Women's History Month

President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the week of March 8, 1980 as Women's History Week. In 1987, a law was passed declaring March as Women's History Month.

Janetta R. FitzHugh (1866 - 1950) was the daughter of William Henry and Mary FitzHugh of Stafford. She became the treasurer of the woman's committee of managers for Mary Washington Hospital in 1901 and vice president of its executive board in 1915. In 1911 she organized the Fredericksburg Civic Betterment Club and was elected president. The Club's initial efforts focused on garbage collection and public health. When her friend Mary Johnston, a Virginia novelist and suffragist addressed the Literary Club of Fredericksburg in 1911, the local newspaper described the city as "the most conservative town in the south" on women's suffrage. FitzHugh and seven other women organized the Fredericksburg chapter of the Equal Suffrage League in 1912. Despite opposition, the League grew to 325 members by 1918. She held events at schools, churches and county fairs to educate people on women's issues. She was unable to convince local legislators to sponsor an amendment to the state constitution granting women the vote. A brother-in-law, Judge Richard Henry Lee Chichester, on the Supreme Court of Appeals, is said to have supported her. Unfortunately, she destroyed most of her records before she died. (Brent Tarter, Janetta R. FitzHugh (1866 - 1950) Dictionary of Virginia Biography, Library of Virginia, published 2018 ( http://ww.lva.virginia.gov/public/dvb/bio.asp?b=FitzHugh_Janetta_R, accessed 2/23/2020)

Butler Brayne Robinson Thornton Franklin's (1899- 2003) life is well-documented. Born in Nebraska, she lived at Fall Hill, her ancestral home for more than half her life. She also lived in California, New York, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Sweden, South Africa and China. Franklin and her husband, Lynn, a Foreign Service officer, retired to Fall Hill in 1948. After Lynn died, she focused her energy on women's issues and historic preservation. Franklin was elected vice president of the National Women's Party in 1960. She fought for pension benefits for spouses of Foreign Service employees. When she testified before Congress in 1971 in support of the Equal Rights Amendment, she represented suffragette Alice Paul. Through her efforts, Fall Hill is a Virginia Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. Susan Carr Rossi, photographer for the Free Lance-Star, said of Franklin when she photographed her on her 100th birthday in 1999, ". . .Butler Franklin has seen a century of change for women. With a voice that still resonates through a worn face and tired body, she entertains visitors with her stories from the past. A suffragette, diplomat's wife and supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment, Franklin reminds me of how lucky we are as women living today. Because of the courage and dedication of women like Butler Franklin, I can enjoy a life designed by me." (CRHC Clip File 2002-008-CF-110)

To learn more about the contributions of local women, visit the Heritage Center.