Alice Ramsey

Dear Lucy,
I had followed this blog during the summer and I think it is great. Following is the beginning to let you get the feel for it.
Interested? The site is www.aliceramsey.org.



On June 9th, 1909 twenty-two year old Alice Ramsey set out on the journey of lifetime. Accompanied by three female companions, they drove from 1930 Broadway in New York City on an epic transcontinental journey. Fifty-nine days later Alice would become the first woman to drive across America.


The drive was much more than a publicity stunt for Alice (though to the Maxwell-Briscoe Company that is exactly what it was). It became a personal challenge and a proud achievement to Alice, perhaps one of the most difficult challenges in this young Vassar College alumna’s life. In the scope of American Women’s history, twenty-two year old Alice Ramsey was blazing a trail of her own; A trail that, unbeknownst to her, would merge with many other trails eventually developing into a unity among women fighting to be citizens in the United States of America. This fight, often called The Women’s Suffrage Movement, began to bear fruit almost ten years later when American women earned the right to vote.


It was 2005 when Dr. Richard Anderson, a Pacific Northwest antique car aficionado, and his 34-year old daughter Emily, dedicated themselves to recreating Alice’s Drive on the 100 year anniversary - June 9th, 2009.

The Challenge: they found only one 1909 Maxwell DA left in existence and it wasn’t for sale.

After a wide search Rich began to find pieces from around the world and began to rebuild another 1909 Maxwell DA, a near-extinct relic, but not without the help of numerous friends and colleagues.

Their goal: to complete the car for June 9th, 2009 the 100-year anniversary of Alice’s landmark drive and drive away from 1930 Broadway with Emily at the helm and three other women in the car to support. The final destination of the celebration is the St. James Hotel in San Francisco, California - exactly where the 1909 trip concluded and along the way multiple celebrations & events to pay homage to women’s accomplishments during the last century.

It’s a massive undertaking but a celebration of this magnitude is bound to draw 1000’s of people out to support and cheer as they putt through the small towns and major cities. Keep your eyes peeled for a rather unusual sight…four women in an open air automobile, driving across America.

Take a read!
--Kathy