Justice Bell Foundation
Reclaiming Women's History ~ Highlighting Women's Contributions ~ Promoting Voter Participation
The Justice Bell and the Fight for the Vote
Pennsylvania Women and the Expansion of Democracy
Panel Four: The 1915 Justice Bell Tour
Follow the Justice Bell’s journey across Pennsylvania during the 1915 suffrage campaign.
The tour officially began on June 23, 1915, in Sayre, a small town in Bradford County along Pennsylvania’s northeastern border, where a large crowd gathered in Howard Elmer Park for the ceremonial sendoff of the Justice Bell’s tour of the state. Katharine Ruschenberger formally presented the bell to the state’s women, and Jennie Bradley Roessing, president of the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association, accepted it on their behalf.
The months-long journey would take the bell and the suffragists accompanying it through small towns and large cities, over mountains, and across miles of farmland. Residents across Pennsylvania were on alert, ready to welcome the two-thousand-pound bronze bell with its chained clapper.
Th tour concluded in West Chester, Chester County, on October 30, 1915, in West Chester, where the suffragists anxiously awaited the results of the November 2 election.
For a full account of the 1915 Justice Bell Tour, including photographs, newspapers articles, the route, and biographies of the women who delivered speeches from the bell trucks platform, consult The Justice Bell: Tracing the Journey of a Forgotten Symbol by Amanda Owen and published by the Justice Bell Foundation. The Justice Bell is available on Amazon and other online retailers and bookstores. Read the description and reviews here.
Special Note
Information and images provided on the panel and this corresponding website page are intended for personal and classroom use only. The information and its presentation remain the intellectual property of the authors, in partnership with the Justice Bell Foundation, and may not be reproduced, republished, distributed, or otherwise used for commercial or other purposes without permission.
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Explore the Exhibit
As you move through the exhibition, you'll explore the story of the Justice Bell, the women who fought for voting rights, and the movement that helped expand American democracy. We invite you to consider not only how the vote was won but also why civic participation continues to matter today.
In 1913, Erie hosted one of Pennsylvania’s first suffrage parades when local women helped energize the statewide campaign for votes for women.
Panel Two: Pennsylvania Women Organize
Discover the statewide network of women and organizations that organized meetings, rallies, publications, and public events to advance the campaign for women's suffrage.
Panel Three: Creating a Woman’s Liberty Bell
Learn how Pennsylvania suffragists created the Justice Bell, a powerful symbol modeled after the Liberty Bell.
Panel Four: The 1915 Justice Bell Tour
Follow the Justice Bell’s journey across Pennsylvania during the 1915 suffrage campaign.
Panel Five: The Justice Bell Rings
After a long struggle for voting rights, the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 marked a historic victory for women’s suffrage.
Panel Six: We Stand on Their Shoulders
Meet some of the remarkable women whose courage and determination helped secure voting rights for women and strengthen American democracy.
