LYDIA MARIA CHILD

The Historical Society nominated Lydia Maria Child to be inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. She was scheduled for induction on October 6, 2001. but the events of September 11th resulted in a one-year postponement.  She was finally inducted on October 5, 2002. The National Women’s Hall of Fame is located in Seneca Falls, New York which is the birthplace of women’s rights and the site of the first Women’s Rights Convention in 1848

Joanne Davis of our curatorial staff accepted the award for the Wayland Historical Society. In her acceptance speech Joanne listed the many friends of Child who were already inductees: Harriet Beecher Stowe, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Louisa May Alcott, Lucretia Mott, Margaret Fuller, Lucy Stone, and the Grimke sisters. She said Child would be greatly pleased to be in the company of such great women.

We are equally sure that those women would be pleased to know that Child is among them at last! She was a staunch believer in freedom for slaves and in political rights for women. She published one of the first anti-slavery books, An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans called Africans. She moved to Wayland in 1853 and lived here until her death in 1880.

The heavy bronze medallion engraved with her name is displayed on the guest book table at the Grout Heard House. We invite visiting little girls  to try on our medallion for size.