National Votes for Women Trail Marker Installed at Eden Park

On March 25, Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati Parks and the Harriet Beecher Stowe House held a dedication ceremony for three historic markers on the National Votes for Women Trail. The markers, funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, honor Cincinnati suffragists Cornelia Cassidy Davis, Margaret and Elias Longley and Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell.

Cincinnati Parks couldn’t be more excited to welcome one of three historic markers on the National Votes for Women Trail to our historic Eden Park. We’re thrilled to see this collaboration come together as a symbol for diversity, inclusion and equity, all of which we strive for at Cincinnati Parks. This National Trail represents how far we have come thanks to trailblazers like Cornelia Cassidy Davis. It is also a reminder of how far we still have to go in realizing equality throughout our country and the world, where so many men and women alike still struggle and fight for their freedom to vote.

Our Cornelia Cassidy Davis marker is located at the top of Elsinore Steps in Eden Park, the most direct pedestrian route to the Art Academy and Art Museum during the years Davis lived in downtown Cincinnati. Mrs. Davis learned her craft at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and she also exhibited her work at the Art Museum, as a student, a solo artist, and as a member of the Women’s Art Club of Cincinnati and the Society of Western Artists. She is the artist who created the iconic “Let Ohio Women Vote” artwork for the 1912 Ohio woman suffrage campaign.

The Cincinnati Park Board also has another direct connection with the suffrage movement in the relevant time period – Irwin M. Krohn was not only a heavily influential member of the Board of Park Commissioner’s from 1912-1948, but he was also an active member of Ohio’s Men’s League for Woman Suffrage.

This project would not be possible without our partners at Fifth Third Bank, Harriet Beecher Stowe House, William G. Pomeroy Foundation, Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Kearney and the entire City of Cincinnati and the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites. 

We encourage you to make time to visit Eden Park and visit the new Cornelia Cassidy Davis marker.