Julia Ruhl
The Quiet Suffragist
The successful passing of the 19th Amendment, granting equal voting rights to women, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020. Maryland Women's Heritage Center and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation dedicate their 10th roadside marker in Maryland to Julia Walker Ruhl, a notable Mountain Lake Park resident.
As part of the National Votes For Women Trail, Ruhl Cottage, where Julia spent her summers, became a reminder of a movement that changed the future for American women.
While suffragists were organizing a march to Washington, D.C. to influence legislators to ratify the 19th Amendment, Ruhl was traveling to Chicago for the convention of the General Federation of Women's
Clubs. It was during this June 1914 convention that the federation, for the first time, faced the question of women's suffrage for adoption or rejection. The subject had previously died in committee, for the constitution of the federation declared subjects of religion and politics were prohibited. However, Ruhl was introduced and allowed to publicly address the subject to over ten thousand women who had gathered with anticipation. She was only on her feet for a moment but just long enough to declare herself 'heart and soul' in favor of the suffrage movement. This declaration was met with prolonged applause and contributed to a seismic shift that inspired a groundswell of nationwide support for voter equality. Each woman took this endorsement home with them to spread in their respective communities.
Born in Connecticut in 1861, Ruhl's primary residence was in Clarksburg, West Virginia until her death in 1956. She summered and organized from Mountain Lake Park in the home that bears her name.
Reenactor and researcher Sallie Wooddell-Stuart unearthed Julia’s remarkable story. She poses for the marker dedication.