The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Cromwell memorial honors ‘true renaissance woman’
Emily Pierson commemorated with monument on national suffrage trail
CROMWELL — A monument was erected and dedicated to Emily Pierson, an advocate for women’s right to vote, on Main Street Tuesday as part of an effort to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
The memorial plaque is Connecticut’s first stop to be established as part of the National Votes for Women Trail. This trail consists of a series of historical markers dedicated to important figures and moments in the women’s suffrage movement. There are now close to 250 markers across the country.
The trail organization teamed up with the Cromwell Historical Society to organize this tribute to Pierson. Rebecca Bayreuther Donohue, director of living history for the historical society, said the tribute is well deserved.
“Emily Pierson, I think, is the most famous, most influential person to come from Cromwell,” Donohue said. “I’m happy she’s finally getting her due.”
The plaque was placed at 423 Main St., where Pierson’s childhood home still stands. Her family also owned the adjacent greenhouses now run by Cromwell Growers. She began her work with the suffrage movement in October 1909 after attending a talk on the subject in Hartford.
She then traveled the country advocating for women’s right to vote, often while driving the car she named “Votes for Women.”
“She wasn’t afraid to utilize all the freedoms women had already to gain more,” Donohue said.
Donohue said she admired that fact and how Pierson leveraged her privileged position to give others a voice.
“She always had something to say for the less fortunate,” Donohue said.
After the 19th Amendment passed in August 1920, Pierson pursued a medical degree. She was the only woman in her graduating class from Yale University. She then returned to Cromwell, where she served as the medical liaison and health director for Cromwell schools.
Connecticut’s Secretary of the State Denise W. Merrill attended the dedication ceremony, which took place at the Valor Green Veteran’s Memorial.
“She was a true renaissance woman,” Merrill said of Pierson.
Last year, Merrill formed a commission to establish celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. The pandemic delayed most of these plans, but Tuesday the celebration was able to take place.
“It changed America,” Merrill said. “It was evidence that voting rights could be expanded through grassroots efforts.”
State Rep. Christie Carpino, R-Cromwell, said Pierson proved “women belong wherever we want to be.”
State Sen. Matthew Lesser, D-Middletown, said the event made him think of his grandmother, who inspired his interest in public service. He reflected on how his grandmother grew up without the right to vote, but in her lifetime was eventually able to run for public office. He credited Pierson with making this possible.
“She’s an incredible person from right here in Cromwell,” Lesser said.
Cromwell Mayor Enzo Faienza said Pierson is just one of many women in the town’s history who have stood out.
“From our history, we’ve had so many women lead the way,” Faienza said. “I’m proud of this town.”
Merrill said this monument is the first of many that will become part of the nationwide National Votes for Women Trail. The next is a dedication to Elsie Vervane to be unveiled in Bridgeport in January.