On Sunday, May 22, 2022 from 1 to 3 p.m., the League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County will celebrate the installation of a Pomeroy Heritage marker honoring Helen Morris Lewis at the Patton Parker House, 95 Charlotte Street, Asheville. The public is invited to attend.
Helen Morris Lewis, a pioneer in the woman suffrage movement, organized in Asheville the first woman's rights association in the state of North Carolina in 1894.
In commemoration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed women’s right to vote, the Pomeroy Foundation and the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (NCWHS) have partnered to launch a marker program identifying individuals and events connected to the history of women’s suffrage. The NCWHS markers awarded through the Pomeroy Foundation’s grant program highlight sites on the National Votes for Women Trail. At this time, the Helen Morris Lewis marker is one of three that has been awarded to the state of North Carolina.
On November 15, 1894, Helen sponsored a public gathering at the Asheville court house to discuss women’s suffrage. The program featured speeches by Miss Lewis and Asheville mayor Thomas W. Patton, and sparked spirited debate about women and their right to vote. Five days later, on November 20, 1894 a meeting was held at Mayor Patton’s home on Charlotte Street and the North Carolina Equal Suffrage League was organized with Helen elected president and with Mayor Patton elected treasurer.
In the century’s closing decade, Helen Morris Lewis traveled with her suffrage message throughout the Carolinas and Georgia, addressing large audiences and sponsoring nationally prominent lecturers. She represented North Carolina at annual conventions of the National American Women Suffrage Association and spoke at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Woman Suffrage in 1896. In 1899, Helen became the first woman in North Carolina to seek an elective office when she ran for the position of superintendent of waterworks for the city of Asheville.
A brief ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. with the marker dedication. Jo Nicholas, President of the League of Women Voters of North Carolina, will provide greetings and Katherine Calhoun Cutshall, Pack Memorial Library Collections Manager of the Buncombe County Special Collections, will highlight some of Helen’s accomplishments. Helen’s great-grandnephew and great-grandniece will attend along with other family members.
The Patton Parker House and grounds will be open to visitors. A display in the Patton home highlighting the contribution of Helen Morris Lewis and Mayor Thomas W. Patton to the suffrage movement will be available along with the LWVAB suffrage exhibit.
As a special treat, Girl Scout cookies will be the featured refreshment in recognition of the Girl Scouts Peaks to Piedmont Council who, working with the LWVAB, recently approved a Helen Morris Lewis Girl Scout patch
