August 4

I am on the road again, as Willie Nelson would say. Younger readers may have to web browse to learn about Mr. Nelson. First stop was Women’s Rights NHP. Seneca Falls was the sight of the first Women’s Rights Convention in 1848. For two days people packed Wesleyan Chapel to hear speeches about equality for women. The output from those 48 hours has not stopped reverberating in America for the past 175 years. Much progress has been made to make women equal to men in all aspects of life (voting, increased pay, etc.), but there is still plenty to accomplish. And the efforts of Elizabeth Cody Stanton, Martha Coffin Wright, Jane Hunt, and other women spilled over into civil rights for African-Americans (including abolition up to, during, and after the Civil War), religious minorities, and LGBTQ people. One should read the Declaration of Sentiments which was approved during the conference. Our country’s Declaration of Independence was the foundation for the women’s declaration. A number of men, including Frederick Douglass, added their approval of the document on the 20th of July.

It is easier today to visit the park than it would have been to get into the chapel on that July 19 and 20. The main street of Seneca Falls goes by the VC and chapel. There were plenty of parking spots on the street across from the buildings. Unfortunately, this is not one of the most visited parks in the NPS. The chapel was open today, a first for me. The inside is mostly new, from the 1993 restoration. Some of the original plaster is still visible, protected by plexiglass. The ceiling timbers and roof sheathing are original. The NPS has added a large screen to the front of the single room so a ceiling video projector can be used for presentations. The VC is two stories, with the second floor showcasing many display cases, placards, cartoons, and the like.

Houses belonging to Jane Hunt, Elizabeth Cody Stanton, and the M’Clintocks can be visited. Only the Stanton house is open to view its interior. These women were at the forefront of the equal rights movement. I drove over to Stanton’s home (the other two are to the west, in Waterloo). The ranger said the core of the structure is original. Interior items like wallpaper are not original. Seneca Falls is a picturesque city, alongside the Seneca River. The National Women’s Hall of Fame is on the south shore, and the bridge made famous in It’s A Wonderful Life (Jimmy Stewart) connects the two banks.

Twenty minutes later I was pulling into the VC parking lot for the Harriet Tubman NHP. The VC has the Passport Cancellation Stamp and a museum with signage and documents. One can then walk back out the front door to view the Tubman Home for the Aged and Indigent Negroes (opened in 1908) and the Tubman residence. Tubman brought her family from Ontario, Canada to this area in 1859, then purchasing the 7-acre house property after serving in the Union forces (as a scout, nurse, and as a spy behind enemy lines). She lived here until her death in 1913. School history books portray Tubman as the best-known Underground Railroad conductor. She took nearly 70 slaves from Maryland to the north on thirteen missions. She became known as the Moses of her people. But the rest of her life was just as important. The Home for the Aged was to help African-Americans carry on her work after she was gone. She bought 25 acres next to her residence in order to have sufficient property for the home. The African Methodist Episcopal Church ran the home until the 1920s. The church’s main sanctuary is currently under restoration over on Parker Street, less than two miles from Tubman’s properties. Across the street is one side of the Fort Hill Cemetery. Tubman is buried there. Her brother’s plot is in front of his sister’s. Tubman’s original tomb stone fell into disrepair. The NY Federation of Women’s Club placed the current stone there in 1937. One inscription reads, “Servant of God. Well done.”

The current structure which comprises Fort Stanwix in Rome, NY, looks fantastic. Granted, it is not exactly 246 years old. The original fort was torched in 1781. The city of Rome grew around and over the spot of land. In the mid-20th century excavations revealed the exact location of the fort. Properties were bought and the NPS took ownership of a new National Monument with a wooden fort bristling with horizontal stakes, plenty of cannon, a deep dry moat, etc. The fort was originally named Fort Schuyler. But this was back when the English controlled the region, pre-American Revolution. And this was after the French and Spanish were the dominant players across the west. King George III made declarations to appease Indian tribes after he gained control. But his people reneged at times causing plenty of resentment. When American forces took control, many Indian tribes such as the Oneida decided to work with the new guys (though some still sided with the Redcoats). In 1777, the British military devised plans to take back New York. A force approached the fort from the west. Starting on August 3, the encircled Americans survived for 21 days of siege. This was the only American fort which came under siege not to capitulate to the British.

And the only reason this fort was ever built lies with the Oneida Carry, a portage along a major water route between New York City and Canada. Depending on the time of year and weather, the distance to portage was between one mile and six miles. If man was going to use water for commercial purposes, there had better be some forts along the way. Look around the NPS and all the parks which have forts and see if they are by water. Fort Pulaski, Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, Pearl Harbor, etc. Keep counting.

I would like to thank Ranger Daniel for talking with me at the VC when I arrived. He said Women’s Rights NHP had called to say I was headed their way. He took a photo of me in front of the park name and will try to post it on the park’s Facebook page.

On a follow-up note, please take a look at the August 3 blog. There are a couple of important links. The story in the digital version of Women’s World Magazine highlights our country’s National Parks.