Join the City of South St. Paul, Dakota County Historical Society, First Presbyterian Church of South St. Paul and South St. Paul Garden Club on Saturday, Aug. 24, to celebrate the community's suffrage history and local historian Lois Glewwe. A Suffrage Memorial plaque will be unveiled in South St. Paul's Lawshe Park at 11 a.m., followed by a Lois Glewwe Suffrage Luncheon at the Lawshe Memorial Museum at noon.
The plaque unveiling is free of charge for the public to attend. Registration is required for the luncheon and is $20 per person. No walk-ins will be accepted during the luncheon. All proceeds from the event will go toward the future maintenance and upkeep of the suffrage memorial plaque.
Lawshe Park is located at the corner of Second Street N. and Third Avenue N. in South St. Paul. The Lawshe Memorial Museum is located kiddy-corner from the park at 130 Third Ave. N. in South St. Paul. For more information, or to register for the luncheon, you can contact the Lawshe Museum at 651-552-7548 or visit the Dakota County Historical Society. www.dakotahistory.org. Donations toward the plaque can be made on the First Presbyterian Church of South St. Paul website.
On Aug. 26, 1920, Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby officially signed the 19th Amendment into law, making it legal for women across the country to vote in all elections. The next day, Aug. 26, 1920, 90 women woke up early and lined up to exercise their right to legally for the first time in South St. Paul. The public is welcomed to join us in a public celebration of this momentous occasion as a new Suffrage Memorial plaque is unveiled in Lawshe Park.
Local community historian Glewwe spent decades researching all aspects of Dakota County's history, particularly in relation to her hometown of South St. Paul. Once she discovered the history made in South St. Paul in 1920, she made sure to continue to research and present this history to the public to honor the women that voted that day. In honor of Glewwe and what she meant to the community, a special luncheon will be held for her. The meal includes a garden salad, chicken salad sandwich on croissant​ and dessert bars.