New marker honors Columbus as birthplace of women’s suffrage movement in Georgia

As the United States marked Women’s Equality Day Wednesday, the Historic Columbus Foundation and the Columbus Museum dedicated a marker honoring the city’s role in the women’s suffrage movement in Georgia.

The new marker stands on the 10th Street side of the Columbus Consolidated Government Center, right across the street from the Springer Opera House.

Columbus is considered the birthplace of the women’s suffrage movement in Georgia, according to the museum’s website. Helen Augusta Howard, born in Columbus, founded the Georgia Woman Suffrage Association, which was the first suffrage organization in the state.

An in-person unveiling of the marker was scheduled, but had to be canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The marker arrived in Columbus around March 1, according to Elizabeth Walden, Executive Director of Historic Columbus.

Walden said the location of the marker is significant due to its subject: women’s suffrage and the right to vote.

“We felt that it was a natural connection because the site is our seat of government,” Walden said. “Augusta Howard and her sisters should be celebrated for their perseverance.”

Both Walden and Rebecca Bush, curator of history for the Columbus Museum, hope that people who visit the marker come away with new knowledge and inspiration.

“I hope that people draw inspiration from the historical leaders in our community and think about how we can honor their activism by exercising our own right to vote,” Bush said.

Walden also encouraged people to check out an exhibition at the Columbus Museum called “And So She Did: Women of the Chattahoochee Valley.” The exhibit details more about Howard’s life and other local women in politics.