Finding Justice: Pennsylvania Women and The Fight for the Vote

In 1915, suffragists in Pennsylvania were looking for a way to drum up support for an amendment to the state constitution that would give women the right to vote. A referendum to approve such an amendment would appear on the ballot in the November election, so there was no time to waste. They needed to launch a campaign to win the hearts and minds of the male voters who would go to the polls. They needed to create some buzz.

That’s when Chester County activist Katharine Wentworth Ruschenberger came up with an idea. Why not make a replica of the Liberty Bell, one of the nation’s most enduring symbols of freedom, and drive it around the state on a multi-county tour? Throw in a few parades, some brass bands and an assortment of flags and banners, and who wouldn’t sit up and take notice?

The words Establish Justice were engraved on the bell and its clapper was chained to its side, not to be rung until women were silenced no more. The original Liberty Bell “announced the creation of democracy,” Ruschenberger said, and “the women’s Liberty Bell will announce the completion of democracy.”

This bell arrived in Crawford County twice during the summer of 1915, being greeted by over 1,000 people in Meadville's Diamond Park and again in Titusville a few weeks later!

All summer and up until Election Day, a detail of suffragists escorted the bell around the state on a flatbed truck. In town after town, crowds rushed out to witness the unusual spectacle amid fanfare and hype. Surely this gutsy effort would pay off.

Presented by the Amanda Owen, Executive Director of the Justice Bell Foundation, attendees of this free program, will enjoy:

• A screening of Finding Justice: The Untold Story of Women’s Fight for the Vote, a 19-minute award winning documentary

• A Q&A and discussion about Pennsylvania women’s contributions to the suffrage movement

• Short program by CCHS on Alice Bentley, first female State Representative in PA (from Crawford)

• A book signing and light refreshments afterwards at the Historical Society's headquarters (The James and Elizabeth Tarr Mansion) for The Justice Bell: Tracing the Journey of a Forgotten Symbol (available fall 2025)

Join us to learn about local connections in the struggle for the women's right to vote - and how this history is all around us today!

NOTE: Reservations are strongly encouraged as there is limited seating. We will be capping numbers to acomodate the space offered to us by the Crawford County Courthouse.

• The RDL Family Foundation
• Allegheny College
• City of Meadville
• Crawford County Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Crawford County Historical Society
• Wesbury Methodist Retirement Community
• Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative
• Howard Hanna Bainbridge Kaufman Real Estate
• Channellock
• ERIEBANK
• Seton Catholic School
• Highland Bed and Breakfast

Thank you for your generosity and support of our community’s history!

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Host or Publisher The Crawford County Historical Society