Ex-Feminist For Life VP Named Anthony Birthplace Director

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
02:19AM / Monday, December 28, 2009Print Story | Email Story

iBerkshires file

The Anthony Birthplace on East Road in Adams has been undergoing restoration for more than two years.

ADAMS, Mass. — A prominent anti-abortion advocate has been hired as executive director of the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace and Museum.

Carol Crossed, president of the museum's board of directors, said the selection of Sally Winn, author of "Refuse to Choose: Reclaiming Feminist" and frequent speaker at colleges, was indicative of the museum's need to focus on external communication as it prepares to open this winter.

"We are grounded and rooted in history, we have 10 exhibits that are near completion ... now it's a matter of promoting the museum and educating the public about Susan B. Anthony," said Crossed on Wednesday. "Since 2010 is the 90th anniversary of the Anthony [19th] Amendment; it's a very appropriate time to take it to a new level."

Winn replaces Martha Dailey, a historian, researcher and former director of the Bidwell House Museum who worked part time as site manager for a year at the Anthony Birthplace before being hired as full-time director in June.

Crossed did not say why Dailey was being replaced after six months other than it was "critical to have someone with her experience" during the museum's restoration and the development and research of the exhibits. Dailey could not be reached for comment.

"Martha's done an incredible job in taking [the museum] to the level it is," she said. "She was the best choice at that time. We've gone into a new phase and Sally is perfect for us now."

Winn, who begins her post in January, has no experience in operating a teaching museum, but Crossed said her strengths lie in administration and connections for fund raising.

"She certainly has administration experience as operations director of the Crittenton Center," said Crossed. "Part of communication is getting our message out that will attract donors. We know have a museum that it will be up and running; now its education and [Anthony's] legacy."

However, she confirmed Winn was a candidate for the spot even before Dailey was hired but Winn was reluctant to move her teen daughters from school.

Winn was most recently at the Florence Crittenton Center for Pregnant and Parenting Teens in Helena, Mont., and is a former vice president of Feminists for Life, which has adopted Anthony as a symbol based on writings they believe to show her anti-abortion sentiments.

Crossed is a founder of the Feminists for Life New York chapter and purchased the Anthony house in 2006 for $164,000 at auction on its behalf. At the time, town leaders were both pleased someone had stepped forward to buy the house but concerned abortion politics would be its focus.

But over the next three years, a coalition of residents, historians and Anthony family descendants gathered around Crossed to work to restore the home as close to its original condition when Anthony's father built it in 1818. The museum explores not only her later writings but the influences of her earliest years, including her father's entrepreneurship.

That won't change under Winn, said Crossed, but neither will Anthony's writing on abortion be ignored.

"We have pro-life articles and statements, those kinds of things are going to be one-tenth of the museum," she said. "That is a particular part of her legacy that is unsettled, that attention will be drawn to ... we're not going to censor her comments in that regards."

A ribbon-cutting is planned on Sunday, Feb. 14, followed by an address in the Adams Library Memorial Room by state Sen. Marian Walsh of West Roxbury.

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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.

Well so much for the celebration of women, just another step backwards. You won't see me visiting the museum any time soon!
from: Susan	on: 12-28-2009 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

I'll be excited to see a museum dedicated to such an important historical figure here in Adams, MA. The locals should feel proud of this museum and thank Carol Crossed for allowing it to be restored and open to the public. Susan B was a pioneer for women's rights and abolition...lest we not forget...
from: Kathryn	on: 12-28-2009 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

I am pleased to learn that you will not be censoring your exhibits. Will be there be an exhibit on Susan B. Anthony's work with the temperance movement, as well? Susan B did so much for woman, even if she was prolife and anti-alcohol, that I will be celebrating and visiting the museum!
from: Anne	on: 12-29-2009 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

History's shouldn't be censored, even if there are things we would rather not hear. There is much to know about this complex woman, even that she opposed slavery to the extent that she supported vigilantism of John Brown. Can institutions of public history, like the Birthplace Museum, screen what our culture likes or doesn't like to talk about?
from: Leigh, SBA Board Member	on: 12-29-2009 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

How would you react if a "museum" hired the head of NARAL as its Director? Had you picked a legitimate museum person, or an academic, the headline would be very different. Instead you made a personnel choice to make SBA's birthplace about Roe v Wade rather than Susan B Anthony. Now you get to live with your choice.
from: Dear Leigh	on: 12-29-2009 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

At least after all these years there is progress on this project.
from: proud of Adams	on: 12-30-2009 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Here's an opinion on the situation: http://tinyurl.com/ydb8qa5
from: anon	on: 12-30-2009 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

A little internet research seems to indicate that Ms. Crossed, who purchased the S.B.A. birthplace is heavily involved in the anti-choice cause. Also, a number of anti-choice organizations are really championing Susan B. Anthony as a kind of mascot or heroine (I hadn't been aware of this until now), and are heavily invested in promulgating her writings and quotes that appear to support their viewpoints. In fact, when you google Susan B. Anthony, the first thing that pops up is a website devoted to the anti-choice cause. No doubt, this is why an ex-director of "Feminists for Life" rather than a trained museum professional was chosen to run the S.B.A. birthplace. Of course, a legitimate historical museum should explore all aspects of its subject, as objectively as possible. However, it seems clear that the S.B.A. birthplace in Adams was conceived of from the beginning not as an unbiased museum, but as a vehicle for promoting a particular viewpoint. I hope that the organizers will be honest about the intent of the S.B.A. birthplace, and what the founders hope to accomplish with it. It seems misleading to refer to it as a museum. One other thing--has the S.B.A. birthplace received any government funding? If it was founded and run people with a particular political viewpoint, and it seems likely that part of the S.B.A. birthplace's objective is to promote this viewpoint, wouldn't that disqualify it from receiving any government funds?
from: jfox	on: 01-03-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

I am a lifelong resident of Adams and was a member of the Adams Historical Society for many years. But when I received a mailing which informed me that the Society had donated $10,000 to the very political Right To Life organization which is restoring the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace home at East Road, it was the last straw! I am outraged! It is well known that the organization run by Carol Crossed has a clearly stated political agenda concerning Right To Life, and are attempting to purport that if Susan B. Anthony were alive today she would support this agenda. Anyone who understands Susanâ€™s life and work knows well that this is not true! January 15, 2007 Group mulling appropriate use for Anthony Birthplace By: Ryan Hutton, North Adams Transcript â€œCrossed bought the property at auction on Aug. 5 last year. She is a member of the board of directors for the New York chapter of Feminists For Life (FFL). According to its Web site, Feminists For Life is a pro-life, pro-woman, nonsectarian organization dedicated to finding solutions to the challenges faced by women. Crossed said she owns the building but FFL will manage it.â€ "Susan B. Anthony was very concerned that women have all of their needs met when they were pregnant," Crossed said. "This option could help facilitate those needs." â€œCrossed said FFL will be incorporating its own ideals into the use of the house, adding that many of its views are based off of Susan B. Anthony's own legacy. FFL particularly wants to stress Anthony's pro-life views which Crossed said have been left out of many studies on the woman's suffrage leader because they do not gel with the common feminist idea of a woman's right to chose. "There's definitely going to be a pro-life aspect to this house," Crossed said. "It will be a minor part, a small part but it will not be excluded from what this house becomes." The current board of the AHS has succeeded in politicizing an organization that has absolutely NO business getting involved in a political agenda, especially one that is currently so controversial! If the board was so interested in the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace, then they should have been more active and involved when the town had the opportunity to save it. It is now something quite different than just Susanâ€™s birthplace. This group from Rochester may have pulled the wool over the AHS boardâ€™s eyes, but I doubt they will do the same to many of the long time AHS members and contributors. Anyone who cherishes a womanâ€™s right to determine her own reproductive choices should be outraged by the AHS Boardâ€™s involvement in this â€œprojectâ€. Adams residents should reconsider their support of the Adams Historical society under the current Board of directors who are using the Society to promote their own views on this controversial subject!
from: Outraged	on: 01-05-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

To the new director and board members: I am truly appalled that this historic home is being used to promote anti-choice and women's oppression. This is not about "exhibitions," this is about actively distributing right-wing, anti-abortion materials under the guise of "museum" information. I'd bet very little of your hand-outs were written by SBA. No matter what spin the new director puts on it, the Susan B. Anthony home is now the Adams headquarters for anti-women's-rights activities. I hope concerned citizens watch this organization to ensure public funds are not used to promote their political agenda. Until there is new administration or the site is de-politicized, I will do everything in my power to discourage people from supporting or visiting this site and I encourage others to do the same.
from: Loving Mother AND Feminist	on: 01-05-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

I live here in Adams. I too am outraged that the important legacy of Susan B. Anthony, the most important historical figure about whom Adams can boast, will be now be warped by anti-choice activists. If she was alive now, Susan B. Anthony would never have supported laws preventing a woman's right to choose an abortion. And I think Feminists For Life know this. Choosing a historical figure to quietly promote their conservative perspective in our small, needy town is probably a lot easier than facing protesters in a larger community. The Adams Historical Society should be ashamed to be supporting such a warped perspective of Susan B. Anthony with the dues many of us have paid to maintain the history of our roots in Adams. The house should be owned by the Historical Society, not by an anti-choice group. I am signing my full name - I see no reason for any of us to hide behind code names here. Editor: From what I've read on the subject, I don't think either side can make broad statements about what Anthony would or would not support in this regard. She lived in another time, in a different society.
from: Caroline Scully	on: 01-07-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

It would not be inappropriate if the museum was to showcase Margaret Sanger, or Betty Friedan, or Gloria Steinam. It is not uncommon for Museums today to be directed by business managers, who oversees the work of an historian or grant writer or architect. For instance, hospitals are not run by doctors, but rather business executives. The museum does not discuss abortion in a contemporary contextual framework like Roe v Wade, but rather an historical context.
from: Leigh	on: 01-14-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

I am amazed that there can be so much discussion about a museum that hasn't even opened yet. Has anyone actually SEEN what it is like inside? Maybe both sides should cool off and get some information before they make assumptions. Good grief. Editor: Totally agree.
from: Waiting to see for myself	on: 01-14-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

I recognize that the displays in the museum may very accurately represent Susan B. Anthony and may correctly put into context her writings on the issue of abortion as it impacted women of her era. I look forward to seeing these exhibits and commend the work that has gone into putting them together. However, it is inappropriate for this historical monument in Adams to be owned by members of Feminists for Life, an organization that has clearly misrepresented the applicability of Susan B. Anthony's writings to the issue of choice and abortion today. How can we respect the work of the museum if the owner and director are associated with a group that does not respect and accurately represent the historical context for Susan B. Anthony's writings? Editor: Fixed it, Caroline, and deleted your post providing the missing beginning.
from: Caroline Scully	on: 01-18-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Adams Zoning Board Talks Signage Bylaw

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
02:47PM / Saturday, August 29, 2026

ADAMS, Mass. — For more than a decade, the Zoning Board has deliberated over several matters involving its "restrictive" sign bylaw.

Now, the board is developing a proposed amendment that would make the bylaw less constraining for businesses while preserving the town’s character and protecting neighboring properties.

The current bylaw has been in effect since around 1986, and for the past 10 to 15 years, it has sparked controversy nearly every year when a new sign is proposed for installation in town, said board member David Rhinemiller.

When it was developed in the 1980s, the goal was to preserve the town’s 1950s and 1960s-era character, he said.

As part of the process, the town surveyed residents about their vision for the community, and the overall feedback favored maintaining that aesthetic, which was then reflected in the zoning bylaws, including restrictions on internally illuminated signs, Rhinemiller said.

The board hopes to make the baseline of the bylaw more realistic and acceptable to modern businesses while ensuring it protects the safety and comfort of the surrounding area, board members said.

"The way our current bylaws are written, virtually anything that somebody might want to do to change the sign regulations to accommodate their business is subject to meeting the requirements of a variance, which we all know is very difficult to do," board member Raymond Gargan Jr. said.

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