Wise words from a wise man: "Every month is women's history month."

Walt Gable, a retired social studies teacher from the Seneca Falls Teachers Association, taught for 32 years. Since 2003 he has been the county historian for Seneca County, the birthplace of the women's rights movement.

In 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, was held at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Seneca Falls with the goal of discussing "the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of women."

Gable loves teaching about women's history in Seneca Falls, "where it all began." His particular interests lie in the role of women in the anti-slavery movement and the birth of women's rights in his hometown.

Gable recently finished a six-year study for an article, found on the county Web site, on women's roles in facilitating the Underground Railroad (www.co.seneca.ny.us/dpt-genserv-historian-seneca.php). "People tend to forget that it wasn't the man of the house that cooked the meals or provided the bed linens," Gable said.

He speaks fondly of Charlotte Jackson, an African-American from Ovid, Seneca County, who used all of her savings to help those moving north to freedom. "People do what they can to contribute to a cause."

Gable believes that women's history should get attention in all months of the calendar. "It's impossible to talk about the nation's history without talking about its women," said Gable.

For more information on women's history, Gable recommends http://www.roadsfromsenecafalls.org/.

— Amanda Martini-Hughes