Barbara Haney Irvine (born 1944) is an American advocate for the preservation of women's

historic site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been re ...

s. Irvine is the founding president of the Alice Paul Institute, named after American

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...

leader

Alice Paul Alice Stokes Paul (January 11, 1885 – July 9, 1977) was an American Quaker, suffragette, suffragist, feminist, and women's rights activist, and one of the foremost leaders and strategists of the campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment to the Unit ...

, and was the executive director of the

New Jersey Historic Trust The New Jersey Historic Trust was created by the State of New Jersey in 1967 to preserve New Jersey's historic resources. The Historic Trust's executive director is Dorothy P. Guzzo. Funding programs available through the New Jersey Historic Tru ...

. In 2007 she was an honoree for

Women's History Month Women's History Month is an annual observance to highlight the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. Celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with Internationa ...

by the

National Women's History Project The National Women's History Alliance (NWHA) is an American non-profit organization dedicated to honoring and preserving women's history. The NWHA was formerly known as the National Women's History Project. Based out of Santa Rosa, California, sin ...

Historic preservation

''"While Barbara Haney Irvine was initially influenced by Alice Paul, she has created her own powerful legacy through her tireless efforts to ensure that the stories of women’s lives and the places where women lived, worked and died will continue to inspire us and all future generations.'' - The National Women's History Project

Alice Paul Institute and Paulsdale

Finding inspiration in the life of

, the

and women's rights activist who initiated and ran the main actions and events of the 1910s Women's Voting Rights Movement which successfully lobbied for the 19th amendment winning women the

right to vote Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in ...

, Irvine co-founded the Alice Paul Centennial Foundation in 1984 to celebrate the

centennial A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

of Paul's birth. Later, APCF became the Alice Paul Institute. In 2024, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, API became the Alice Paul Center for Gender Justice. For over 16 years Irvine served as volunteer president and board chair for API, leading successful campaigns to preserve historic objects related to Paul's life. The group successfully raised over $58,000 to purchase a collection of Paul's books, papers and personal items, including a desk owned by Susan B. Anthony which Paul also used during her movement. The collection was then donated to the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...

in Washington, D.C., and the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. Less than a year after the collection acquisition, API was offered the chance to purchase '' Paulsdale'', the birthplace and childhood home of Alice Paul, in

Mount Laurel, New Jersey Mount Laurel is a Township (New Jersey), township in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia-Reading, Pennsylvania, Reading-Camd ...

. The home was surrounded by a housing development, which threatened to swallow the six-acre site. Irvine led the national campaign to preserve the site, raising over $1.8 million in private and public funds to purchase and rehabilitate the site, turning it into a leadership center for girls and young women. In 1991, under the leadership of Irvine, the property was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

. Paulsdale continues to serve as a leadership development center for women and girls attesting to the ongoing inspiration of Paul's vision for women's equality. The Barbara Haney Irvine Library at Paulsdale honors its founding director.

Other opportunities in heritage preservation

During the Paulsdale campaign, Irvine started and chaired the first national conference on women's historic sites. This conference was held in 1994 at

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

, and in 1999 the National Collaborative for Women's History Sites was founded. The Collaborative serves to preserve and interpret the sites and venues where women were key in

American history The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...

. During this time, Irvine also assisted in the creation of the

New Jersey Women's Heritage Trail The New Jersey Women's Heritage Trail is a collaborative effort between the New Jersey's Historic Preservation Office, part of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and 94 historic sites statewide to raise awareness about the roles ...

. Irvine has also served as a program content adviser for the New Jersey history program, ''Our Vanishing Past,'' produced by the

New Jersey Network The New Jersey Network (NJN) was a network of public television and radio stations serving the U.S. state of New Jersey. NJN was a member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) for television and the National Public Radio (NPR) for radio, b ...

Current life

In 2004 Irvine became the executive director of the

, seeking to shift the Trusts' focus towards the preservation of

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

historic buildings. She retired in 2007. She is married to Geoffrey Irvine and now, returning to her home state, lives in Pittsboro, NC.

Awards

In 2000 Irvine was appointed to the Women's Progress Commemorative Commission, and in 2005 she was named "Woman of the Year" by

Gamma Sigma Sigma Gamma Sigma Sigma () is a national service sorority founded on October 12, 1952, at Beekman Tower in New York City. It partners with charitable organizations such as March of Dimes, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Cancer Soci ...

. In 2007 she was an honoree for Women's History Month, sponsored by the National Women's History Project.

References

External links

Alice Paul Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irvine, Barbara Haney American historical preservationists American feminists People from Cinnaminson Township, New Jersey 1944 births Living people