WARREN, Ohio — The Harriet Taylor Upton museum continues to uphold Upton's legacy in the movement to help women get the right to vote.

What You Need To Know

  • Harriet Taylor Upton died in Pasadena, Calif.

  • Her ashes were brought to Warren, Ohio, where she lived

  • Upton helped lead the women’s suffrage movement 

Upton died in Pasadena, California in 1945, and 15 years ago her ashes were brought to where it all started for her, in Warren, Ohio, at the Upton House. Now, Upton House is a museum open to the public and carries on her legacy.

Sandra Sarsany, curator for the Harriet Taylor Upton House museum, is glad to celebrate Women’s History Month with Upton’s remains back in Ohio.

“It’s a great feeling to know that she’s back in her own yard where she belongs, where she loved to work in the garden, and that she’s home,” she said.

Sarsany helped bring Harriet Taylor Upton’s ashes back from California, and is responsible for preserving Upton’s memory.

Upton represented Ohio and helped lead the women’s suffrage movement alongside leaders like Susan B Anthony. 

Upton did everything in her power to give women voting rights. She wrote letters to politicians and tried to bring women together.

“She canned, she sowed, she did all those things that women did, she had a garden,” Sarsany said.

Sarsany has been taking care of the museum for about 20 years.

The museum has books, pictures, even jewelry that belonged to Upton. 

“If you wore a piece of that jewelry, somebody would immediately know that you are a member of the suffrage society,” Sarsany said.

For Sarsany, it’s more than just a piece of jewelry. It’s a symbol for her of what it means to be a woman every single day. 

The museum will continue to collect historical elements representing women.