America’s Best Idea: National Park Getaway

SENECA FALLS, NY – Come to this town on the Erie Canal and look straight-on
at a revolutionary.  You’ll see a firm jaw; a face intelligent and lined;
eyes that reveal passion; and a ruffled collar and a flowered bonnet tied
with a bow.

Martha Coffin Wright and the four other women who arranged the First
Woman’s Rights Convention in 1848, along with some of their male
supporters, stand in the visitor center of Women’s Rights National
Historical Park.  The group of bronze figures by sculptor Lloyd Lily
includes Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the authors of the Declaration of
Sentiments.  The writers and signers of this document affirmed the position
of Thomas Jefferson “that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good
thing.”  Their declaration amended the one that he had penned roughly
three-quarters of a century earlier.  The 19th-century reformers and rebels
“[held] these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created
equal” (emphasis added).

In addition to the bronze statues, see the exhibits and the park’s film.
Explore the Stanton House, a white farmhouse where Stanton, her husband,
and her children lived.  Park rangers offer guided tours that focus on
Stanton herself.  With a movement that parallels the transformation of the
First Woman’s Rights Convention from an idea nurtured by Stanton and others
to an actual gathering on July 19-20, 1848, visitors can head from
Stanton’s home to the Wesleyan Chapel, where the convention took place.
Although the chapel is undergoing preservation and rehabilitation until
spring 2010, ranger-led tours at this historic building put the convention
in context.

Park Superintendent Tina Orcutt says, “Women’s Rights NHP is a rare gem of
the National Park System, where a social movement that challenged the
definitions of freedom and equality was ignited. Visitors learn about the
women who launched the 72-year struggle for women’s suffrage. Having this
park featured as a getaway during the peak of the autumn season is a great
invitation to experience the richness of our nation’s history in full
color.”

You can also take in the park with your cell phone as a guide.  An audio
tour called Dial and Discover features five park locations where you will
meet dedicated, courageous individuals who rose up against their inferior
status and improved the lives of millions of people.

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Each week, National Park Getaways help people find new places to reconnect
with nature, history, family, and friends. To see previous getaways visit
www.nps.gov/getaways.