About
Julia Walker Ruhl is a National Votes for Women Trail marker in Mountain Lake Park, standing on G Street (Maryland Route 825) just north of Oak Street at 105 G St. It marks the summer home of a West Virginia suffragist who helped lead her state's campaign for the vote. It's a quick, rewarding stop on a walk through the town's historic streets.
Who Was Julia Walker Ruhl?
Julia Walker Ruhl (1861–1956) was an officer and speaker for the West Virginia Equal Suffrage Association before serving as its president from 1917 to 1920, during the final push for women's voting rights. In 1916 she wrote to a Clarksburg newspaper urging West Virginia to grant women full citizenship and predicting nationwide equal suffrage within a few years. When the association became the West Virginia League of Women Voters on September 30, 1920, she became the new group's first president, with a mission to teach women how to use their new right to vote.
The Marker and the House
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation sponsored the marker in 2021 (its trail number is 115), through a grant to the National Collaborative for Women's History Sites. The house behind it, Ruhl's summer residence, also carries a National Register of Historic Places plaque. Several other markers, including The Colonial and Victorian Chautauqua, are within walking distance in Mountain Lake Park.
The house is a private residence, so please read the marker and enjoy the view from the street.
Address
105 G St, Oakland, MD 21550