The Worcester Women’s History Project (WWHP) at Museum of Worcester invites you to celebrate Abby Kelley Foster’s birthday with us. This event is FREE and open to all. Refreshments will be served.

Abby Kelley Foster (1811-1887) was a major figure in the 19th-century national anti-slavery and women’s rights movements. Foster was a lecturer, fundraiser, recruiter, and organizer in the struggles for abolition and suffrage.  In 1850, she helped develop plans for the first National Women’s Rights Convention held in Worcester on October 23 and 24 of that year. During the convention, she gave one of her most well-known speeches, in which she challenged women to demand the responsibilities and privileges of equality, noting “Bloody feet, sisters, have worn smooth the path by which you come hither.”

The January 11, 2025 birthday celebration will include a reading of some of her letters and correspondence with other civil rights leaders of the 19th-century. These letters in the collections of Worcester Historical Museum and American Antiquarian Society were recently transcribed by WHM Library and Archive intern Maddie McAllister from Smith College. Maddie has curated the collection and chosen significant passages that should be heard by all! Readers will include Kathleen Gagne (Executive Director, Mechanics Hall), Mari Gonzalez (Executive Director, El Buen Samaritano Food Program), and of course, re-enactor Lynne McKenney Lydick, portraying Abby Kelley Foster.

MOW is the only local organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting Worcester’s history in all time periods and subject areas for all audiences, offering exhibitions, programming, and a library for all residents to know, enjoy, and share their heritage. Worcester Women’s History Project at Museum of Worcester results from a recent merger of the two organizations. Look forward to more information and the future of our shared history when MOW celebrates its 150th anniversary on January 23, 2025.

For more information on WWHP at Worcester Historical Museum, visit https://www.wwhp.org/about-us