Rachel Lawton: Suffragist

This History Note shares the story of one Longmeadow woman's role in the fight for women's right to vote.

Recent reminders that 2020 marks the 100th Anniversary of women winning the right to vote are plentiful. Much is written of early pioneers of the movement Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Without question, their role in the long-fought movement is significant. But seldom told are the stories of the women who fought quietly for women’s voting rights in small towns like Longmeadow, MA. One such woman was Rachel Lawton (1885-1983) who lived at 100 Crescent Road.

Before suffrage, women were encouraged to use their domestic influence on whichever father, husband, brother, or brother-in-law they lived with as a way of expressing their social and political opinions. Rachel Lawton, an unmarried adult woman who lived with her parents, was active in the Springfield Equal Suffrage League, holding several executive board positions, and she was a leading member of a small group of women who made up the Longmeadow Equal Suffrage League who worked to spread the message of the movement to Longmeadow’s citizens. At her Crescent Road home, Rachel Lawton hosted many informational Suffrage Teas in hopes of sharing the movement’s mission and encouraging women to learn more about politics. Springfield newspapers would sometimes publicize the gatherings in advance, and then share reports that had been submitted to their social events column.

Springfield Republican- 1914

In 1914, Rachel and her mother Ruth were two of three women representing Longmeadow in Boston’s suffrage parade where 9000 women marched wearing broad yellow sashes and white hats with brims pinned up on one side with a yellow rose. In 1916, at the very first Eastern States Exposition, Rachel Lawton helped plan, organize and run the booth for the Springfield Equal Suffrage League. It was the commitment to the cause by private citizens like Rachel Lawton who helped to keep the issue in the public eye decades after the fight for equal suffrage had begun and despite countless state and federal defeats.

Contributed by Melissa M. Cybulski, Board Member, Longmeadow Historical Society

August 27, 2020

Alice F. Willard 1866-1946

Alice Faith Willard, daughter of Mason and Aurelia Coomes Willard, was born in 1866 and was a lifelong resident of Longmeadow. When she died in 1946 at nearly 80 years old, her estate was worth more than $600,000. Her passport is among the items donated to the Historical Society, and it shows her to be a world traveler well into her 60s.

She lived at 260 Longmeadow Street and sold part of the family property in 1941 for what later became Warren Terrace. She was a graduate of several art schools, and taught art in Longmeadow and Hampden schools. A newspaper article from the Springfield Republican on May 22, 1894 describes a "Public Day" celebrating the schools on "Old Longmeadow Street." It mentions "notable among the exhibits of school work was that of the pupils in free-hand drawing under the direction of Miss Alice Willard. This is the first year that drawing has been systematically taught in the Longmeadow schools, and the results are of a very promising character."

She never married, and in 1999, a family member donated dozens of pieces of her artwork, among them pencil or charcoal sketches, watercolors and oils. Her subject matter was mostly what was in her immediate surroundings: people she knew, local landscapes and flora. She drew scenes in Forest Park, Longmeadow and Mount Holyoke. She painted flowers, trees, landscapes and still lifes. Her skill drawing people was quite amazing--she drew children, the elderly, women in fancy hats, marble statues and nudes. What would Victorian Longmeadow have thought of that?

Contributed by Betsy McKee, Board Member, Longmeadow Historical Society

Originally published August 20, 2020

Sarah Storrs, 1832-1907

Today's History Note tells the story of an unsung hero of Longmeadow's cultural life, Sarah Storrs.

The Storrs name is a recognizable one in the life of Longmeadow’s residents today because of the important role of the Storrs Library in our community. But how did the library come to be called the Richard Salter Storrs Library? It may surprise some to learn that it is a woman, Sarah Storrs, who is behind the founding of Longmeadow’s town library.

Sarah Storrs circa 1844. Signing the letter 'A'

Sarah Storrs was born in 1832, the granddaughter of the town’s 2nd minister, Richard Salter Storrs. As a baby, Sarah lost her hearing after contracting whooping cough. Deafness and blindness were common results of many childhood illnesses in the days before vaccinations. At age eleven, Sarah was enrolled at the American Asylum for the Deaf in Hartford, CT. She was a bright student, and was asked to stay on as a teacher as well. On faculty was her brother, also named Richard Salter Storrs. Sarah and “Salter” were important faculty members at a time of incredible growth in the field of deaf education. Though they lived and worked in Hartford during school terms, the Storrs’ parsonage at 697 Longmeadow Street was always home.

Professor Richard Salter Storrs and his sister Sarah Storrs

Both teachers at the American Asylum for the Deaf in Hartford.

Photo credit: Archives/American School for the Deaf in West Hartford, CT

When Salter Storrs died in 1884, Sarah knew it was his wish to establish a town library with a permanent home. Sarah died in 1907 and upon her death, her will stated, "Desiring to perpetuate a name dear to my family for three generations I wish to establish The Richard Salter Storrs Library of Longmeadow.” She left the family’s land, house and a sum of $5000 to make that wish a reality. The town raised a matching $5000 and in 1910 the first Richard Salter Storrs Library opened. That first library building stands today in the parking at the rear of the current library building. Directly next door stands the Storrs House Museum, home of the Longmeadow Historical Society. Contact us to visit this museum of Longmeadow’s history and learn more about Sarah at an exhibit created in her honor.

Sarah Storrs/ Early 20th Century Exhibit

Storrs House Museum

Contributed by Melissa M. Cybulski, Board Member, Longmeadow Historical Society

Originally published August 13, 2020