Seneca Falls in Seneca County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Stanton's Busy World
The landscape in front of you looked vastly different in Elizabeth Cady Stanton's day. Instead of a serene lake, mills and factories lined the much narrower Seneca-Cayuga Canal and Seneca River. Canal boats plied the waterways; trains on the Auburn-to-Rochester railroad chugged along the opposite bluff.
When Stanton and her family traveled into town on the Seneca Turnpike, they joined herds of animals, coaches, and laden wagons-all of them kicking up choking clouds of dust.
The view of the industries hugging the canal, the Seneca River, and the Seneca Turnpike so familiar to Stanton disappeared under Van Cleef Lake in the 1915 upgrade of the canal system.
[Illustration caption reads]
Stanton's view of Seneca Falls to the west, c.1840.
Women's Rights National Historical Park
Welcome to one of the few national parks dedicated to a social reform movement-women's rights.
Here in Seneca Falls and Waterloo, in living rooms and on front porches, in private and public, a group of five women started a movement that would transform American society.
In 1848, those five women summoned reformers from across the northeast to the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls. For two days, as many as 300 women and men considered the role of women in a democratic society. They emerged with the Declaration of Sentiments-a document that shaped a reform movement for decades to come. Indeed, it continues today.
Women's Rights National Historical Park includes the Wesleyan Chapel and the homes of some of the movement's organizers-places where radical thought turned into enduring improvement for millions across the world.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels • Women. In addition, it is included in the Elizabeth Cady Stanton series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1915.
Location. 42° 54.8′ N, 76° 47.277′ W. Marker is in Seneca Falls, New York, in Seneca County. Marker is on Seneca Street east of Washington Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Seneca Falls NY 13148, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Chamberlain House (within shouting distance of this marker); Stanton's Grassmere (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to Seneca Falls (within shouting distance of this marker); Elizabeth Cady Stanton (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); We Will Accomplish Wonders (about 300 feet away); The Stanton House: Shaping a Reformer (about 400 feet away); Fourth Ward School (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mynderse Academy (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Seneca Falls.
Also see . . .
1. Welcome to Seneca Falls. City website homepage (Submitted on June 29, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Women's Rights National Historical Park. National Park Service website entry (Submitted on June 29, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 19, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 29, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 181 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 29, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.