Celebrating Women's Suffrage Through Art & History

New mural in Athens, TN celebrates women and the local leader that listened to his mother and voted for the 19th amendment.

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To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, Sam Welty, an artist from Norfolk, Virginia, painted a mural that celebrates the women’s suffrage movement in downtown Athens, Tennessee. The expansive mural is located on the side wall of White Street Market on North White Street. Welty completed this project in 3 days, and a dedication ceremony was held on Thursday, August 20, 2020.

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The mural is particularly meaningful because Harry T. Burn, a resident of Athens and McMinn County, cast the deciding vote for the ratification of women's right to vote after receiving a loving letter from his mother Febb.

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Welty, the artist, who has a love for art and history collaborated with the McMinn County government, the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, and other community members to bring this story to life.