Program

National Votes for Women Trail

Subject

People

Location

380 Jenissa Dr, West Chester, PA 19382, USA

Lat/Long

39.932414598421, -75.624741302771

Grant Recipient

National Collaborative for Women's History Sites

Farmer and suffragist, Jean Kane Foulke once lived in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Born in 1867 and raised in Delaware, Jean Kane Foulke turned to farming after the tragic death of her husband. In addition to successfully running her own farm, she was an advocate for rural people and a suffragist, as indicated in the October 14th 1914 edition of the Evening Ledger. Foulke made the following statement:

What will help the country schools the most is for country women to have the vote.  If we can’t have the schools and clubs in the social centres, we can at least have the polls.

Despite the opposition towards women’s suffrage, she never lost sight of its importance, recognizing the difference that women could make. During the First World War, the Pennsylvania branch of the National American Woman Suffrage Association sought Foulke’s services to aid the U.S. government by increasing the country’s food supply for the war effort. Agricultural training in farming practices were held at her Bala Farm for the Women’s Land Army throughout the duration of World War I. Through the efforts of individuals like Jean Kane Foulke and many others, women eventually gained the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.