Women’s History Month, Susan B. Anthony’s Schoolhouse, and Maple Weekend!!! What more can you ask for?

Susan B. Anthony Spent Her Childhood Down the Road From Our Schoolhouse!
Last year in honor of Women’s History Month I wrote a blog about Susan B. Anthony. Her childhood home is just few miles from Gramp’s Old School. I even took a visit out to the site.  You can check out that blog here. This recent newspaper article explains more about the site, it also has some great photos of the house. I wrote about how Susan B. Anthony was instrumental in passing a law allowing women to own property separate from their husbands. This was exciting for me as I had just purchased the schoolhouse.  Sign at the Susan B. Anthony House

Susan B. Inspires Me
Susan B. had many causes that she worked tirelessly for including abolition, suffrage, women’s rights, and education. It always sticks with me that she passed away in 1906, fourteen years before women were given the right to vote with the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920.Screenshot of the Susan B. Anthony House and Museum website

Women’s History and Gramp’s Old School
Today I am reflecting on another piece of women’s history. Next week I’ll be closing on a small business loan that will allow me to complete the renovations at the schoolhouse. I realized that just 30 years ago business loans for women were virtually nonexistent. This sounds crazy right? You can check out this article in Forbes “How HR5050 Changed Entrepreneurship for Women” for more information. Basically, if you were a woman you could not get a business loan unless a male relative co-signed the loan for you! In 1988 HR 5050: Women’s Business Ownership Act was passed. This allowed women for the very first time to take out business loans in their own names. I can’t help but think that Susan B. Anthony helped pave the way for this bill a century before!Statistics on women in business from SCORE- I have been working with SCORE for a year now and have two great mentors!

A Susan B. Pilgrimage
I’ve learned that the whole area is a treasure trove of Susan B. Anthony sites. There’s a schoolhouse that Susan B. attended and a cemetery where some of her family are buried. Once Gramp and I found this out we had to visit!Schoolhouse from the 1830’s is now Schoolhouse Maple

Schoolhouse Maple
The one room schoolhouse Susan B. attended is now a private residence. BUT lucky for us the owners of the house run Schoolhouse Maple. It’s Maple Weekend right now in New York and many of  the maple sugar houses are open for tours and tastings. Last weekend Gramp, Ben, my brother Jesse and I went to visit Schoolhouse Maple. We met schoolhouse and maple sugar house owners Jonathan and Dana. They are gracious enough to open their house for tours during maple weekend, demonstrate how they make maple syrup using traditional techniques, and feed everyone who stops by MAPLE SUNDAE WAFFLES!!!Jonathan shared how he makes maple syrup using a traditional method

They tell the most wonderful story about Susan B. and a teacher who told her that girls didn’t need to learn math. Upon hearing that her father promptly pulled her out of school and Susan eventually ended up in a private school. We were able to tour the schoolhouse (which they live in year round) and pick their brains about all things related to living in a schoolhouse. They have many of the same features as we do, large windows, original chalkboards, a beautiful floor, and more! It was truly a treat to chat with them! We made great new friends and we’ll be back for sure!Sign inside the schoolhouse, now a single family home!You can pick up a little or a lot of maple syrup on your visit. I love the packaging! The home is full of touches that nod to the schoolhouse’s history, like this school chair.

Sugar Hill Maple – right across the road from Gramp’s Old School!
If you hit up Maple Weekend you will learn you can’t go to just one. My brother Jesse was home last weekend and he joined us at Schoolhouse Maple. This weekend sissy Sarah and her bf Colin are visiting. We’ll all be eating pancake breakfast at Sugar Hill Maple. It’s literally across the road from our schoolhouse…how can we resist? View of Sugar Mill Maple from our schoolhouseSugar Mill Maple-see you on Sunday!

Want to Check out Maple Weekend?
This is the last weekend for this year. You can see all the sugar house sites on the Maple Weekend website, just click here!

Yum! Hope to see you there!