Elizabeth Langhorne Lewis (1851-1946)

The home of Elizabeth Lewis, one of the most influential women’s suffrage activists in Virginia, stood here. As a vice president of the Equal Suffrage League (ESL) of Virginia, she organized local leagues, gave speeches, and lobbied elected officials. In 1910 she founded the ESL of Lynchburg, the second-oldest local chapter in the state, and she was its president until 1920. Like many other suffrage groups organized by white women, the ESL failed to include African Americans in its work. After the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteed women’s voting rights in 1920, Lewis became a leader of the state and Lynchburg chapters of the League of Women Voters.