Nation's First Suffragist Memorial To Be Dedicated In Lorton

LORTON, VA — The Turning Point Suffragist Memorial is holding a formal dedication for the memorial in Lorton on Sunday, May 16. The site is the first national memorial dedicated to telling stories covering the entire suffrage movement from 1848 to 1920.

The memorial, in NOVA Parks' Occoquan Regional Park, is located adjacent to what was then known as the Occoquan Workhouse where suffragists who picketed Woodrow Wilson’s White House were imprisoned and endured the so-called Night of Terror on Nov. 14, 1917.

The imprisoned suffragists, who became known as the Silent Sentinels, suffered torturous treatment that was the “turning point” in the suffrage fight, hence the name of the memorial.

“Our mission for this memorial was to educate, inspire, and empower present and future generations,” Nancy Lyons Sargeant, president of the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial Association, said in a statement.

The Turning Point Suffragist Memorial was developed under the guidance of Edith P. Mayo, curator emerita for political history at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Framed by a section of the White House fence that dates to the late 1800s, the memorial reveals milestone moments in the suffrage story, from the earliest denials of women’s civil rights, through statewide suffrage campaigns, to the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

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The memorial will likely be fully opened to the public in June. The developers still need to put in place a bridge that is not expected to be completed until after the dedication.

“Millions of women fought for more than seven decades to secure the right to vote. And in the decades since, millions more have given of themselves to ensure that the 19th Amendment extends — and continues to extend — to every woman. It is the passion and perseverance of these women, and of all those who worked so hard to make the memorial a reality, that we honor here,” said Patricia Depew Wirth, executive director and CEO of the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial Association.

The memorial was designed by Robert E. Beach Architects LLC. Three life-size bronze statues, donated by the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission and designed by sculptor Matt Glenn, reflect the images of Alice Paul, co-founder of the National Woman’s Party and author of the Equal Rights Amendment; Mary Church Terrell, co-founder of the NAACP and noted suffrage lecturer and professor; and Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and founder of the League of Women Voters.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance at the formal dedication, which will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, will be limited. The event will be livestreamed on the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial Facebook page.