Elizabeth Buffum Chace: Abolitionist, Reformer, and Women’s Rights Advocate

   Elizabeth Buffum Chace was a pioneering American reformer whose unwavering commitment to social justice shaped Rhode Island and the nation for over six decades. Born on December 9th 1806, into a Quaker family in Smithfield, Rhode Island, she emerged as a leading figure in the abolitionist, women's suffrage, and prison reform movements of the nineteenth century.

Elizabeth Buffum Chace House
A station on the Underground Railroad
Valley Falls, Rhode Island

In the 1830s, Chace became deeply involved in the abolitionist movement. Following in the footsteps of her father Arnold Buffum, the first president of the New England Anti-Slavery Society, Chace helped establish the Fall River Female Anti-Slavery Society in 1835. After marrying Samuel Chace in 1828, she transformed her home into a vital station on the Underground Railroad, providing shelter and assistance to enslaved people escaping to freedom, first in Fall River and later in Valley Falls, Rhode Island. She also worked with prominent abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, William Lloyd Garrison, and Wendell Phillips, advocating for the immediate end of slavery and the recognition of African Americans as equal citizens.

Chace faced profound personal tragedy, losing her first five children to illness before bearing five more. Rather than retreat from public life, she channeled her grief into fierce advocacy for vulnerable children and the oppressed. Her activism came at a cost, she became a social outcast among Rhode Island's elite, finding acceptance only among fellow radical reformers.

After the Civil War, Chase shifted much of her focus toward advancing women’s rights. She helped found the Rhode Island Womens Suffrage Association in 1868 and worked tirelessly for women’s right to vote and for broader gender equality. She frequently spoke at conventions, wrote essays, and petitioned legislators to support women’s suffrage. Her activism also extended to prison reform and improving conditions for the poor and mentally ill, showing her deep concern for all forms of injustice.

Throughout her long life, Elizabeth Buffum Chase remained a steadfast advocate for social progress, moral integrity, and human rights. Her courage and compassion left a lasting impact on both the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements. When she died on December 12th 1899, she was remembered as one of Rhode Island’s most respected reformers, a woman who lived her values and helped pave the way for future generations striving for equality

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