Iroquois County Historical Society, a non-profit organization, will sponsor a program on Elizabeth Cady Stanton at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 3, in the courtroom of the Old Courthouse Museum, 103 W. Cherry, Watseka.
Laura Keyes will portray Stanton and is well-known for portraying historic women and lecturing on historic topics since 2008. Keyes, a librarian, enjoys researching literary symbolism and was contracted to write a book on the subject. She’s been active in community theatre in Illinois and Wisconsin since 1999 and has served on the board of directors of Pec Playhouse Theatre. Currently, she is serving on the board of directors for the Wheels O’Time Museum, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association, the Association of Lincoln Presenters, and the Illinois Library Association. In her spare time, she is an avid baker and cat enthusiast.
For more than 50 years, Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought for equal rights for women. When she passed away in 1902, she left behind a legacy of her crusade for female equality and myriad writings, which would inspire feminists for more than a century. Keyes will perform as Stanton in 1866, when the Civil War is over but the battle for Women’s Suffrage is just beginning.
Launched by Stanton in 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York, the women’s suffrage movement grew into one of the most impassioned crusades in American history. This movement united women of all generations, backgrounds, and ideologies in the fight for the right for women to vote. Decades of organizing, petitioning, lobbying, protesting, and marching had to be done in order to build enough support for a constitutional amendment for the right to vote and for Congress to pass it.
Come hear a full story on Stanton in this free program. ICHS is a non-profit organization, but donations are gladly accepted, so more programs like this one can be presented.
ICGS is the group responsible for keeping the Old Courthouse Museum open to the public. Fundraisers are conducted throughout the year, with proceeds helping the group to keep up with maintenance, renovations, and repairs of the historical building.
For more information on the museum or ICHS, call 815-432-2215. The museum is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday, plus from 1-4 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month.