25 Places Commemorating Women Who Were Ahead of Their Time

These career ladies hammered cracks into the glass ceiling.
By Molly McBride Jacobson, Staff Writer





Throughout history, women were referred to as the “fairer sex,” praised for being genteel and emotional, but unfortunately all too often considered incapable of the physical or mental prowess required to be industrialists or scientists. Of course, there were women who did work in these historically male-dominated roles, either out of necessity or simply because they wanted to. Some of them received support from their communities, but many others were harshly ostracized for their unusual behavior.

Today, many of these female mavericks are remembered as trailblazers, leaving behind evidence of their pioneering work in cowgirl ranches, prophetesses’ temples, hospital laboratories, and architectural marvels. Luckily, we can visit these places today to remember the women who challenged the notion of what the “fairer sex” could do.




1
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
Cowgirl Hall of Fame
A museum commemorating all the hardworking women who made the West.




2
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Grace Hopper's Bug
The first actual computer bug discovered by Admiral Grace Hopper, an early female engineer.




3
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Roosevelt Island Octagon Tower
The former insane asylum where reporter Nellie Bly went undercover for an exposé.




4
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Angelus Temple
The futuristic church, home, and museum of a 1920s female preacher with a sordid personal life.




5
INDIO, CALIFORNIA
Dr. June McCarroll Monument
A monument to the frontier doctor who came up with the idea of delineating highways with a painted line.




6
SEOGWIPO, SOUTH KOREA
Jeju Mermaids
South Korea's elderly fisherwomen are revered for diving to incredible depths.




7
PARIS, FRANCE
Le Droit Humain Masonic Lodge
The lodge where the first-ever female mason was inducted.




8
VERSAILLES, OHIO
Annie Oakley's Grave
The final resting place of the sharpshooter who said she "would like to see every woman know how to handle guns as naturally as they know how to handle babies.”




9
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
Lake Merritt's Bonsai Garden
Bonsai garden in Oakland is curated by the first non-Japanese female bonsai master in the United States




10
NEW WASHOE CITY, NEVADA
Bowers Mansion
A female silver magnate designed her home, the first and finest in Nevada, after the grand manors of her native Scotland.




11
HÄRJEDALEN, SWEDEN
Greta Garbo Statue of Integrity
After rocketing to fame, Garbo chose to abruptly retreat from the spotlight. This statue of her is all alone in the forest—just as she would have wanted it.




12
GRASS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
Kidder Mansion Site
An abandoned lot littered with concrete debris was once the home of the world's first female railroad president.




13
AUVERS VILLAGE, FRANCE
Marie-Jeanne Valet vs. the Beast of Gevaudan
A statue memorializing a young woman's battle with the creature that terrorized her village.




14
TEWKESBURY, ENGLAND
Victoria Woodhull Memorial
The cenotaph of a scandalous 19th century woman suffragist, spiritualist, finance broker, and newspaper owner.




15
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA
Museum of Women Pilots
An exhibit dedicated to the female pilots who began their own competition, the Air Race Classic, when they were barred from competing with men.




16
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega
The plane the famous aviatrix flew across the Atlantic and the United States.




17
BEDFORD, ENGLAND
The Panacea Museum
The house of a mysterious 18th century prophetess with a dedicated following.




18
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
Mary Tyler Moore Statue
A statue of Moore tossing her hat to the sky as her famous career-gal character.




19
AUSTIN, TEXAS
Elisabet Ney Museum
The life's work of a prolific 19th century female sculptor on display in her former home.




20
KILKENNY, IRELAND
Kyteler's Inn
The oldest inn in Kilkenny was owned by a woman convicted as a witch for her independence.




21
LONDON, ENGLAND
Athena the Owl at the Florence Nightingale Museum
The beloved pet owl of the nurse who turned medicinal care on its head.




22
BLOIS, FRANCE
Catherine de Medici's Chamber of Secrets
The secret cabinets built into the powerful matriarch's private quarters.




23
DRONNINGLUND, DENMARK
Voergaard Castle
This Danish castle is supposedly haunted by the shrewd businesswoman who built it.




24
WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
Julia Ward Howe's Grave
The grave of a famous suffragist author.




25
WASHINGTON, D.C.
The Portrait Monument
Rumor has it the uncarved lump behind the three famous suffragists is reserved for the first woman 

president.