Groups Hail Legislation to Preserve Nationally Treasured Women's History Site

WASHINGTON – Today, National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and The Sewall-Belmont House & Museum commend Senator Mikulski (D-MD) for introducing legislation that would designate the Sewall-Belmont House a national park site.

“Senator Mikulski’s legislation is a major step toward ensuring our national parks continue to evolve and tell more diverse stories, including those about women’s history,” said Kristen Brengel, NPCA’s Senior Director of Legislation and Policy. “Alice Paul, one of the greatest women’s rights advocates and political strategists in American history, led the National Woman’s Party from this site which has historical, cultural, economic, and educational significance. The important history of the Sewall-Belmont House should be preserved for future generations as a national park.”

“On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff, we are honored and grateful to Senator Mikulski for her efforts to preserve and elevate women’s history,“ said Page Harrington, Executive Director of the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum. "The National Woman’s Party fought to expand our democracy through ratification of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. It is the history of this organization and its ongoing work to enhance women’s roles in society that makes us a national treasure, and I can think of no better way to elevate that story than through inclusion in the National Park System.”

Originally built more than 200 years ago, the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum located on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. has the most complete collection of suffrage and equal rights movement documents in America. Students, educators, and visitors from around the world continue to visit this historically significant site to learn about Alice Paul and American women influencing social change.

Full text of the bill to establish the Sewall-Belmont House National Historic Site (S.1975) can be found by clicking here.

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About the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA):
Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice for our national parks. NPCA and its more than one million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s natural, historical, and cultural heritage for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org