The City of Auburn has received two historical markers as part of the National Votes for Women Trail program. The two markers that will be installed in Auburn recognize the women’s suffrage activism of two historically significant women from Cayuga County, Eliza Wright Osborne and Emily Howland.
1. Denoting the location of the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union building founded by Eliza Wright Osborne and will be installed on South Street in front of the Equal Rights Heritage Center.
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation® is committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of community history; and working to improve the probability of finding appropriate donor matches or other life-saving treatments for blood cancer patients. Established by Trustee Bill Pomeroy in 2005 to bring together his two greatest passions, the Pomeroy Foundation is a private, philanthropic organization located in Syracuse, N.Y. As the nation’s leading funder of historic roadside markers, the Pomeroy Foundation has awarded over 1,700 grants for markers and bronze plaques in 46 states.
On Friday, June 10, 2022, at 3 p.m. the City of Auburn will be hosting an unveiling ceremony for these two historical markers. The afternoon ceremony will feature invited speakers from the City of Auburn, the Osborne Family, the Howland Stone Store Museum and others. The ceremony will be held at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn and is free and open to the public.
The two historical markers to be dedicated are as follows:
2. Denoting the location of the Cayuga County Political Equality Club which was located at 9 Exchange Street, this organization was founded by Emily Howland who served as President, and Eliza Wright Osborne who served as Vice President. This marker will be installed on the north end of the Exchange Street Plaza in downtown Auburn.
The National Votes for Women Trail is sponsored by the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites. The trail seeks to recognize and celebrate the enormous diversity of people and groups active in the struggle for women’s suffrage. The two markers to be dedicated in Auburn join a program of historic markers for about 250 women’s suffrage sites across the country. This program was funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation and the federal Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission.