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 began traveling with the Justice Bell in July, joining the tour in
Forest County and remaining 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, “In spite of the threatening clouds, 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 an invigorating 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
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1. Lower Macungie Township Community Center
2. Event poster
3. Amanda Owen and Lower Macungie Township Historical
Society board members 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.
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