Passayunk in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Trial of Hester Vaughn

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 26, 2025

1. The Trial of Hester Vaughn Marker

Inscription. Precedent case of 1868 on the constitutional right to a jury of one's peers. Vaughn was convicted to hang by an all-male jury and sentenced to hang at Moyamensing Prison. Spearheaded by the Working Women's Assn., suffragists campaigned against the verdict because women were not represented on the jury. The campaign led Gov. John Geary to pardon Vaughn and raised awareness of inequities within the judicial system.

Erected 2025 by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Law Enforcement • Women. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.

Location. 39° 55.872′ N, 75° 9.717′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in Passayunk. It is on East Passyunk Avenue north of Dickinson Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1438 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia PA 19147, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

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this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania. It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Rosary and Saint Pio Prayer Garden (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Moyamensing Prison (about 300 feet away); Twin Smoke Shoppe (about 600 feet away); "Pat's King of Steaks" (approx. 0.2 miles away); Joey Vento (approx. ¼ mile away); Police Department Philadelphia (approx. ¼ mile away); Federal Street Burial Ground (approx. ¼ mile away); Augustine Falcione (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Philadelphia.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 26, 2025

2. The Trial of Hester Vaughn Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 28, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 54 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 28, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.