A “rebel girl” born in Concord was honored Monday in a ceremonial dedication as one of the city’s most influential and historical people, places and events.
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, born in Concord in 1890, was known nationally as a labor leader, civil libertarian, feminist organizer and member of the Community Party.
“As a founder of the American Civil Liberties Union, Flynn advocated for women’s rights, including supporting their right to vote and access to birth control,” the marker reads. “She joined the Communist Party in 1936 and was sent to prison in 1951 under the notorious Smith Act.”
As part of the New Hampshire Historical Highway Marker program, the marker for Gurley Flynn was installed at the corner of Court and Montgomery streets in downtown Concord, close to where she was born, according to the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
She joined the Industrial Workers of the World in her teenage years where her fiery and empowering speeches earned her the nickname “Rebel Girl.”
“Her life is extensively documented in biographies, she’s featured in novels, she’s featured in songs,” said Arnie Alpert, one of many who wanted to see Gurley Flynn recognized in her hometown.
Gurley Flynn was sent to prison in 1951 under the Smith Act, formally the Alien Registration Act of 1940, which made it a criminal offense to advocate the violent overthrow of the government or to organize/become a member of a group dedicated to such advocacy. After World War II, the statute was used against the leadership of the American Community Party.
Following the dedication of the new historical marker, Governor Chris Sununu and two members of the Executive Council expressed their frustration about her Communist affiliation, according to the Boston Globe.
Her dedication marks the 278th marker in New Hampshire’s Historical Highway Marker program and the 12th that highlights the accomplishments of an individual woman.
The historical highway marker program illustrates the depth and complexity of the state’s history and the people who made it, from the last Revolutionary War solider and contemporary sports figures to poets and painters who used New Hampshire for inspiration, according to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Other markers in Concord include the State Capitol, the Bridges House Governor’s Residence Franklin Pierce, Mary Baker Eddy, the Ratification of the Federal Constitution, the Pierce Manse, the Concord Coach, White Park, Sunset Baseball, the New Hampshire Presidential Primary, the Turkey Pond 1938 hurricane, and the Civil War mustering camps.
To propose a historical marker to commemorate significant places, persons or events, a petition of support signed by 20 New Hampshire residents can be submitted to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to include a draft text of the marker, footnotes, copies of supporting documentation and a suggested location for the marker placement.