Massillon will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment Wednesday night by illuminating downtown in purple lights. The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, and purple was a color suffragists frequently used.
Massillon is joining a nationwide celebration called Forward into Light that is highlighting landmarks of the movement in purple and gold lights.
Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator Margy Vogt said Massillon played a key role in the movement.
“Even though Massillon has the reputation of football and factories, we were a hotbed of women’s rights back in the day,” she said.
Vogt said Massillon native Caroline McCullough Everhard was president of the Ohio Women’s Suffrage Association and helped get women the right to vote in school and municipal elections.
The Massillon Museum currently has a display showcasing Everhard and other Massillon suffragists.
