Election Day is just days away: Tuesday, November 5, 2024. In honor of electoral democracy, this week’s Flashback Photo shows the Beta Sigma Phi sorority’s commemoration in Chestertown’s 250th anniversary parade of the first women to vote in Maryland, in the Kent County town of Still Pond.
The sign carried by a marcher following behind the triumphant banner is in error. Fourteen, not 12, women from Still Pond registered to vote in 1908, after the town extended the franchise to any taxpayer over 21 year of age, including 2 African American women. Mary Jane Clark Howard, Anne Baker Maxwell, and Lillie Deringer Kelley cast their votes in a municipal election that year.
Disappointingly, Still Pond rescinded the right shortly thereafter, leaving women voiceless in elections for another 12 years, until the ratification of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920. Here in Maryland, it took a further 21 years for the General Assembly in Annapolis to put its stamp of approval on women’s suffrage, finally ratifying the amendment in 1941. The Historical Society urges everyone who has the right to vote to exercise that right. Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Kent County.
Many thanks to Nikki Strong and Betty Ann Strong, who emailed us about last week’s snapping turtle image. The man in the photo is Albert “Snooks” Strong. The boy is his son, and Nikki’s father-in-law, Albert “Buffalo” Strong, Jr. Betty Ann tells us the photo was taken in 1952 at Swan Point, in southern Charles County, Maryland, and that Snooks died in 1973 and Buffalo in 1977.
All are welcome at the Historical Society from 5 – 7 pm on November 1, when the identities of the community members in the SPACE exhibition will be revealed–including some conflicting information and some remaining gaps to fill. If you can help us record accurate information, or just want to see photos from Chestertown’s Hollywood film shoot, visit the Bordley History Center on First Friday, or any time before November 18.
Bill Anderson says
“Chestertown Flash Back”???? Seems far more like the article should be properly captioned “Still Pond Flash Back”. Certainly for whatever reason, it appears the parade recognizing “Women Voting” was held in Chestertown for whatever reason, but the written article correctly informs us that it was in Still Pond that Maryland women first voted. The article seems to imply that Still Pond may have been an organized muni9cipality with some sort of governing body which initially authorized women voting, but later rescinded that. Still POnd is not presently a municipality.