Trailblazing Women: National Historical Sites Honoring Women

Harriet Tubman was perhaps the most famous American abolitionist, guiding nearly 70 slaves up the East Coast to freedom in the north through the Underground Railroad. One of two park locations dedicated to this amazing woman, Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Maryland is a tribute to her daring and important work to rescue enslaved African Americans. 

Eleanor Roosevelt was an active partner in President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s political career, a United States representative to the United Nations and a lifelong advocate for human rights for all. Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site in New York is the only historic site dedicated to a first lady. It preserves Val-Kill, Eleanor’s retreat home and later a permanent residence, where visitors can learn about her public and private life.

Mary McLeod Bethune was a renowned educator, organizer, national political leader, president of the National Association of Colored Women and founder of the National Council of Negro Women. Bethune’s house became the first headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women where Bethune and the council spearheaded strategies and developed programs that would advance the interests of African American women and the black community in D.C. Today, this location is preserved as the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site.
 

Before Amelia Earhart took to the skies, she grounded herself in her family home in Atchison, Kansas. Called the Otis House, after her grandfather, Judge Alfred G. Otis, Amelia was born in the southwest bedroom and raised there until she was 12. Even though she lived in many different cities, Earhart considered Atchison her hometown. The Amelia Earhart Birthplace, which is on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places, stands to be one of the few remaining tangible associations with this aviation legend. 

Beatrix Farrand was one of America’s most celebrated landscape architects, renowned for the private estate gardens she designed for East Coast society as well as her work as a landscape consultant at some of the country’s most prestigious private universities and colleges. Farrand’s most notable work by far is her collaboration with John D. Rockefeller, Jr., beautifying and designing carriage roads in Maine’s Acadia National Park. Beatrix Farrand had an eye for creating awe-inspiring landscapes and a passion for incorporating native plants in all of her works.

When World War II began, millions of American men left their jobs and joined the military. The shrinking workforce and growing war industry led to more diverse hiring practices and huge social changes. Initially white women were recruited, followed by minority men, and finally minority women. Doing their jobs well and supporting the war effort, women earned a new respect and "cracked open" the door to equal rights. This would have a profound impact on the Women's Movement and change American culture forever. During World War II, six million women entered the workforce. "Rosie the Riveter" and her "We Can Do It" motto came to symbolize all women Home Front workers and is remembered at the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park.

Adams National Historical Park in Massachusetts honors the influential family that gave the United States its second and sixth presidents. This park is not just the story of heroes, statesman and philosophers, but also of learned women whose ideas and actions helped to transform 13 disparate colonies into one united nation. The preservation and displays include depictions of the life of First Lady Abigail Smith Adams, who had a long legacy of empowering women and was one of the first advocates of women's equal education.

Sarah Winnemucca was born in 1844, and was a member of the Paiute tribe in present-day Nevada. During the Indian Wars of the 19th century, Winnemucca was a skilled interpreter and negotiator between American Indian tribes and the U.S. Army. As a staunch advocate for native rights, Winnemucca met with President Rutherford B. Hayes and Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz in 1880 to negotiate the humane treatment of her tribe. Learn more about Winnemucca and other stories of transition, settlement, conflict, and community at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. 

Constructed in 1800 on Capitol Hill, the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument stands as a testament to the community of women who dedicated their lives to winning women’s rights. The National Woman’s Party used the building as their headquarters for nearly 90 years. Named after Alva Belmont (National Woman’s Party President from 1920-1933) and Alice Paul (one of the most prominent members of 20th-century women's rights movement), the monument tells the story of those who advocated for the Equal Rights Amendment and equality for women.

Women’s Rights National Historical Park tells the story of the first Women’s Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, New York, on July 19-20, 1848. From the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House, to the homes of other early women's rights activists (the M'Clintock House and the Richard Hunt House), the park includes an upclose look at artifacts and stories of the women’s suffrage movement.

As an extension of Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial is a statue of three uniformed women tending to a wounded soldier. The memorial was erected in 1993 to honor the contribution of women in the Vietnam War, many of whom were nurses. The names of eight women killed during the war are listed on the wall. The statue by Glenna Goodacre resides on the south side of the National Mall, which hosts over 24 million visitors each year.