Program

National Votes for Women Trail

Subject

House, People

Location

30 S Washington St, Easton, MD 21601, USA

Lat/Long

38.77362, -76.07602

Grant Recipient

National Collaborative for Women's History Sites

Located at 30 S Washington Street in Easton, Maryland is the former home of suffragist Mary Jenkins, who, along with fellow suffragist, Mary B. Dixon, organized local suffrage efforts in the Talbot County area from 1909 to 1916. Jenkins and Dixon led the Talbot County Just Franchise League in advocating for and promoting women’s right to vote. Dixon’s suffrage activity extended to the state level and continued until at least April 1919, when she was elected to the executive committee of the Just Government League of Maryland, a statewide suffrage organization working for women’s right to vote. As of 2022, Jenkins’ former residence was home to the Talbot County Historical Society Museum.

In June 1919, the United States Congress passed the Nineteenth Amendment, which would give women the right to vote once ratified by the necessary 36 states. Despite the efforts of Maryland suffragists like Jenkins and Dixon, the state rejected ratification of the amendment. However, by August 1920, 36 states had ratified the Nineteenth Amendment, securing women’s right to vote across the United States, including in the state of Maryland.