The Justice Bell in 1915
Over the course of two days, the bell visited thirteen towns and drew large audiences. The goodwill carried into the final leg of the journey in Montgomery County, although the reception in Lansdale and Montgomeryville was noticeably cooler. Nevertheless, the speakers pressed on with impassioned speeches about how the vote would benefit both women and men.
Antoinette Funk, Gertrude Breslau Fuller, Dr. Mary Wolfe, and Adella Potter were the key speakers as the bell party made its way through the region.
Suffragist Spotlight
Adella Potter
Adella Emma Potter was born on July 8, 1876, in Brooklyn, New York. Both Adella and her sister, Eva Sherwood Potter, were active in the suffrage movement. In 1902, Potter earned a law degree from New York University. A gifted public speaker, she spent the following years traveling widely in support of women’s suffrage and was frequently quoted in newspapers.
In 1913, she attended Carrie Chapman Catt’s suffrage school and, later that year, rode a white horse as grand marshal of the Brooklyn parade, where the original plaster Justice Bell made its second appearance.
Potter was already a well-known and respected speaker in Pennsylvania when she joined the Justice Bell tour in August 1915. She gave speeches in Monroe County and remained with the bell party through the tour’s conclusion, delivering the final speech of the campaign in Chester County on October 30. Like many suffragists, Potter’s activism was shaped by her work in New York’s settlement houses, where she came to view the vote as essential to empowering poor women to demand better living conditions.
On November 6, 1917, women won the right to vote in New York, making it the first eastern state where men approved a women’s suffrage amendment. Afterward, she shifted her focus to the prohibition movement, joining the Anti-Saloon League to advocate for the Eighteenth Amendment. In 1922, Potter married William M. Potter (no relation), who had two children from a previous marriage. During the 1930s, the family relocated to New Jersey, where she became active in the League of Women Voters. She later moved to Florida, where she died on October 31, 1966, at the age of ninety.
Returning in 2026
.png)
More than a century after the Justice Bell Tour, I traveled to Schwenksville on August 22, 2026, at the invitation of Helene Zebrauskas, reference librarian at Perkiomen Valley Library in Schwenksville and Lee Ann Manning of the Schwenksville Borough Historical Committee. The program was held at the Schwenksville Borough Hall & Community Center.
I was thrilled that Paula Hogan could join us. She gave an excellent presentation featuring local suffrage history. In addition to her role as a public historian, Paula serves as the venue manager at the Sellersville Theater, a live music and comedy venue featuring national and international performers.
I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion that followed the film and presentations.
Many thanks to Helene Zebrauskas, Lee Ann Manning, Paula Hogan, and everyone who attended for contributing to such a memorable event.
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. You can read about the Justice Bell, the tour, and the suffragists in the sample pages on Amazon here: Sample pages
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 Johnstown on September 9, 2026, at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.
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.
Sign up to follow our blog here, and we'll notify you when a new post is published.
Suffragist Spotlight
Adella Potter
In 1913, she attended Carrie Chapman Catt’s suffrage school and, later that year, rode a white horse as grand marshal of the Brooklyn parade, where the original plaster Justice Bell made its second appearance.
Potter was already a well-known and respected speaker in Pennsylvania when she joined the Justice Bell tour in August 1915. She gave speeches in Monroe County and remained with the bell party through the tour’s conclusion, delivering the final speech of the campaign in Chester County on October 30. Like many suffragists, Potter’s activism was shaped by her work in New York’s settlement houses, where she came to view the vote as essential to empowering poor women to demand better living conditions.
On November 6, 1917, women won the right to vote in New York, making it the first eastern state where men approved a women’s suffrage amendment. Afterward, she shifted her focus to the prohibition movement, joining the Anti-Saloon League to advocate for the Eighteenth Amendment. In 1922, Potter married William M. Potter (no relation), who had two children from a previous marriage. During the 1930s, the family relocated to New Jersey, where she became active in the League of Women Voters. She later moved to Florida, where she died on October 31, 1966, at the age of ninety.
Returning in 2026
.png)
I was thrilled that Paula Hogan could join us. She gave an excellent presentation featuring local suffrage history. In addition to her role as a public historian, Paula serves as the venue manager at the Sellersville Theater, a live music and comedy venue featuring national and international performers.
I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion that followed the film and presentations.
Many thanks to Helene Zebrauskas, Lee Ann Manning, Paula Hogan, and everyone who attended for contributing to such a memorable event.
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. You can read about the Justice Bell, the tour, and the suffragists in the sample pages on Amazon here: Sample pages
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 Johnstown on September 9, 2026, at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.
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.
Sign up to follow our blog here, and we'll notify you when a new post is published.
