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Announcement:

Please note that some events on this list may be cancelled or postponed due to health concerns related to COVID-19.

 

Our staff is updating event listings frequently, however many venues' schedules are subject to change at the last minute. We appreciate your patience and recommend contacting the host venue if you plan to attend a Suffrage Centennial Event.

Featured Upcoming Events
2020 BIRTHPLACE SHOWCASE: STOP BY FOR SELFIES WITH SUSAN AND RESERVE A TOUR BETWEEN AUG. 21-26 TODAY!
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SOMEONE MUST WASH THE DISHES: AN ANTI-SUFFRAGE SATIRE AT VENTFORT HALL MANSION AND GILDED AGE MUSEUM

 

Saturday, March 28 at 3:30 pm Victorian tea
Celebrate the Centennial of Woman Suffrage with this hilarious parody of the arguments against females voting. They sound crazy now, but for 72 years, those arguments denied women the ballot and equal rights.

Someone Must Wash the Dishes: An Anti-Suffrage Satire pairs pro-Suffragist Marie Jenney Howe’s 1913 “An Anti-Suffrage Monologue” with a lively lecture explaining why women’s voting would lead to anarchy, financial ruin, and “make every home a hell on earth.”

Performed by professional actress Michèle LaRue and directed by Warren Kliewer, Someone Must Wash the Dishes has toured coast-to-coast, garnering reviews ranging from, “Better than the best stand-ups!”
to, “I would have learned a lot more in school if she had been our teacher!” 

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This performance is made possible thanks to the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum’s “100 Events for 100 Years” initiative commemorating the 2020 Women’s Suffrage Centennial.

 

A Victorian tea will follow the performance. Cost to attend is $28 with an advance reservation and $32 the day of. Reservations are strongly recommended as seating is limited.

 

Call Ventfort Hall for a reservation at (413) 637-320

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Event Types & Full Event Listing
Event Types

Quilt Displays

Cris Hartman, organizer of the CA Suffrage Centennial Quilt show

National Traveling Quilt to be shown in Adams, Massachusetts

Local Textile Arts and Professionals 

Outdoor / Athletic Events

Cruisin with Susan

  • A bicycle race featuring events for the competitive spirit. 

  • Join us in a relaxing ride, for those who want to stop and smell the roses.  This is an event for all ages.

  •  Old-timey fun!  Have an old bike?  How about a really old bike?  Take a peek at different bicycles from different eras.

HerStory Conference

The HerStory Conference, to be held in Adams, MA, ​provides education, entertainment and the opportunity to engage with others interested in HerStory. 

  • Nineteenth Century Mental Health: Women and Abuse

  • Susan B Anthony and the Inner Light

  • Suffrage Enfranchisement and Motherhood

  • African American Suffrage leaders: reclaiming their rightful role

  • Suffragewear: Textile and Fashion Collectors of Historic Clothing; Display

Historical Performers*

  • Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti, as Harriet Tubman

  • Sheryl Faye, Actress - Voice-Over Artist - Presenter

  • Lynn Lewandowski, SBABM Board member, Suffragist performance

  • Kelly Vincent-Brunacini, SBABM Board member, Suffragist performance

* Partial Listing​

Displays

Children's Shoe Exhibit

  • Practical to Pretty: A look at children's foot wear during the 19th century

  • Social class identification through footwear

Exhibits

Postcard Exhibit

  • Postcards as Social Media during the 19th c. 

  • Explore numerous postcard topics including Temperance, Anti-Suffrage, Family Harmony, and Holiday seasons
     

Silk Dress Display

  • Cassandra Peltier, SBABM Executive Director, provides a display including her handmade 19th c. recreation of Susan B. Anthony's dress

  • Learn more about the black silk dress and the details of it's creation 

Full Event Listing*
100 Events for 100 Years *Updated frequently

March 5, 2020

Berkshire Law Library's Annual "Cinema of Law" film series

Berkshire Athenaeum, One Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield MA. 6:00pm

One Woman, One Vote (1995, DVD 2010) PBS documentary, 108 min.  Introduced by attorney Lee Flournoy.

March 8,  2020

Marching with Mother Exhibit

Opening reception for Marching with Mother Exhibit with featured presentation by Suzanne Schnittman on her book about mothers and daughters in the Suffrage Movement.  MA Feminist Pioneers and their Precocious daughters: Mothering in the 19th c.

March 10, 2020

Berkshire Law Library's Annual "Cinema of Law" film series

Berkshire Athenaeum, One Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield MA. 6:00pm

Suffragette (2015) starring Meryl Streep and Helena Bonham Carter 1 hr 46 min. Introduced by attorney Holly Rogers.

March 21, 2020

Illustrating History through suffrage postcards, Carol Crossed, SBABM, Book Signing Available 

Vintage Tweets: Suffrage Era Postcards by Carol N. Crossed is available for purchase at event or at https://squareup.com/store/the-susan-b-anthony-birthplace-museum/item/vintage-tweets

 

March 28, 2020

Someone Must Wash the Dishes: An Anti-Suffrage Satire at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum 3:30 pm Victorian tea
Celebrate the Centennial of Woman Suffrage with this hilarious parody of the arguments against females voting. Someone Must Wash the Dishes: An Anti-Suffrage Satire pairs pro-Suffragist Marie Jenney Howe’s 1913 “An Anti-Suffrage Monologue” with a lively lecture explaining why women’s voting would lead to anarchy, financial ruin, and “make every home a hell on earth.” Performed by professional actress Michèle LaRue and directed by Warren Kliewer.

 

$28 with an advance reservation and $32 the day off. Reservations are strongly recommended as seating is limited. Call for reservations: (413) 637-3206.

April 1, 2020 

The Merritt of Bicycles historical talk - Cassandra Peltier and Michelle Abrams - Who was "The New Woman" and what do bicycles have to do with Women's Suffrage? Abrams (a Gilded Age Art Historian) and Peltier (a Material Culture and Fashion Politics Historian) will explain the bicycle's role in sociopolitical climates and art during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

 

May  2020

“Cruisin’ With Susan” Bicycle festival

The first Annual “Cruisin’ With Susan” Bicycle festival will take place at various sites throughout the Town of Adams. Activities include a Bike Repair workshops, Bike Swap, Ashuwillticook Trail Ride, and performances and food vendors. Rumor has it we may receive a visit from Susan herself!

June 27th 2020

Historic Family Farm Day at Ayrhill Farm, Adams MA

Historical Family Farm Day - Games, activities and costumes from when Susan B. Anthony was a child. “Look How Far We’ve Come” - discussion of women’s rights in the 19th and early 20th century from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Point of View, presented by historian and performer Melanie Stringer. Seeking local artisans to give demonstrations of traditional crafts such as textile work, woodworking, and leather crafting. Music and refreshments will be available.

 

July 18th & 19th 2020

Herstory Conference - Located in Adams, MA. Join us in downtown Adams for sessions and panel discussions about a variety of women's history topics that featured in the U.S. Suffrage Movement. Presenters including Stewart Burns, Lori Harrison-Kahan, Janet Farrell Brodie,  A. Cheree Carlson, and Colleen Spellecy

will discuss racism in the suffrage movement, activism from the perspective of Quakers, experiences of women incarcerated in the Willard Asylum, voluntary motherhood and restellism in the 19th century, and dress reform as an avenue for women’s autonomy. 

Steve Adams, suffrage balladeer will perform during the program. Gwendolyn QuezairePresutti will present a first-person costumed presentation in character as Madam CJ Walker.

August 2020

Centennial Year Celebration

The Adams Suffrage Centennial will host a three-day festival with performances and family activities, musical performances, food trucks, Hometown Parade, fireworks, and unveiling of a Susan B. Anthony Statue in the center of Adams.

 

September 20, 2020

Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day

 

October 24, 2020

Historic Costume Contest and Fundraiser - themed “To the future in the distance” (based on Carrie Chapman Catt quote: “To the wrongs that need resistance, To the right that needs assistance, To the future in the distance, Give yourselves.” Costume prizes, raffles, and team trivia.

 

November 29, 2020

Museum Store Sunday
 

November 29, 2020

Third Annual Homespun Holiday Crafts

 

 

Past Events

 

August 26, 2018

Sheryl Faye as Abigail Adams

September 22, 2018

Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day

September 26, 2018

Presentation about the SBABM and Q&A about Susan’s life and career
Pittsfield Senior Center - meeting of GE retirees

October 21 2018

ASCCC Tea Party at the Red Carpet in Adams MA

Fundraiser for ASCCC. Carol Crossed as guest speaker. Followed by meet and greet with sculptor Brian Hanlon at the Firehouse Cafe in Adams.

 

November 1, 2018 

Voting: Around the World in 80 Years

Presentation by Cassandra Peltier for the Education Committee of the Winchester Seniors Association, supported by a grant from the John and Mary Murphy Educational Foundation.

November 25 2018

Museum Store Sunday

December 1 2018

Homespun Holiday Craft Day

December 5, 2018

Sheryl Faye Presents Clara Barton, Auburndale, MA

Golda Meir House on @ 3pm, 160 Stanton Avenue

Auburndale, MA 02466

The founder of the American Red Cross and she helped wounded soldiers during the Civil War. She helped make nursing an acceptable profession for women.

December 24 2018

Winter Stories & Snowflake Crafts

December 28  2018

Yarn Day with SBA

December 31 2018

Book Making Workshop

February 17, 2019

“I Can’t Die But Once” A Performance by Harriet Tubman (Annual Birthday Celebration)

March 7, 2019

Cassandra Peltier spoke as panelist for BART charter high school International Women’s Day Assembly, alongside Andrea Harrington (first female Berkshire County D.A.) and Linda Tyer (first female
mayor of Pittsfield

March 25 2019

Birthplace featured on WGBY’s Connecting Point

March 14, 2019

Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti as Harriet Tubman

“Looking Things Over”

Zora Neale Hurston Barre Women’s Club

March 2019

Carol Crossed

Women’s History Month, University Club

February 28, 2019

Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti as Harriet Tubman

Callahan Center, 535 Union Ave, Framingham MA

January 24, 2019

Sheryl Faye Presents Helen Keller in Paxton MA

@ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Join me in this touching story about the girl who showed the world there are no boundaries to courage and faith. I will perform Helen Keller at The Richards Memorial Library on January 24, 2019 @ 6:15PM, 44 Richards Ave, Paxton MA 01612, (508) 754-0793

 

February 11, 2019

Sheryl Faye Presents Eleanor Roosevelt at The Hanover Senior Center, MA

@ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Come join me as celebrate Eleanor Roosevelt, “First Lady of the world” at
The Hanover Senior Center @ 1pm, 665 Center St, Hanover, MA 02339. 

March 20, 2019

Sheryl Faye Presents Eleanor Roosevelt at The Arbors at Stoughton

@ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Join me on March 20, 2019 @ 2pm as we celebrate Women’s History Month with Eleanor Roosevelt at The Arbors at Stoughton

 

April 28, 2019

Sheryl Faye Presents  Abigail Adams in Belmont

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Please join me as I perform Abigail Adams for The Belmont Women's Club on April 28, 2019 @ 1:30pm. The performance will be held at The Plymouth Congregational Church, 582 Pleasant Street, Belmont, MA

http://sherylfaye.com

https://www.facebook.com/SherylFayePresents

May 5 2019

Ringing in Spring

Family day of historical games and crafts to celebrate spring and Mother’s Day - including tissue paper sunflowers, Victorian-inspired mother’s day cards, fan-making activity, and hobby horse races.
Enjoy storytime with Kristen Demeo, author of Susan.

May 10, 2019

Presentation on Daniel Read

The Berkshire Family History Association

Presenter: Jim Loughman, Board of the Adams Historical Society and the Susan B Anthony Birthplace Museum, Adams, MA.

Quilt Exhibit Opening

Chris Hartman’s 2018 Susan B. Anthony Art Quilt featuring scans of SBA letters from 1903.

 

May 26, 2019

Museum “Behind the Scenes”

Community clean up day, volunteer appreciation reception, prospective volunteer tours, exclusive look at some items from collection storage and installation process of our upcoming exhibit on mills. Vote on new exhibits for 2019 and 2020! Raffle and free refreshments!

May 30, 2019

Living History Day

SBABM Board Members Lynn Lewandowski and Kelly Vincent-Brunacini travel to State University of New York Fredonia to take part in a day long History performance event.

June 1 2019

Mills in Berkshire County

Opening of exhibit about mills in Berkshire County, Historical talk on the “Bread and Roses” Lawrence Textile Mill Strike of 1912 presented by Michelle Abrams and Cassandra Peltier

June 21 - September 15, 2019

Mourning a Loved One

View a 19th Century funeral fashion display.  Berkshire Art Museum, North Adams, MA 01247.  Created by Greg La Fave

June 29, 2019

Revolutionary Change in Women's Clothing

Free Lecture at Lynda's Antique Clothing Loft, 2:00 PM, 41 Park Street, 2nd Floor, Adams, MA 01220

July 6 2019

Frederick Douglass Day and Community Round Table Discussion

Reading Frederick Douglass Together Family Day and Community Round Table Discussion:

From 10 am until 1pm the museum will host educational and fun activities which teach about Frederick Douglass’ life and career including:

  •  - bookmark crafts to encourage reading and highlight Douglass’ emphasis on literacy

  •  - community storytelling activity, honoring Douglass’ talent as a storyteller and encouraging collaborative creativity

  •  - Victorian photo room, celebrating Douglass’ status as one of the most photographed individuals of the 19th century, with explanation of historical social context of each prop and the symbolism it lent to 19th century portraits. Photos will ideally be taken with a Polaroid camera to provide visitors with a souvenir

  •  print-your-own newspaper activity with educational materials on historical typesetting, printing, and engraving techniques. List of common 19th century vocabulary provided to enrich visitors’ articles

  •  Read selections from the Columbian Orator, the first book Frederick Douglass bought and one of his most treasured volumes.

  • From 1pm until 2pm light refreshments will be available for free at the Adams Visitor’s Center and families are invited to bring their own picnic lunches. BART student artwork honoring Frederick Douglass will be displayed and a projection screen will play a slideshow of images and information from Douglass’ life.

  • From 2pm to 3pm BART students, MCLA faculty, and a CCSU professor will welcome the assembly and lead the community reading of Douglass’ 1852 speech.

  • From 3pm until 4pm the professors will facilitate a roundtable discussion and answer any lingering questions from the assembly.

Tours of the Quaker Meeting House: The place of worship of the Anthony Family.

May through October

Maple Street Cemetery Grounds, Adams, MA

By the Town of Adams Historical Society

Every Sunday, 1 – 4 pm.

August 17, 2019 

Manor House Fundraising Tea for the Anthony Statue

Cassandra Peltier, Executive Director of the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum portrays Alva Belmont

Manor House, Adams, MA 

 

August 18, 2019

Kiosk Unveiling, Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum

1-3 pm , All are welcome to this free event.

August 26 2019

Vintage Tweets Book Signing with Author Carol N. Crossed

Seneca Falls Historical Society, Seneca Falls, NY 

Vintage Tweets: Suffrage Era Postcards by Carol N. Crossed is available for purchase at event or at https://squareup.com/store/the-susan-b-anthony-birthplace-museum/item/vintage-tweets

September 21, 2019

Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day

 

October 5, 2019

The Bedquilt: Two Vibrant Vintage Stories Of New England Women

In this “riveting” program, two vibrant vintage stories spirit us off to old-time New England, where a gaggle of townswomen—and a solitary spinster—create remarkable art for everyday use. Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s The Bedquilt reveals the suspenseful journey of an unlikely heroine: Aunt Mehetabel. Elderly and unmarried, she is taken for granted by her New England family . . . although she is “clever in the way of patching bedquilts.” As the story unfolds, Mehetabel grows, winning admiration and finding self-respect. She painstakingly devotes herself to realizing her ideal: “a pattern beyond which no patchwork quilt could go.” The Bedquilt, written in 1906, is introduced by the gleeful account of A Quilting Bee in Our Village, penned by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, eight years earlier. In Freeman’s little town, good food, gossip, and games make a successful bee—sewing is just the start.
Professional actress Michèle LaRue creates a dozen distinctive characters in the program, which she concludes with the surprising story behind the writing of The Bedquilt.

October 5 - October 20, 2019

Women's Suffrage Centennial Film Series

Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA

The film series, including Iron Jawed Angels, will also feature the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum's travelling display of vintage postcards. For more information, visit the library's website: 

https://turnerfreelibrary.librarymarket.com/events/womens-suffrage-centennial-film-series?fbclid=IwAR2rcdimZpmbwVnGoT0Dsb6hEJ9TNVA5hPxZCmSYLM_BWdNSn53ggyyEhHM

 

October  19, 2019

Family-Friendly Costume Party and Fundraiser Celebrating Women's History - themed “Not for Ourselves Alone: Women Shaping America”

Local musicians and caller will teach dances popular during the Civil War and Victorian Eras. Judges from local theatre, art, and historical organizations will distribute prizes in a variety of categories including “best use of unusual materials,” “best group costume,” “most historically accurate,” “best costume maker under 12” and “most creative interpretation of the theme.” There will be a silent auction and raffle of items from local businesses and all proceeds will go to the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum and the Adams Suffrage Centennial Celebration Committee to fund 2020 programming.

November 9 2019

Vintage Tweets Book Signing with Author Carol N. Crossed - Location TBA

Vintage Tweets: Suffrage Era Postcards by Carol N. Crossed is available for purchase at event or at https://squareup.com/store/the-susan-b-anthony-birthplace-museum/item/vintage-tweets

 

November 24 2019

Second Annual Homespun Holiday Crafts

 

December 1 2019

Museum Store Sunday

January 18, 2020

ASCCC’s Musical Bingo

Basswater Grill, 5:30-8:30pm. Join Ed & Jill St John as they host a fun night of Musical Bingo!! Registration starts at 5:30pm and the game will kick off at 6pm! Entry fee gets you 2 cards and there will be 6 games played. Music is from all genres and is fun for everyone! We are going to have some great prizes! You don't want to miss this!!

February 15, 2020

ASCCC’s Red and Black Gala Fundraiser

Berkshire Hills Country Club 5:30-8 pm, tickets $60.

Live music, buffet dinner, SBA birthday cake, auction.

February 16, 2020

Annual Birthday Celebration

Adams Free Library, 3:00 pm. Free and Open to the Public.

Anthony family descendants will perform music and Deb Burns. The audience will enjoy a video wishing Susan a happy 200th Birthday, and a local college-bound high school student will be awarded our first annual "Organize, Agitate, Educate" Scholarship.

 

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