Trailblazing Women of Western New York

The Trailblazing Women of Western New York Monument Project was initiated in 2017 by the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women in conjunction with several community partners including the Buffalo History Museum, the University at Buffalo Gender Institute, the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor, the Seneca Nation, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, and the Erie County Legislature. The purpose of the project is to highlight and celebrate the significant contribution of women in the development of this region and the country.

In the past twenty years, countries throughout the world have been realizing the importance of memorializing the significant contributions made by women to their societies. For centuries, these contributions had gone unacknowledged, resulting in very few monuments to women compared to those of men in our built environment. At present, less than  10% of our monuments in the United States honor women. 

Erie County has seized an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of trailblazing women from this region, elevating their contributions to the national stage and demonstrating to our citizens the importance of discovering these hidden histories.  Long after the members of our steering committee are gone this project will live on for future generations to appreciate.  We will be leaving a legacy that not only unearths the hidden histories of women, but also solidifies who we are as a community, and what we value.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz and the Erie County Legislature committed over $600,000 to support this project.  

In addition to the Erie County support, we received funding from Seneca Gaming Corporation, the Baird Foundation and additional individual and corporate donations totaling approximately $50,000.

After engaging in a national request for proposal process, two artists were selected to create each of our three inaugural Trailblazing Women. Artists Vinnie Bagwell created Mary Talbert, and Jiwoong Cheh created Geraldine “Gawo:sid-Tah” Green and Louise Bethune.

The site design at Old County Hall was created by landscape architect, Joy Kuebler.

Statues of the three trailblazing leaders from Western New York were placed at Old County Hall, located at 100 Franklin Street in 2024. 

Louise Blanchard Bethune, FAIA, 1856-1913

The first professional woman architect in the United States, Louise Blanchard Bethune was a national leader in the architectural profession during the Gilded Age. A staunch advocate for equal pay for equal work, Bethune advocated for co-education and design excellence in educational design. She was the architect of the Hotel Lafayette.

Mary Burnett Talbert, 1866-1923

An internationally respected human and civil rights leader, Mary Burnett Talbert was an anti-lynching activist, suffragist, preservationist and educator. She was an early member of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, which she helped organize in addition to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Geraldine “Gawo:sid-Tah” Green 1929-2009

A devote educator of her Haudenosaunee traditions, Sid-tah was one of the venerable fluent speakers of the Seneca language who shared her knowledge throughout the region, nationally and internationally. She was a leader in the Newtown longhouse, serving as head women’s faithkeeper for the animal clans.