a large family. While she had minimal formal education she used her talents to light the world in her mission for equality of women, in voting, in marriage, and in the financial arena. She began her career teaching in Canajoharie, N.Y., where here she acquired her love for fashion after assisting with her family needs. She made $100 annually.

Her father was a businessman but when he lost all in a depression of this era he moved the family to Rochester buying a farm. Susan worked on the farm, and later the family moved to the City where he began an insurance company. It was at that time the family acquired the home. The adjacent home was acquired decades later for a Visitor Center through the efforts of Hillary Clinton.

Her alligator bag which accompanied her on all her travels.

In the City of Rochester Susan became an activist working on many initiatives. She worked with Clara Barton to begin nursing schools, abolitionists to ensure rights for slaves working closely with Frederick Douglass, and lecturing throughout the country and world to promote these initiatives. She was known to write over 100 letters per week to influence these causes.

Susan B. Anthony Square is not far from the home. Here is this statute of she and Frederick Douglass discussing issues.

At 5’6″ and 140 pounds she was known to be a health nut taking cold sponge baths daily as well as exercising daily. Dying at 86 in this time period these items seemed to work.. Susan befriended, and worked with many throughout the world and was the motivation of the 1920 amendment giving women the vote, which occurred 14 years after her death.

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The Home

Susan’s Bedroom – A dress she wore given to her by Mormon women. When the dress was found in disrepair Mormon women of recent date took the garment and had it repaired for inclusion at the home.

The third floor of the home was the “offices” of the suffragist movement for over 40 years. Here the work of the organization was conducted. Susan was a great fundraiser, and much of her support came from Vanderbilt women.

A Parlor in the Home

A picture of a friend who was part of the Underground Railroad, and one of Susan’s traveling trunks. This trunk was returned by family and housed a treasure trove of papers Susan had written.

A chair given to her on her 80th birthday by a furniture designer friend.

Wonder if she ever took the time to sit in it??

Susan was an avid gardener, and gardens are maintained in the back of her home by the conservators.

This woman spurred a revolution without weapons, or anarchy. Perhaps a paraphrase of her last comments given publicly says it all,

Failure is impossible. When women gather good things happen.

A simple headstone for a woman of greatness.