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

 The Justice Bell in 1915

Anti-suffrage sentiment flourished in numerous counties. Some men did not want women to vote because they were concerned that women would vote for prohibition and support child labor restrictions. Some men thought women weren't smart enough to vote. Some women thought the political sphere was too corrupt for women and argued that women held sufficient influence in their homes and families.

Although suffragists in most of these counties were able to develop strong grassroots organizations and brought out large crowds to welcome the bell in 1915, according to a researcher at the Schuylkill County Historical Society, Schuylkill County was not among them. (See below for more information about the bell and Schuylkill County.) Fortunately, the Justice Bell was once again taken on the road for a “Get out the Vote” campaign in 1924, when Katharine Ruschenberger and other members of the League of Women Voters embarked on a one-month, thirty-nine county tour as part of a "Get Out the Vote" campaign. Schuylkill County residents welcomed the Justice Bell on October 3 of that year. The Justice Bell: Tracing the Journey of a Forgotten Symbol provides details about this second statewide tour.

Suffragist Spotlight
Ida Porter Boyer

Schuylkill County native Ida Porter Boyer, active for more than thirty years in the women’s suffrage movement, was particularly influential on the national stage. In 1904, she represented Pennsylvania at the Thirty-Sixth Annual Convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association held in Washington, D.C. where she served as the Press Chair, Chair of Special Committees, and Editor of Progress. She was charged with preparing a bibliography of woman suffrage, and compiling and organizing the work of suffragists. In addition to her work in Pennsylvania, she worked on behalf of women’s suffrage in numerous states. She spent four years in Oklahoma (1906–1910) where she met Native American women and organized the Indian Woman’s Suffrage League. According to author J. R. Zane, her personal scrapbook contains numerous articles about Native Americans in addition to coverage about the suffrage movement. Her suffrage activism also took her as far west as Oregon and later to Louisiana, in addition to stints in Michigan, North Carolina, and Vermont.

After the certification of the 19th Amendment on August 26, 1920, Boyer worked on behalf of the Massachusetts League of Women Voters, helping women there to register to vote. 

A historical marker in Pottsville has been arranged for Boyer. The dedication will take place in September of this year.

Returning in 2026

More than a century after the Justice Bell Tour, I traveled to Schuylkill County on June 4, 2026, at the invitation of the Schuylkill County Historical Society. I first became acquainted with the staff there several years ago when I was seeking information about the Justice Bell’s tour through the county during the 1915 campaign. I had been tracing the path through Pennsylvania’s towns but could not find any information related to the tour. I communicated with Lee Singer, a researcher at the historical society, to see if she could find undigitized information in their archives. Ms. Singer, like so many researchers in the historical societies across the state, was extremely helpful. But alas, she could find no record that the bell had been in the county in 1915.  However, during a discussion following the film screening, an audience member, R. J. Zane, president of the Society, thought he had an article about the bell visiting the county. Stay tuned as I investigate whether the Justice Bell actually visited Schuylkill County during the 1915 campaign.

I met many wonderful people at the event, including the Executive Director Diana Prosymchak and Assistant Director Felica Wolf, who curated a fantastic exhibit about the textile mills of Schuylkill County. I was very happy to meet the aforementioned J. R. Zane, who wrote Ida Porter Boyer: Schuylkill County's Forgotten Suffragist, and Lisa Von Ahn, author of Mixed Emotions: Voices of Schuylkill County on Women's Suffrage. Both can be purchased through the Society, which has an extensive selection of books and other items. 

A special note: The Justice Bell: Tracing the Journey of a Forgotten Symbol now has full distribution and is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, other online retailers, and local bookstores.   

I will continue to bring autographed copies to our events, but feel free to order a copy in advance and bring it with you. I would be happy to autograph it.

Continue the Journey

Our next stop is in Wayne County on June 6, 2026, where a wonderful event sponsored by the Wayne County Historical Society is planned at Canal Park in Hawley.

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 continue to 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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