Women's Suffrage - Lorton Reformatory

In 1917, women were beaten and tortured in a Virginia prison for demanding the right to vote.^[1]

They were part of the Silent Sentinels, a group that began picketing the White House to demand that President Woodrow Wilson support women's suffrage.^{[2], [3]}

Police arrested them for obstructing traffic. When the women refused to pay the fines, police sent them to the Occoquan Workhouse in Lorton, Virginia.^{[2], [1]}

Then came November 14th, the Night of Terror.^[4]

On the warden's orders, guards brutally attacked the suffragists. Lucy Burns was handcuffed with her hands above her head and forced to stand all night. Dora Lewis was thrown against an iron bedframe, knocking her unconscious.^{[1], [4]}

The resulting public outrage helped turn the tide. In January 1918, Wilson finally endorsed a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote.^{[5], [6]}

Today, the former prison is home to the Workhouse Arts Center, where the Lucy Burns Museum preserves the story.^{[7], [8]}