Tribute To Women's Suffrage Unveiled In Monmouth County

FREEHOLD, NJ – A commemorative garden and historical plaque, marking the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment that secured women the right to vote, were unveiled Thursday in Monmouth County.

The ceremony at the Monmouth County Elections Office at 300 Halls Mill Road in Freehold Township was attended by many county and local officials, including County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon, who spearheaded the plans for the memorial to the suffrage movement in the county.

“It is important to remember the suffragists who were determined to obtain voting rights for women,” said Hanlon. “In addition, this commemorative garden will remind us of how lucky we are as Americans to have the right to vote.”

To mark the 100th anniversary of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 2020, Hanlon's office had produced a brochure that explains the local suffrage movement, providing many historical details about the women's movement at the time.

For example, Ocean Grove was a center of property ownership by women and the temperance movement, as well as the suffrage movement. Shrewsbury's Quaker influence called for the "equality of souls." And there is a photo of a booth on the boardwalk in Asbury Park to promote women’s suffrage in New Jersey.

The brochure contains profiles of local women important to the suffrage movement as well, and is a great starting point for anyone who wants to learn more about the history of the suffrage movement and its figures on the national scene, as well, such as New Jersey activist Alice Paul. Paul was from New Jersey and was a major figure in the national suffrage movement.

The planning for the garden began with a groundbreaking ceremony two years ago on Aug. 26, 2020, the date which marked the 100th anniversary of the formal adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The construction of the project was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But it came to fruition with the ceremony on a beautiful morning in Freehold Township to officially open the garden to the public.

The garden features a sitting area and the plaque dedicated to the women who fought to demand equal voting rights, and references the important role that New Jersey and Monmouth County played in the women’s suffrage movement.

The area also features new towering flagpoles, as well as plantings surrounding an area constructed of paving stones.

"This project is two years in the making. We met here in August of 2020 for the groundbreaking of this garden and to see it come to life is inspiring,” said Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone.

“This project would not be possible without the vision of many county officials and employees, but I want to personally thank our County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon who spearheaded this project and the Monmouth County Department of Public Works and Engineering, and the Division of Buildings and Grounds for helping build this beautiful garden.”

The commemorative garden has been constructed outside the County Election Offices at 300 Halls Mill Road in Freehold Township so that the thousands of voters who come to the building can witness, learn and be inspired by the fight for voting rights, the county said.

“It is fitting that we pay tribute to the fight for voting rights at the county government
building where Monmouth County’s election offices are located,” said Hanlon.