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Virginia C apitol C onnections, Winter 2016
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curved walls that are open on either side, providing entrances that allow
the visitor to walk into the monument and stand (or sit) eye-to-eye with
twelve life-sized figures.
Selecting twelve women from the thousands who might have been
included was a daunting task and took many months, but in November
2013 the commission announced the names of the women to be depicted
in bronze on the monument: Ann Burras Laydon (ca 1594-after 1625),
a Jamestown colonist; Cockacoeke (fl. 1656-1686), an Indian leader
and Pamunkey chief; Mary Draper Ingles (ca. 1732-1815), a famous
Indian captive and pioneer; Martha Custis Washington (1731-1802),
wife of our nation’s first president; Clementina Rind (ca. 1740-
1774), printer and publisher of the Virginia Gazette; Elizabeth Hobbs
Keckley (1818-1907), a slave who became a successful seamstress
and confidant of Mary Todd Lincoln; Sally Louisa Tompkins, wartime
hospital administrator; Maggie L. Walker (1864-1934), bank president
and entrepreneur; Sarah G. Boyd Jones (1866-1905), early female
physician and founder of a medical association for African-American
doctors; Laura Lu Copenhaver (1868-1940), businesswoman and
advocate for improving the economic life of Appalachian farm
families; Virginia Estelle Randolph (1870-1958), prominent educator;
and Adèle Clark (1882-1983), artist and suffrage leader.
In addition to these bronze figures, a curved glass wall across the
back of the monument will bear the names of several hundred other
Virginia women who have made significant contributions to our
history. Once again, the commission is seeking suggestions of names
to be included on this wall. To be considered, a nominee must have
been a native Virginian or have lived a large portion of her life in
Virginia and must have demonstrated notable achievement, made a
significant contribution, or set an important example, within her chosen
field of endeavor. Nominees must no longer be living and should have
died at least ten years prior to consideration. To nominate a woman
for Wall of Honor, you can visit the commission’s website at http://
womensmonumentcom.virginia.gov/index.html or call (804) 786-
1010. The deadline for nominations is March 1, 2016.
The commission, working closely with the Virginia Capitol
Foundation, is hard at work raising the $3.7 million that is needed to
create the monument. If you are interested in contributing or know
prospective donors or foundations who might like to be part of this
exciting and unprecedented effort, please contact the commission at
To show your support for
the monument be sure to follow the Virginia Women’s Monument on
Facebook and share the commission’s web address with your friends.
Together, we can make this monument a reality.
Sandra Gioia Treadway has served as the Librarian of Virginia
since her appointment in 2007. She holds a doctoral degree in
American history from the University of Virginia and a master’s
in information sciences from the University of Tennessee. She is
a member of the Virginia Women’s Monument Commission and,
most recently, the coeditor (with Cynthia Kierner) of Virginia
Women: Their Lives and Times , published by the University of
Georgia Press.
Women’s Monuments
By Sandy Treadway
In 2010, a small band of intrepid ladies
approached state Senator Walter Stosch of
Henrico County with an idea that they were
determined to make happen. They wished to
see a public monument commemorating the
contributions and achievements of Virginia
women over the course of the past four
centuries, and they sought Senator Stosch’s
support to have the monument placed on
Capitol Square, at the very center of state
government.
The group was inspired and led by Em Bowles Locker Alsop, a
distinguished community leader in Richmond, whose passion for the
monument was compelling and infectious. She spoke eloquently about
women’s accomplishments throughout Virginia history and explained
to members of the General Assembly that most Virginians knew so
little about women’s contributions not because they weren’t significant
but because there were so few statues honoring women on our public
landscape and so few mentions of women in history textbooks. A
monument on Capitol Square, she believed, would call attention to
the vital role that women have played in our Commonwealth and
spark curiosity especially among young Virginians. Senator Stosch
introduced a joint resolution calling for the creation of the Virginia
Women’s Monument Commission to plan and raise funds for a
monument, and the resolution won approval by the General Assembly
in March 2010.
The resolution specified that members of the commission would
include the Secretary of Administration, the chair of the Senate Rules
Committee and another member of the Senate, the Speaker of the
House and another member of the House of Delegates, the clerks of the
House and Senate, and several citizen and ex officio members. Once
the commission membership was in place, the group’s first order of
business was to work with the Capitol Square Preservation Council and
the Department of General Services to secure an appropriate site. The
location selected is a lovely grassy area on the west side of the Capitol,
just south of the Washington Equestrian statue and north of the statue
honoring Edgar Allan Poe. Next, the commission invited citizens across
the state to suggest themes that themonument might convey in depicting
women’s experiences. Participants in several statewide community
conversations agreed that the monument should reflect the diversity of
Virginia women and be inclusive, elegant, welcoming, approachable,
thought-provoking, inspiring and educational. The commission then
solicited proposals from architectural, sculpture, and design firms
for a monument design. After reviewing thirty-four submissions, the
commission chose the design proposed by the talented team of Studio
EIS (New York) and the 1717 Design Group (Richmond) to produce
the monument. Their winning design is elliptical in shape with two
multi-media outreach activities, including hosting Fall Field Days at
Natural Area Preserves. Celebratory outreach activities will share
stories and illuminate the successes of conservation of Virginia’s
highest priority natural heritage resources, through on-the-ground
conservation and partnerships, using current science and knowledge
of Virginia’s natural history.
For more information on the events and programs taking place in
this year or to learn more about the good works of the Department of
Conservation and Recreation, visit dcr.virginia.gov.
Shannon Johnson presently serves as the Public Communications
and Marketing Director for the Department of Conservation and
Recreation (DCR) where she manages the Public Communications
Office in charge of public relations, communications, statewide
advertising, marketing and web management.
Celebration from page 19
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