The ballot box that Phoebe Jordan cast her ballot in is still used for every New Ashford election (with an iPad backup).
NEW ASHFORD, Mass. — Phoebe Jordan awoke in the wee hours 104 years ago, lit a lantern and set out on the 2 1/2-mile walk down the dirt road from her farm to the schoolhouse to vote.
Did she know she was walking into history? Possibly. She was politically astute and was participating in something of an electoral stunt to splash New Ashford across the national news for being first in the nation to record results in the 1920 presidential election.
Jordan, then 56, would become the first person to vote for president that year. Oddly, her title as the first woman to cast a vote wouldn't be mentioned for another four.
Three days before this latest presidential election, Jordan's place in history was etched in stone — literally.
More than three dozen family and community members made their way to the steep New Ashford Cemetery on Saturday to see the new inscription on her marble gravestone:
"Phoebe Sarah Jordan ... first woman to vote in the United States, November 2, 1920."
Ernest Jordan, whose grandfather Arthur was Phoebe's brother, gave a hearty welcome to the gathering and the youngest in the group — six generations removed from Phoebe — helped to pull off an American flag unveiling the inscription. Then everyone headed to the 1792 schoolhouse where Phoebe cast her vote in the ballot box that's still in use and to Town Hall for cookies made from Phoebe's recipe book.
"I'm happy it was done," said Ernest, who described himself as the "end of the caboose" as the oldest. Chad Cornwell, another several times great-nephew, and his mother, Pamela Cornwell Scalzo, said her mother, Doris (Ernest's older sister), frequently talked about her aunt.
Doris was 11 when Phoebe died in 1940 and frequently visited her New Ashford farm.
"She was an accountant, so she remembered everything," Scalzo said. "Who got married to who, what date, how much they weighed [when born]."
They were well aware of Phoebe's prominence but Scalzo added "it wasn't that cool" for many years.
"Now, it's like, we really have to do something about this, because she needs to be recognized."
The 19th Amendment extending the franchise to women had been ratified on Aug. 18, just months before Jordan cast her historic vote. It was an achievement that another celebrated suffrage advocate and Berkshire native, Susan B. Anthony, did not live to see.
"This was the first presidential election that women had the right to vote in all 48 states," said town historian Cindy Grosso at the dedication. "This responsibility was hard earned after 60-plus years of determination by many women in this country."
(Though it must be pointed out that it would take the Civil Rights Act of 1964 before Black women and indigenous women would be assured of their right to vote.)
Jordan was one of those determined women, Grosso said, but added, "as with any interesting story, some is verifiable and some is oral history handed down through generations, so taken with that thought in mind, I will proceed."
Born in the town of Washington, she was sent to live at age 7 with her aunt and uncle on her grandfather's farm, which she would eventually take over and run until the last two weeks of her life, when she went to live with relative in Dalton.
"Phoebe, a single woman, was described as a petite but strong woman who stood 5-feet tall," said Grosso. "She was more than capable of driving a team of horses to Pittsfield and back, delivering charcoal, plowing a road or cutting the fields. This trait of self-sufficiency and independence surfaced time and time again in her life story.
"In other words, she was a strong woman in charge of her life, managing the responsibilities of the family farm and not at all a dependent woman."
Four years before Jordan's vote, editors at the Berkshire Evening Eagle and the Pittsfield Journal had hatched a plan to turn the national spotlight on New Ashford.
"The editors wanted to organize all the voters in the town to be at the voting poll as soon as it was legally allowed because according to the law, the polls could close early as long as every registered voter voted," Grosso explained. "Done early enough, this would make New Ashford the first to submit election results ... and 'startle the world.'"
The success of 1916 set up the vote for 1920, when 28 voters lined up before dawn to cast their ballots. The ladies went first, and Jordan took the lead.
"Interesting to me, the first news stories just recorded the election results and the honor of being the first town in the nation to record the votes, with no mention of the women voters," said Grosso.
Jordan would be first in town to vote in the next four elections, although New Ashford would lose its "first in the nation" title in 1936 to towns in New Hampshire and Vermont. Dixville Notch, N.H., has delivered the first results since 1960, voting at midnight.
Phoebe would cast the first ballot in the next four elections; she was a Republican but switched the Democrats to vote for FDR in 1932. When she died, her obituary ran in the New York Times.
"Her story is still told in New Ashford and nationally. Some call her mysterious. Some call her independent to the end," said Grosso. "All think of her when women's rights and voting are the topic of conversation.
"She must have been an extraordinary person to get to know, considering her independent qualities during a very pivotal and noteworthy time in U.S. history."
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Greylock School Geothermal Funding Raises Concerns
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — As the Greylock School project moves into Module 6 — design development — there's a nagging question related to the geothermal system.
There's been concern as to whether the system will work at the site and now a second concern is if it will be funded.
The first question is so far partially answered based on investigative drilling at the closed school over the last week, said Jesse Saylor of TSKP Studio.
"There was the potential that we couldn't drill at all, frankly, from the stories we were hearing, but ... we had a good we had a good experience here," he told the School Building Committee on Tuesday. "It is not an ideal experience, but it's pretty good. We can drill quickly, and the cost to drill, we don't expect will be that high."
He had spoken with the driller and the rough estimate he was given was "reasonable relative to our estimate." The drilling reached a depth of 440 feet below grade and was stopped at that point because the water pressure was so high.
The bedrock is deep, about 200 feet, so more wells may be needed as the bedrock has a higher conductivity of heat. This will be clearer within a week or so, once all the data is reviewed.
"Just understanding that conductivity will really either confirm our design and assumptions to date, it may just modify them slightly, or it's still possible that it could be a big change," Saylor said.
The scope of the work includes demolishing the existing roof membrane, flashing insulation and protection boards on the existing flat roof, repairing and repainting the window frames and sashes, and painting and sealing all surfaces.
click for more
Community, education and business leaders are promoting the Northern Tier Passenger Rail Restoration Project as a critical component for economic development. click for more
Monument Mountain's Everett Pacheco took control of the race in the final mile and went on to a convincing Division 3 State Championship on Saturday at Fort Devens. click for more