Local County Historian Linda Moss Mines will portray Abby Crawford Milton
The League of Women Voters of Chattanooga will hold a dedication ceremony on Friday at 11 a.m. to celebrate suffragist Abby Crawford Milton’s work across the state to campaign for passage of the 19th amendment, ultimately winning women the right to vote. The ceremony will be held in Philips Park at the corner of McCallie and Georgia Avenues where Ms. Milton’s historical marker stands. The celebration includes the installation of a plaque and park bench donated by the league.
Guest speaker, Linda Moss Mines, Chattanooga and Hamilton County historian, will portray Abby Crawford Milton in character before the masked gathering where many will be dressed in white to honor suffragists whose mission was to expand the right to vote.
Women, over a wide span of history dating back to 1848, have fought for the right to vote and Chattanooga's own Abby Crawford Milton stands prominently among them as a leader in America's women suffrage movement and the battle for the 19th Amendment.
Ms. Milton, a graduate of Chattanooga Law School and the first president of the Tennessee League of Women Voters, traveled the state campaigning for the women's vote, which was finally ratified on Aug. 18, 1920. She spoke of the enormity of the moment. "It seemed too dramatic to happen in real life, but this was the real thrill of history-making, not the excitement of stage or movies. Personally, I had rather have had a share in the battle for woman suffrage than any other world event. It is the purest American patriotism.”
League leader Lisa Bilbrey Hyder, who worked to enable this memorial, says the plaque and bench donated to Chattanooga’s Philips Park were funded by the generosity of league members and friends of the league. "This project to honor Abby Crawford Milton, the 19th Amendment, as well as the creation of the League of Women Voters of Tennessee, became a reality because those who support the league's mission to expand the vote wanted to come together to acknowledge her legacy. We're so grateful to those who contributed." Ms. Bilbrey Hyder also thanked the city of Chattanooga parks department for working in partnership with the league to enable this memorial's installation.
Members are welcome to join the Chattanooga Bar Association, the DAR and members of county government as they walk to the courthouse to celebrate Constitution Day, following this event.
This dedication ceremony will be rescheduled in the case of rain. Masks are strongly encouraged.