Give Back this Mother’s Day with a Necklace that supports Gage and abuse Survivors
Welcome to the Gage Museum/Social Justice Dialogue Center
The Gage home is one of our nation’s most important historical sites. The museum has rooms dedicated to the social justice work of Matilda Joslyn Gage:
- Women's Rights
- Haudenosaunee Room
- Religious Freedom
- Underground Railroad Room (we are recognized by the National Park Service as a Network to Freedom site)
- Oz Parlor (dedicated to the Gage/Baum family)
- Local History
- Research Library
- Dakota Gift Shop
The Gage Center is an educational resource and hub for discussion and dialogue about the human rights issues to which Matilda Joslyn Gage dedicated her life.
The Ruth Putter Welcome Center
HOLD ONTO YOUR HAT! You are about to enter an historic home unlike any you’ve ever visited. We invite you to:
- Touch the artifacts
- Sit on the furniture
- Play the piano
- Eat and drink
- Take photographs and selfies – and post them
- Try on the clothes
- Explore on your own, take as much or little time as you want
AND BREAK THE #1 RULE OF MUSEUMS: WRITE ON OUR WALLS!
You got it! We are not one more dusty museum.
WARNING: This woman didn’t go for half-measures. She called for an end to all the forms of “church, family, capitalist and government” that kept marginalized groups oppressed. Her ideas will challenge you so…
…before you start your visit, you must agree to the two most important rules of the house:
CHECK YOUR DOGMA AT THE DOOR
THINK FOR YOURSELF
Gage challenges you to reflect on your own values in this house that values ideas, not artifacts. You won’t learn where she ate or slept; you’ll learn about her passion to change the world. Each room you enter will take you to the heart of one of Gage’s commitments to freedom, justice and equality.
Explore at your leisure, touch everything and write your thoughts on the whiteboard walls. We’ll be around to chat with you.
And we hope you’ll be inspired to follow Gage’s direction in creating a more just and democratic world!
The Gage Center is open for visitors by appointment during the winter months. If you’d like to visit, fill out this form and we’ll get back to you.
We are honored that this Welcome Center carries the name of Ruth Putter, a distinguished local photographer and social justice activist who supported our work, served on the Board of Directors of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation and through her gift, made this Welcome Center possible.