Press

ALBANY, NY – A Charlton writer and regional historian will speak and sign copies of her new book, “Strength Without Compromise: Womanly Influence and Political Identity in Turn-of-the-Twentieth Century Rural Upstate New York” at the New York State Museum on Sunday, April18.

Teri Gay will present the free program at 1 p.m. in the Huxley Theater. Her book covers 30 years of research in Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties. It details the untold history of the rural suffrage movement, highlighting the ladies of the Easton Political Equality Club and how they embraced their femininity and womanly influence to win the vote in New York State in 1917. Susan B. Anthony and other noted suffragists of the tri-county region are also featured in this book. Copies will be available for purchase following the presentation.

Mrs. Gay has long had an interest in women’s rights and suffrage. Born and raised in Glens Falls, she has also lectured and written articles about industrial history, artists and sculptors of the Adirondacks, 19th century reformist movements, the Underground Railroad, and historic preservation. She is the former Malta historian and author/editor of “Malta Memories,” published in 2007.

The program is being held in conjunction with the Museum’s current exhibition, “Women Who Rocked the Vote,” on display in the lobby. The exhibition, which opened in March to celebrate Women’s History Month, honors the grassroots suffrage activities of the state and showcases the wagon used by Long Island suffragist Edna Kearns.

The State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Started in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

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