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All the United States Michigan Adrian Laura Smith Haviland Statue
AO Edited

Laura Smith Haviland Statue

This life-sized effigy commemorates the dedicated abolitionist and social reformer.

Adrian, Michigan

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jfrost
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Laura Smith Haviland Statue.   jfrost / Atlas Obscura User
Laura Smith Haviland Statue.   jfrost / Atlas Obscura User
Laura Smith Haviland Statue.   jfrost / Atlas Obscura User
Laura Smith Haviland Statue.   jfrost / Atlas Obscura User
Laura Smith Haviland Statue.   jfrost / Atlas Obscura User
Laura Smith Haviland Statue.   jfrost / Atlas Obscura User
April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
April 2022   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
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Sitting outside the Lenawee County Historical Museum is a determined-looking woman made from granite. She is dressed in Quaker attire and keeps vigil while holding her autobiography, A Woman’s Life-Work: Labors and Experiences of Laura S. Haviland.

This life-sized statue depicts Laura Smith Haviland. The Canadian-born “Aunt Laura” led a life dedicated to social reform in her adopted land. She was instrumental in founding the first anti-slavery society in the Michigan territory. She also began, along with her family, the first integrated school, the Raisin Institute, and her home was a stop on the Underground Railroad. At one point there was a $3,000 bounty on Haviland’s head due to her tireless work against slavery. After the Civil War, “Aunt Laura” helped refugees and orphans, fought for women’s suffrage, and was an organizer for the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.

This statue was originally erected by the local chapter of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in 1909 in front of the Adrian City Hall and served as a water fountain in memory of her temperance work. Sadly, the water fountain no longer works, but you can still see this impressive work of art designed by H. Barnicoat of Quincy, Massachusetts.

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Women Kickass Women Statues Underground Railroad Slavery Fountains

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There is a parking lot available next to the museum.

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December 26, 2019

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Laura Smith Haviland Statue
110 E Church St
Adrian, Michigan, 49221
United States
41.897138, -84.037022
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