The Justice Bell’s Visit to Montgomery County: 1915 and Today

The Justice Bell in 1915

After a brief visit on October 15, the Justice Bell returned to Montgomery County on October 18, beginning its final leg through the region before heading to Philadelphia. The bell party made stops in Feasterville and Hatboro that day, greeted by enthusiastic crowds eager to catch a glimpse of the now-iconic suffrage symbol. Despite warm receptions in many towns, the campaign faced a markedly different atmosphere in Lansdale and Montgomeryville. These towns offered the chilliest receptions of the entire tour, with disapproving residents showing visible resistance to the suffrage cause. Mrs. Gertrude Breslau Fuller, one of the campaign's key speakers, nevertheless delivered impassioned addresses, highlighting the importance of equal wages and improved working conditions for women. On October 22, the bell party traveled through the Main Line towns, including Ardmore, where the suffragists were photographed on Lancaster Ave. 

Suffragist Spotlight
Gertrude Breslau Fuller

Gertrude Breslau Fuller, a lawyer and writer, joined the Justice Bell party as a speaker in September 1915 in Lackawanna County and stayed with the tour through October, giving her last speech in Montgomery County. A socialist, she largely focused on labor issues, particularly the importance of women receiving equal pay for equal work. Fuller practiced law in Chicago, but became disillusioned by the court system. She told a reporter in 1904, “I soon learned that the courts are simply a strainer. They sift out the small fry, who usually get nothing for lack of funds to carry cases up. That conviction led me to a study of economic justice. I am now finishing up my last cases, and will devote all the energy of heart, body and soul to pointing the way to industrial freedom for all classes.”

An effective and compelling speaker, Fuller debated the leading anti-suffrage leader, Mrs. Oliphant of New Jersey, in Scranton, Pennsylvania.  Later, she traveled to Luzerne County to join Wilkes-Barre’s first suffrage parade, where 500 women and girls marched.

Returning in 2026

More than a century later, we returned to Montgomery County on March 27, 2026 for the 2026 Community College LINK online conference, Beyond Algorithms: The Human Future of Libraries. Nicole Miron Maugle, Director of Libraries at Montgomery County Community College (MCCC), and I spoke about the benefits of nonprofit/community college partnerships in a presentation, Justice Literacy: The 3-Year Partnership Between the Justice Bell Foundation and Montgomery County Community College.

Our partnership with Montgomery County Community College began on August 5, 2024, when our Justice Bell replica began a three-year residency at the college. In addition to our own programs, the bell brought attention from the community to the history of the Pennsylvania women’s suffrage movement.  A program about the Nineteenth Amendment took place on September 17, 2025, featuring a Constitution Day panel discussion co-sponsored with the Montgomery County Bar Association.

A highlight of our partnership with MCCC: the college has established an official archive documenting the history of the Justice Bell. ​​This partnership includes two collections: The Justice Bell 1915 Collection and The Justice Bell Foundation 2015 Collection. These archives will be available to students, employees, and community members after the Justice Bell Replica departs for future residencies. Archivist Lawrence Greene will oversee the collections. 

Beginning in the summer of 2027, the Justice Bell Replica will be available for new exhibition residencies.

Continue the Journey
Our next stop is at the Montgomery County Community College Blue Bell campus on April 21, 2026, for two exciting events: A book signing and talk for my new book, The Justice Bell: Tracing the Journey of a Forgotten Symbol, and a Suffrage Song Contest Awards Ceremony. The Justice Bell Foundation is honored to serve as a judge for this contest, and we look forward to presenting the winners with a copy of the book in addition to the college’s cash prizes. The songs are poignant and beautiful, and we look forward to sharing some of them with you.

Follow the 2026 Justice Bell Tour
Learn more about the tour on our website.

• View the Justice Bell Foundation tour page
• See the full schedule of events
• Learn more about the documentary Finding Justice: The Untold Story of Women’s Fight for the Vote
• Read the book The Justice Bell: Tracing the Journey of a Forgotten Symbol

Join us as we follow the path of the Justice Bell and explore the remarkable history it represents in Pennsylvania’s fight for women’s suffrage.

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Philadelphia and the Justice Bell: 1915 and Today

The Justice Bell in 1915
On October 22, the Justice Bell reached Philadelphia. It was welcomed at Overbrook Station by officials from numerous suffrage organizations before being escorted downtown. That evening, the bell led the grand Festival of Light parade, where eight thousand suffragists and their supporters marched along Broad Street in a dazzling torchlight procession. With its clapper still tied to symbolize women’s lack of political voice, the Justice Bell rested on a flower-covered float pulled by one hundred young women in flowing white garments adorned with yellow daffodils. The parade ended at the Academy of Music, where thousands gathered for a mass meeting while overflow crowds held a separate rally outside.

Suffragist Spotlight
Jennie Bradley Roessing

Elected president of the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association (PWSA) in 1912, Jennie Bradley Roessing became an effective leader of the state’s suffrage movement. Working closely with Hannah Patterson, she lobbied legislators and traveled throughout Pennsylvania between 1913 and 1915, supporting local organizers and delivering speeches advocating for women’s suffrage. As PWSA president, Roessing oversaw the 1915 Votes for Women campaign, which included the Justice Bell tour. She accompanied the bell during part of its journey and at times even drove the truck that carried it.

Returning in 2026

More than a century later, we returned to Philadelphia on March 26, 2026, at the invitation of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Ben Remsen, Library Supervisor of the Social Science & History Department, introduced me. After my short introduction about the Justice Bell Foundation, the film began.

The discussion after the film was invigorating as we explored the history of the Justice Bell, the women’s suffrage movement, the erasure of women’s history, and how children contribute to movements for equality, among many other issues.

I was honored to see Charlene Mires in the audience. She is Professor Emerita of History at Rutgers University and co-editor of Greater Philadelphia: A New History for the Twenty-First Century, a three-volume publication from the University of Pennsylvania Press. I recognized her because I had recently seen her on a C-SPAN program where she was joined by Howard Gillette, her co-editor, for a conversation at the American Philosophical Society.

Also in attendance was Kathie Jiang, Program Coordinator for the Association for Public Art, an organization established in 1872 by citizens who believed that art could play a role in a growing city. I was heartened by the enthusiasm of Sophia Lee, Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Committee on Women in the Profession, as we spoke about the possibility of working together in the future.

I am grateful to Kathleen Kelly, Justice Bell Foundation board member, and my friend Arlene Kramer, who helped with logistics, including book sales.

Continue the Journey
Our next stop is an online event on March 27, 2026. Nicole Maugle, Director of Libraries at Montgomery County Community College, and I will present our partnership project, Justice Literacy: The 3-Year Partnership Between the Justice Bell Foundation and Montgomery County Community College, at the 2026 Community College LINK online conference, Beyond Algorithms: The Human Future of Libraries.

Follow the 2026 Justice Bell Tour

Learn more about the tour on our website.

• View the Justice Bell Foundation tour page
• See the full schedule of events
• Learn more about the documentary Finding Justice: The Untold Story of Women’s Fight for the Vote
• Read the book The Justice Bell: Tracing the Journey of a Forgotten Symbol

Join us as we follow the path of the Justice Bell and explore the remarkable history it represents in Pennsylvania’s fight for women’s suffrage.

Sign up to follow our blog here, and we'll notify you when a new post is published.

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Macungie and The Justice Bell: 1915 and Today

The Justice Bell in 1915
The Justice Bell reached Lehigh County on August 26, beginning its visit with a stop in Palmerton. The suffrage movement received strong support as several industrial plants gave workers time off to attend the celebration. The meeting, presided over by Rev. G. W. Royer, emphasized the importance of enfranchising women and inspired the attendees with its message. From Palmerton, the bell made its way to Allentown on August 27 where 1,500 people crowded Centre Square to hear speeches by Emma MacAlarney and Elizabeth McShane.

Suffragist Spotlight
Emma Lenore MacAlarney

Emma MacAlarney was born in 1871 in Harrisburg to an affluent family; her father was an attorney and her uncle the editor and publisher of the Harrisburg Telegraph. She used her advantages in life to advocate for women’s suffrage. A gifted public speaker, she joined the Justice Bell tour in July in Forest County and remained with it for the rest of the journey, delivering speeches throughout the state.

The Daily Republican, a Phoenixville newspaper, reported on a speech she delivered, “Miss Emma L. MacAlarney, of Harrisburg, did not disappoint the local suffragists last night. Her unusually excellent delivery attracted an audience of several hundred people, and her clear convincing argument held them all interested until she finished. She is an exceptionally talented speaker, and is devoted heart and soul to the cause, so her sincerity as well as her brilliant mind makes her unusually persuasive.”

Returning in 2026
More than a century later, we returned to Lehigh County on March 21, 2026, at the invitation of the Lower Macungie Township Historical Society. Board member Debbie Stoner organized the event. We gathered at Lower Macungie Township Community Center to watch Finding Justice: The Untold Story of Women’s Fight for the Vote, which was followed by a discussion about the bell and Pennsylvania women’s leadership in the suffrage movement.

I was thrilled to see Mary Kay Liptak there. She had written an article whose headline appears in our film. “Hidden Bell at Valley Forge: Symbol of Suffrage Movement,” was published in the Norristown Times Herald, May 7, 1977. Her article begins, “Hidden from the tourists’ view by its isolated position and denied proper recognition is one of the most important relics of history pertaining to the fight for women’s suffrage in Pennsylvania.”

An audience member had a question that is often asked: “I have seen the word suffragette, but I noticed in the film that you referred to the women as suffragists. What is the difference?”

First, the word suffrage means the right to vote. Suffragist refers to a person (men and women) who supports extending voting rights especially to women.

Suffragette is a British term for women who fought in Britain for voting rights by using both peaceful and militant means to achieve their aim, including throwing bricks through windows, speaking in public squares, and conducting hunger strikes when they were imprisoned.

Americans referred to themselves as suffragists. They wanted some distance from their more militant British sisters. When people called American suffragists suffragettes, it was meant as a slur to mock them. But sometimes, just as today, unfamiliarity with the terms led newspapers to use them interchangeably.

Highlights from the Event

    

1. Lower Macungie Township Community Center
2. Event poster
3. Amanda Owen and Lower Macungie Township Historical Society board members, Debbie Stoner, Lee Lichtenwalner, and Vice President Anne Bartholomew, in front of the Lower Macungie Township Community Center

Continue the Journey
Our next stop on March 26, will be at the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Follow the 2026 Justice Bell Tour
Learn more about the tour on our website.

• Learn about our 2026 Tour Blog
• View the Justice Bell Foundation tour page
• See the full schedule of events 
• Learn more about the documentary Finding Justice: The Untold Story of Women’s Fight for the Vote 
• Explore the book The Justice Bell: Tracing the Journey of a Forgotten Symbol

Join us as we follow the path of the Justice Bell and explore the remarkable history it represents in Pennsylvania’s fight for women’s suffrage.

Sign up to follow our blog here and we'll notify you when a new post is published.

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West Chester and the Justice Bell: 1915 and Today

 

The Justice Bell in 1915
On October 30, 1915, the jubilant but exhausted suffragists arrived at the courthouse in West Chester, Chester County, with their Justice Bell, its clapper chained and silenced until women had the right to vote. They had begun their journey on June 23, 1915, in Sayre, Bradford County. Now, at their final stop, they would wait for the November 2 election results to learn whether the men of Pennsylvania had voted to give the state’s women the right to vote.

West Chester was filled with symbolism. It had been the site of the state’s first women’s rights convention in 1852, just a few years after the Seneca Falls Convention, where the Declaration of Sentiments, modeled on the Declaration of Independence, had been written. And, it was the home county of Katharine Wentworth Ruschenberger.

Suffragist Spotlight
Katharine Wentworth Ruschenberger

"The bell signifies justice, and justice is the most important thing in the world today.” —Katharine Wentworth Ruschenberger
Louise Hall, the tour’s director, called Katharine Wentworth Ruschenberger their “fairy godmother.” A suffragist from Strafford in Chester County, Ruschenberger was the visionary who conceived of the Justice Bell, and paid for both the bell and the autotruck that carried it across Pennsylvania. Between 1913 and 1915, she tirelessly promoted the Justice Bell as a symbol of women’s suffrage. In 1915, she led the Chester County Woman Suffrage Party’s publicity efforts, and that same year at the age of sixty-two, she accompanied the Justice Bell during much of its statewide tour.

Returning in 2026
More than a century later, we returned to West Chester on March 19, 2026, as part of the Justice Bell Foundation’s 2026 statewide tour retracing the bell’s historic route across Pennsylvania. At the invitation of West Chester University’s Women’s Commission and the Cottrell Entrepreneurial Leadership Center, we gathered at Phillips Autograph Library for a lunchtime networking event.

Our program included a screening of Finding Justice: The Untold Story of Women’s Fight for the Vote, followed by a discussion about Pennsylvania women’s leadership in the suffrage movement and a book signing. Patricia Diggin, executive director of the Cottrell Entrepreneurship Center, hosted the event, and Nicole Stephenson of Narrativa Consulting introduced me and gave a wonderful introduction to the film. A highlight of the day was having Linda Texter Hall at the event. She is suffragist Louise Hall’s descendant-by-marriage and has been devoted to ensuring Louise’s contributions are acknowledged and celebrated.

It was wonderful to share the story of the Justice Bell with students, faculty, and community members who gathered at the library.

Highlights from the Event

  

  

1. Poster of event 

2. Amanda Owen and Linda Texter Hall, Louise Hall's descendant

3. Nicole Stephenson and Amanda Owen 

4.  Amanda Owen and Pattie Diggin

4. Tammy Williams and Amanda Owen 

5. Audience members watching the film

Continue the Journey
Our next stop, sponsored by the Lower Macungie Historical Society, will be at the Lower Macungie Township Community Center in Lehigh County on March 21st.

Follow the 2026 Justice Bell Tour
Learn more about the tour on our website.

• Learn about our 2026 Tour Blog 
• View the Justice Bell Foundation tour page
• See the full schedule of events 
• Learn more about the documentary Finding Justice: The Untold Story of Women’s Fight for the Vote 
• Explore the book The Justice Bell: Tracing the Journey of a Forgotten Symbol

Join us as we follow the path of the Justice Bell and explore the remarkable history it represents in Pennsylvania’s fight for women’s suffrage.

Sign up to follow our blog here and we'll notify you when a new post is published.

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Retracing the Justice Bell’s Journey Across Pennsylvania

In 1915, a one-ton bronze bell traveled across Pennsylvania with its clapper chained and silenced—a striking symbol of women’s exclusion from the democratic process. As the Justice Bell visited town after town, it drew large crowds, generated extensive newspaper coverage, and helped rally support for women’s voting rights in the years leading up to the Nineteenth Amendment.

I’m Amanda Owen, executive director of the Justice Bell Foundation. In 2026, as Pennsylvania marks the America’s 250th anniversary, I will visit the communities where the Justice Bell once stopped, sharing the stories of the bell and the women who traveled with the bell across the Commonwealth.

At each location, the Justice Bell Foundation will present a program, Pennsylvania Women and Their Fight for the Vote, which includes a screening of our 19-minute documentary, Finding Justice: The Untold Story of Women's Fight for the Vote, a discussion about Pennsylvania women’s leadership in the fight for the vote, and a book signing. These events highlight the role local communities played in this pivotal chapter of American history.

This blog will follow the tour, sharing information about the Justice Bell’s original 1915 visits along with photographs and newspaper accounts, as well as highlights from our 2026 events, including photos, videos, and local news coverage.

Our first stop will be at West Chester University on March 19.

Follow the 2026 Justice Bell Tour

Learn more about the tour on our website.

• View the Justice Bell Foundation 2026 tour page
• See the full schedule of events
• Learn more about the documentary Finding Justice: The Untold Story of Women's Fight for the Vote
• Explore the book The Justice Bell: Tracing the Journey of a Forgotten Symbol

Join us as we explore the path of the Justice Bell and the remarkable history it represents in Pennsylvania’s fight for women’s suffrage.

Sign up to follow our blog here and we'll notify you when a new post is published.

(Ignore the below "Subscribe to: Comment atom." That link does not work.)