Women’s Rights National Historical Park will mark the 178th anniversary of the 1848 Women’s Rights Convention with three days of free programming July 17 through 19 in Seneca Falls.
The 2026 Convention Days theme is “Unfinished Resolutions,” connecting the Declaration of Sentiments and the women’s rights movement to the nation’s semiquincentennial and the continuing fight for universal rights and equality.
The annual event commemorates the writing of the Declaration of Sentiments and the 1848 convention in Seneca Falls and neighboring Waterloo, which helped launch the American women’s rights movement.
Programs will begin Friday, July 17, with Dr. Linda Frank presenting “‘Brave Souls and Big Hearts’: The Unexpected Ways That Three Generations of Stantons Personified the Promises of the Declaration, 1776-1876.” A partnership program with Dr. Judith Wellman of the 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse and Dr. Laura Ladd Bierman of the Women’s Rights Alliance of New York State will feature side-by-side readings of the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments.
Patrick Stenshorn from the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor will also offer walking tours to Seneca Falls’ canal locks CS 2 and 3.
Saturday, July 18, will include a screening of the documentary “Without A Whisper – Konnon:kwe,” followed by a discussion with filmmaker Katsitsionni Fox on “Sky Woman and Her Influence on Women’s Rights.” Dr. Laura Free will present “Unfinished Revolutions: Exclusion, Resistance, and the Ongoing Struggle for American Democracy.”
Visitors may also attend an 11 a.m. opening ceremony in the Wesleyan Chapel, visit a Community Expo with local history and community organizations at the Visitor Center on Friday and Saturday, and take part in the reading of the resolutions and 100 signers’ names during a 4 p.m. closing ceremony.
Sunday, July 19, will feature Dr. Bill Hunt of the 100 Signers Project presenting “Resolute: How Charlotte Woodward Peirce Persisted during the 72 Year Wait for the Vote, 1848-1920,” along with a drop-in census reading workshop. Elizabeth Vollstadt will read her picture book, “What Charlotte Found at Seneca Falls,” for young readers.
Family activities throughout the weekend will include ranger programs, make-and-take crafts, coloring, a community “Equali-tea Wish Wall” for the 250th anniversary, and outdoor Victorian games in partnership with the Seneca Falls Historical Society.
Living history programs will feature Elizabeth Cady Stanton, portrayed by Dr. Melinda Grube, and Frederick Douglass, portrayed by Nathan Richardson.
Women’s Rights National Historical Park, including the Visitor Center and historic Wesleyan Chapel, will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, July 17 through 19. The Elizabeth Cady Stanton House and M’Clintock House will also be open during select hours.
All special event programming is free. Select programs will include American Sign Language interpretation through a grant from the National Park Foundation.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.