Driving history: SPL brings suffragette legacy to Stonington

Author Jeryl Schriever’s talk will follow the journey of two ‘trailblazing’ activists

July 21, 2026

By Staff

Author Jeryl Schriever, of Castine, is making her way across the country in a 1914 Saxon roadster. Photo courtesy of Stonington Public Library.

STONINGTON—Stonington Public Library will host author Jeryl Schriever on July 29 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. as she presents from her book, Driving the Vote For Women: An American Journey for Suffrage. Schriever is currently on a national tour promoting the Equal Rights Amendment in her 1914 Saxon Roadster. Her presentation in Stonington is part of the library’s Seaside Series.

Schriever’s interest in Saxon Motor Cars began in 2011, the release said, while she was “touring in a 1914 Saxon roadster through the hills of eastern Pennsylvania.” The story of Alice and Nell combined her “knowledge of automotive history and the suffrage movement,” and Schriever’s “fascination” with their “compelling” journey grew from there.

According to the release, “Alice Burke and Nell Richardson embarked on a daring and unprecedented cross-country journey advocating for women’s suffrage” in 1916. That was four years “before the nineteenth amendment enshrined American women’s right to vote in 1920” and women were only allowed to vote in “a few states.” Alice and Nell–”trailblazing suffragists”– loaded a Saxon automobile and “embarked on a state-by-state campaign for women’s voting rights,” the release said.

“Long before the modern highway system streamlined car travel, Alice and Nell drove a grueling 10,700 miles over twenty-six weeks, traversing some of the roughest roads in America. Backed by the Saxon Motor Car Company—one of the original Detroit automakers—and fueled by their own unwavering spirits, Alice and Nell advocated for women’s suffrage in every town along the way,” the release said. In her talk, Schriever will share the “remarkable story of the first women to ever drive across the country and back, paving the way for generations of women to follow.”

As a member of the Society of Automotive Historians, Schriever has edited and written for several national automobile magazines, the release said. She currently serves as the president of the board of the Seal Cove Automobile Museum, a prominent collection of brass era motor cars on the coast of Maine. Schriever received her degree in landscape architecture from SUNY at Syracuse University in 1969, the release said, and her career has included work in museum education, exhibit design, and historic restorations.

To learn more about Schriever’s tour, read The Rising Tide’s previous coverage or visit www.drivingthevote.org The Seaside Series is held every Wednesday in July and August from 12:00-1:00 p.m. at Small Cove Park. In the event of rain, the talk will be held at the library.