30th Annual Convention of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association, November 8-10, 1898
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The 30th Annual Convention of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association (NYSWSA) was held in Hudson, NY November 8-10, 1898. The General Worth Hotel was the conference headquarters and lodging, daytime events were held in the Opera House (then City Hall), and evening events occurred in the County Courthouse. Participants attended lectures and meetings about advancing the cause of women's suffrage.
Images
Pamphlet for the Thirtieth Annual Convention of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association, front cover
Pamphlet for the Thirtieth Annual Convention of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association, page 2
Pamphlet for the Thirtieth Annual Convention of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association, page 3
Pamphlet for the Thirtieth Annual Convention of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association, page 4
"Badge worn by a delegate to a suffrage convention held in Hudson, New York in November, 1898"
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"Reception in Honor of Visiting Women. New York State Woman Suffrage Association Convention, Hudson" Hudson Daily Register, Hudson, New York, November 8-10, 1898
"Reception in Honor of Visiting Women. New York State Woman Suffrage Association Convention, Hudson" Hudson Daily Register, Hudson, New York, November 8-10, 1898
"Grand Rally of Woman Suffragists." Daily Register, Hudson, NY, November 11, 1898
Mary Thayer Sanford (left) with Susan B. Anthony and Mary S. Anthony. Sanford opened the convention with a presentation of the minutes.
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Mariana W. Chapman, President of the NYSWSA, presented the Report of the Executive Committee at the 30th Annual Convention
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Isabel Howland, presented the Report of the Corresponding Secretary at the 30th Annual Convention
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Elnora M. Babcock, presented the Report of the Press Committee at the 30th Annual Convention
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Lillie Devereux Blake, President of the New York City Woman Suffrage League, offered an address titled "Mothers of Soldiers"
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Harriet May Mills, Chairman of the Committee on Organization, offered an address titled "A Matter of History"
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Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, offered an address titled "Women in English Political Life"
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Mary Hillard Loines, Chairman of the Legislative Committee
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Harriette A. Keyser, Chairman of the Industrial Committee, offered an address titled "Woman in War and Peace"
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Mary Seymour Howell, President of the Albany County Political Equality Club, offered an address titled "Stand Up and be Counted"
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Rev. Annis F. Eastman, offered an address titled "Why the Moral Reformer needs the Ballot"
Rev. Anna Howard Shaw offered an address at the 30th Annual Convention
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Historic photograph of the Hudson Opera House performance hall, not dated
The Opera House is at the left of this photograph
The Hudson Hall performance space prior to restoration (2016)
The Hudson Hall performance space prior to restoration
Renovated performance hall
Hudson Hall
The Worth Hotel
The Worth Hotel, 1969
"The Garden and Dining Terrace, The General Worth Hotel, Hudson, N.Y."
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Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Hudson, Columbia County, New York, showing County Courthouse, 1895
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Hudson, Columbia County, New York, showing City Hall (Opera House), 1895
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Hudson, Columbia County, New York, showing the Worth Hotel, 1895
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The New York State Woman Suffrage Association (NYSWSA) was organized in 1869 after the Fifteenth Amendment only granted the vote to men. Matilda Joslyn Gage organized the first state convention at Saratoga Springs, July 13-14, 1869 and the association held a convention annually after that. The annual convention was a strategy used by NYSWSA to bring together all the smaller societies throughout the state to work together to advance women’s suffrage in New York.
The Thirtieth Annual Convention occurred November 8-10, 1898 in Hudson, NY. The convention headquarters was The Worth Hotel on Warren Street with day meetings held at the Opera House (City Hall) and evening meetings at the Court House. The program included addresses by Mariana W. Chapman, Lillie Devereux Blake, Harriet May Mills, Annie E.P. Searing, Harriet Stanton Blatch, Mary Seymour Howell, Rev. Annis Ford Eastman, Harriette A. Keyser, and Rev. Anna Howard Shaw.
Hudson Hall was constructed in 1855 as the City Hall with additional offices for a bank, the police station, the post office, library, and a performance hall on the second floor. It was a trend in the late-nineteenth century for towns to have “opera houses” so Hudson Hall was renamed the Hudson Opera House and renovations were done to improve the performance space. Thus, when the NYSWSA held their 1898 conference, they held their meetings at the “Opera House.” The building was again called City Hall starting in the 1920s and used for that purpose until the 1960s when City Hall moved to a different building on Warren Street. Between 1962 and 1992 the building was vacant, fell into serious disrepair, and was eventually threatened with demolition. In 1992 a group of citizens came together to save and restore the building through a multi-million-dollar project. Renamed Hudson Hall at the Historic Hudson Opera House, the restored community space holds the distinction of being New York’s oldest surviving theater.
The courthouse used by the NYSWSA in 1898 no longer stands, but was located in the same location as the current courthouse. The courthouse used during the convention was constructed in 1835 as the third Columbia County Courthouse. It was destroyed by fire in 1900 and the fourth county courthouse was constructed in 1901. That courthouse also suffered a fire in 1907 and the current courthouse was built in 1908.
The General Worth Hotel was constructed in 1836-1837 and named after General William Jenkins Worth. It was the center of social life in Hudson and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, but fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1969.
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New York State Woman Suffrage Association. The Thirtieth Annual Convention of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association Convention, Hudson. New York State Woman Suffrage Association, New York City, New York, November 8-10, 1898. Online Text. https://www.loc.gov/item/rbcmiller001329/. Accessed November 1, 2021.
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Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Hudson, Columbia County, New York. Sanborn Map Company, Feb, 1895. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn05998_003/. Accessed November 1, 2021.