Life & Times of Eliza Seaman Leggett

To highlight Women’s History Month, Lori Miller of the Oakland History Center will discuss the life and times of Eliza Seaman Leggett (1815 – 1900). Leggett was an American suffragist and abolitionist who is buried in Pontiac’s Oak Hill Cemetery. The abolition of slavery was one of Mrs. Leggett’s passions. She worked with noted abolitionists, including Sojurner Truth and Lucretia Mott, and her home served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. After Emancipation, Leggett focused her attentions on suffrage and assisting women in need. As part of that work, she co-founded the Young Woman’s Home Association in Detroit. She also had a great interest in literature and was a correspondent of such figures as William Cullen Bryant, Louisa May Alcott, and Bronson Alcott. The literary club she founded later became the Detroit Women’s Club. She was also active in civic affairs, such as making Belle Isle a public park. She was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 2003 based on her achievements in the areas of abolition, suffrage, and women’s rights.”

Bring a lunch and bring a friend! This program is free and open to the public. Registration is required.