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Iron Jawed Angel: Inside Paulsdale, the Birthplace of Alice Paul

History books often condense the fight for women’s suffrage into a few polite meetings. The reality was much grittier. It involved picketing, imprisonment, hunger strikes, and a level of radicalism that shocked the nation.

At the center of this storm was Alice Stokes Paul.

In Mount Laurel, New Jersey, the Alice Paul Institute (API) operates out of Paulsdale, Alice’s childhood home. But this isn’t your typical “velvet rope” house museum filled with do-not-touch Victorian furniture. It is a bustling leadership center dedicated to the woman who helped force the passage of the 19th Amendment.

The House: A Quaker Farmstead

Paulsdale was built around 1800 by Benjamin Hooton. Originally a classic Greek Revival farmhouse, it was later modified with Victorian touches, including the expansive wraparound porch that visitors see today.

When Alice was born here on January 11, 1885, the property covered 173 acres. It was a working farm with barns, chicken coops, and an ice house. Today, the site has been reduced to 6.5 acres of protected land, but the house remains a National Historic Landmark.

Alice grew up in a progressive Quaker family. The Quakers (Society of Friends) were unique for the era in their belief in gender equality. Alice’s mother, Tacie Paul, brought young Alice to suffrage meetings, planting the seeds of activism early on.

The Making of a Militant

Alice was undeniably brilliant. She graduated from Swarthmore College, earned a Master’s and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania, and eventually earned three law degrees.

But her real education happened in England. In 1907, she moved to the UK and joined the militant suffragette movement led by the Pankhursts. Here, she learned the value of “deeds, not words.” She was arrested multiple times, broke windows, and learned how to use hunger strikes as a political weapon.

She brought these radical tactics back to the United States in 1910, determined to wake up the American suffrage movement.

The 1913 Parade and the “Silent Sentinels”

Alice Paul didn’t ask for the vote; she demanded it.

On March 3, 1913—the day before Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration—Alice organized a massive parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. Over 8,000 marchers, 20 floats, and nine bands processed toward the White House.

Historical Context: It is important to note that the parade also highlighted the racial divides of the time. While Alice Paul fought for women, the movement was not always inclusive. Black suffragists, including the Alpha Suffrage Club led by Ida B. Wells, were asked to march at the back of the parade to appease Southern white marchers. Wells famously refused, stepping out of the crowd to march with her state delegation.

In 1917, Alice Paul and the National Woman’s Party became the first group in US history to picket the White House. Known as the “Silent Sentinels,” they stood at the gates for 18 months, six days a week, regardless of the weather.

The result? Mass arrests. Alice was sentenced to seven months in jail. When she began a hunger strike, she was force-fed raw eggs through a tube—a brutal torture that, once leaked to the press, turned public sentiment against the President.

The Second Battle: The ERA

In 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified. But Alice Paul didn’t retire.

She believed the vote was just the first step. In 1923, she authored the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which reads: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

Alice spent the rest of her life fighting for the ERA. She often returned to Paulsdale during these years to rest and work. She eventually succeeded in getting gender equality included in the United Nations Charter in 1945 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Saving Paulsdale

Alice died in 1977 at the age of 92. By the 1980s, her family home was threatened by suburban development—a common fate for historic sites in New Jersey.

In 1990, the Alice Paul Centennial Foundation (now the Alice Paul Institute) raised the funds to purchase the home. They embarked on a massive restoration, not to freeze the house in time, but to create a “living memorial.”

If You Visit

Today, Paulsdale is a hub for girls’ leadership programs and historical education.

• The Exhibits: The house features permanent exhibits detailing the suffrage timeline, the “Night of Terror” in the Occoquan Workhouse, and the ongoing struggle for the ERA.
• The Porch: You can sit on the same porch where Alice read and planned her strategies.
• Location: 128 Hooton Road, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054.
• Hours: The site is open for tours, though hours can vary. Check their website for the current schedule.

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For More Information

Alice Paul Institute (www.alicepaul.org)