Judy Hart has Published:
A National Park for Women’s Rights: The Campaign that made it happen
A Behind-the-Scenes Look
Founding Superintendent Judy Hart’s book is a behind-the-scenes look at the struggles to create a women’s rights park in Seneca Falls New York, against all odds.
The book is published by Cornell University Press
Hard copies are $28.95, e-books are $13.99
Reviews
“Hart's tale ranges from when female park rangers were still issued mini-skirts to their triumph in securing a national park. Despite freak storms, collapsing walls, bureaucratic ennui, and partisan infighting, they prove Margaret Mead's dictum, 'a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.’”
Elizabeth Cobbs, author of Fearless Women
“Judy Hart's perseverance in pressuring the National Park Service to rescue the remnants of the 1848 women's rights convention equals that of the founding suffragists. Her chronicle is a candid, courageous lesson in civics and self-discovery.”
Elisabeth Griffith, author of Formidable
“A richly detailed and engaging account of how a visionary woman, together with a committed community, allies in the government and sheer luck created the first national women's rights park –changing the National Park Service and suffrage history in the process.”
Sally Roesch Wagner, editor of The Women's Suffrage Movement
About the Author
Visionary Founder and first superintendent
Judy Hart
Judy Hart founded the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, New York. She was also the founding superintendent for the Rosie the Riveter / World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California. She is a 1963 graduate of the Arts College at Cornell University.
Judy would be delighted to meet and talk with your organization.
about The
Book
A National Park for Women's Rights
A National Park for Women's Rights chronicles a little-known story in American history: the establishment of the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, New York; the first "idea park" in the National Park system. As told by Judy Hart, its visionary founder and first superintendent, the park's story is one of struggle and perseverance, opposition and solidarity.
Hart narrates the uphill battle she fought to secure the park's location—on the site of the first women's rights convention in 1848—and to gain respect for the idea of a park dedicated to women's rights from 1978, when she first championed its creation to the triumphant moment in 1982 when the park opened its doors, and following years.
Hart's journey highlights the prejudices and resistance that she faced, like other women who have advocated for themselves, their rights, and their place in America. Going behind the scenes of the park's planning and the negotiations, conflicts, and collaborations that shaped the final vision, A National Park for Women's Rights highlights the contributions of Park Service officials, politicians, and interested citizens in Seneca Falls, despite opposition from within and beyond the Park Service.
An inspiration and rallying cry for women (and their male allies) to tell their stories and claim their place in American history, A National Park for Women's Rights also offers a model for public history activism. No matter how daunting the opposition to such acts of historical memory-making are, Hart's experiences remind citizen-activists to dream, organize, and persist.