The New York State Woman Suffrage Association (NYSWSA) held its thirty-fifth annual convention in Hornellsville on Tuesday through Friday, October 20–23, 1903. An evening reception was held at the home of real estate speculator Joseph B. Woodbury.
Other venues utilized by the 1903 convention include Westminster Presbyterian Church, where all plenary sessions were held; and the Page House hotel, where business meetings were conducted.
The Woodbury residence still stands, though clearly it has been much added upon over the years. It is currently the headquarters of the Hornell Area Chamber of Commerce.
If visiting the site, be aware that Hornell has a 40 West Main Street, a 40 East Main Street, and a 40 Main Street. Navigation aids including Google Maps tend to default to the East Main or West Main address. The former Woodbury residence is at 40 Main (no directional), just west of the major thoroughfare Maple City Drive.
Viewed straight on, the former Woodbury residence (now headquarters of the Hornell Area Chamber of Commerce) retains much of the character of an elegant nineteenth-century home, if one disregards the out-of-period brick porch wall and the addition with a modern sliding window at right.
In this three-quarter view photographed from the east, one can see the multiple additions to the rear of the structure. Presumably the Italianate windows (with curved tops) are original and mark the oldest portions of the structure.
A clearer view of the building's numerous additions is afforded in this three-quarter view photographed from the west.
Nationally prominent suffrage leader Anna Howard Shaw, a licensed physician and an ordained minister, was one of the most prominent speakers at the 1903 convention and attended the reception at the Woodbury home.
October 20–23, 1903