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Upton House showcases legacy of Harriet Taylor Upton
Photo
Sandy Sarsany, above, curator of the Upton House, relaxes on a chaise lounge, one of two original pieces to the home where suffragist Harriet Taylor Upton lived for nearly 60 years. Sarsany holds the book, “Our Early Presidents, Their Wives and Children,” which was written by Upton.
House showcases legacy of Harriet Taylor Upton
By LINDA M. LINONIS
Warren
Step back in time with a visit to the Upton House, located along what was known as “Millionaires Row” on Mahoning Avenue Northwest.
Steeped in history, the house was home for nearly 60 years to Harriet Taylor Upton, who worked with Susan B. Anthony in the women’s suffrage movement. Their goal was achieved with the passage of the 19th amendment Aug 18, 1920, which gave women the right to vote.
Sandy Sarsany has served as curator for 15 years. Previously, she assisted the former curator, the late Lana Eisenbraun, who Sarsany credited with collecting items featured in the Gothic Revival-style house. “The Upton Association formed in 1988 and raised money to buy the house,” she said. The house, in disrepair, was in “bad shape,” she said.
The association did remodeling and restoration.
Original furniture and fixtures were lost except for two pieces that belonged to Upton, Sarsany said. Those are a nearly floor-to-ceiling mirror in the parlor and a chaise lounge in the suffrage museum. “We had no photos of what was inside the house,” Sarsany said, noting the association recreated the look of the time and acquired appropriate furniture.
The house has a large dining room, library, parlor and original kitchen; a catering kitchen was added so that the house could be rented for events. The museum is on the second floor.
The association sponsors fundraisers to support the upkeep of the house. Open houses are from 2 to 4:30 p.m. the first Sunday of the month during the summer. Visitors can not only tour the house and garden, but often see something unique. Sarsany said vintage Victorian underwear was an interesting display .
Fourth-graders in Trumbull County visit the house, and other tours are scheduled by appointment, Sarsany said.
Sarsany is a volunteer, as are members of the Upton Association board. They all are interested in preserving and promoting the impressive legacy of Upton. “We believe she was a woman ahead of her time,” Sarsany said of Upton. Serving as first female vice chairwoman of the National Republican Executive Committee counts as many of the “firsts” she accomplished, including being a founding member of the National League of Women Voters and first woman elected to the Warren board of education.
“Harriet Upton was a well-learned woman who gave of herself,” Sarsany said of the namesake of the house and association. “She unselfishly devoted herself to more than one cause.”
Sarsany noted Upton was no stranger to politics; her father, Judge Ezra Taylor, was appointed to Congress in 1880. She served as his hostess because her mother had died. It was in Washington, D.C., she met, then married, George Upton, an attorney. He encouraged her to get involved in the suffrage movement. It became the cause of her life to which she devoted some 30 years. Upton worked with Susan B. Anthony to get women the right to vote.
The library includes “Random Recollections” written by Upton and compiled into the book. Sarsany said Upton authored various books including “Our Early Presidents, Their Wives and Children.” “She was an author, speaker, educator,” Sarsany said.
A small museum in the house showcases the suffrage movement. There are books focusing on that topic and about women in general. There’s a reproduction of Upton’s wedding dress, fashioned from a newspaper description. Among memorabilia is a photo that shows the officers of the National American Women Suffrage Association including Anthony and Upton.
A mannequin sports “suffrage” jewelry — a pin — in purple, white and green, the colors of the movement. “It was a signal of support of the movement,” Sarsany said. A display also includes dolls depicting Elizabeth Stanton, Harriet Tubman and Anthony.
An arrangement of a teapot and cups recalls the “tea parties” that women had as a cover for suffrage movement meetings.
Sarsany said Upton’s ashes are interred in Harriet’s Garden next to the house. She noted Ken Conklin, a board member, made arrangements to bring Upton’s cremains back to Ohio; she had died in 1945 in California.
The garden, the site of weddings and parties, features coral bells, columbine and black-eyed Susans that Upton grew in her garden.