Monument Project
 

UNCOVERING WESTERN NEW YORK'S

Hidden History.

 
 
 

“The term “Hidden History” is used when the history of a hitherto neglected group begins to appear: as, for example, in the case of black history, women’s history, lesbian and gay history…The phrase is not simply used to describe the group’s emergence into mainstream history: it also has an explicit message that these groups have lacked a history because society has been unwilling to see them as a separate group with particular rights. Groups hidden from history are hidden for three reasons. They are hidden because of prejudices against the group in the past, because of modern prejudices; and because of the absence of records.”

Anne Lawrence, Women in England in 1500-1760: A Social History

 
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Honoring Women
in Public Spaces

 

Our built environment is filled with spaces that celebrate our male leaders. Our public places are often decorated with monuments that honor only our masculine heroes. Yet this is slowly beginning to change. In the past twenty years, monuments to women have been incrementally added to our cityscapes. Now Western New York will honor our pioneering women.

United States

8%

5,193 Public Statues
394 Statues to Women

Great Britain

17%

925 Public Statues
158 Statues to Women
(110 allegorical, 29 to Queen Victoria)

Buffalo, NEW YORK

2%

106 Public Statues
2 Statues to Women

US National Parks

2%

411 Parks
9 Parks Dedicated to Women

The Monuments

The first three statues honoring pioneering women from Western New York will be placed at Old Erie County Hall, 92 Franklin Street, Buffalo. These women trailblazers were leaders in their communities as well as the nation—their inspiring lives deserve to be celebrated.

 

LOUISE BLANCHARD BETHUNE, FAIA
aRCHITECT and pay equity advocate

The first professional woman architect in the United States, Louise Blanchard Bethune was a national leader in the architectural profession during the Gilded Age. A staunch advocate for equal pay for equal work, Bethune advocated for co-education and state licensure for the architectural profession. She elevated the design of schools before standards were developed.

MARY BURNETT TALBERT
Human and CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER

An internationally respected human and civil rights leader, Mary Burnett Talbert was a suffragist, preservationist and educator. She was a charter member of the Buffalo Phyllis Wheatley Club and later was elected president of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. She served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and headed its 1922 Anti-lynching campaign.

Geraldine “Gawö:sid-tah” Green longhouse leader & faithkeeper 

A devoted educator of her Haudenosaunee traditions, Sid-tah was one of the venerable fluent speakers of the Seneca language who shared her knowledge throughout the region, nationally and internationally. She was a leader in the Newtown Longhouse, serving as head women’s faithkeeper for the animal clans.

Monument Locations

 

The first three monuments honoring pioneering local women will be placed at Old Erie County Hall (92 Franklin Street, Buffalo) starting in November 2023 and completed in April 2024.