New Lower Merion Historical Marker Celebrating Women in Medicine Has a Drexel University College of Medicine Connection
September 25, 2024
By August Ryan
Earlier this month, the Lower Merion Historical Society in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., celebrated early advocates for women in medicine, dedicating a Pennsylvania Historical Marker to three trailblazing activists. Two of the three women were affiliated with Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, a Drexel University College of Medicine legacy institution.
Hannah E. Myers Longshore, MD
The September 15 ceremony took place at 18 N. Highland Avenue, the former home of the women leaders who were honored: Hannah E. Myers Longshore, MD; Jane V. Myers, MD; and Lucretia Mott Longshore Blankenburg.
Dr. Myers Longshore was a graduate in the inaugural class of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania (later named Woman’s Medical College). She was also the first woman to open a medical practice in Pennsylvania, according to the College of Medicine’s Legacy Center Archives and Special Collections.
Dr. Myers, sister to Dr. Myers Longshore, also practiced medicine in Philadelphia. Dr. Myers Longshore’s daughter, Lucretia Mott Longshore Blankenburg, was a well-known advocate for women’s rights. The three women were honored by the Lower Merion Historical Society for contributions to medicine, suffrage, abolition of slavery, and civic and municipal reform in Philadelphia.
Jane V. Myers, MD
The women lived in Bala Cynwyd on an estate they called “Idenlea.” Visitors can now read about the trio called the “Women of Idenlea Estate” on the new historical marker.
The founding of Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, which later became Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP), marked one of the world’s first medical education avenues for women. WMCP trained thousands of women physicians who practiced all over the globe, taught, performed research, and helped change the world. The College of Medicine is the successor institution of several innovative schools that aimed to provide opportunities in medical education to those who had previously been shut out – including women.
For more on the Women of Idenlea and the history of women in medicine, take a look at resources from our Legacy Center: