Pennsylvania State Historical Marker

On Sunday, September 22, 2019, Women's Animal Center proudly dedicated a state historic marker awarded to us by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) for our significance as America's First Animal Shelter. The marker was unveiled at the location of our original offices, 1320 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, the very site where our founders introduced the concept of animal sheltering and rehoming to the nation. The marker will remain here as a permanent reminder to future generations of our organization's primary place in the history of animal welfare.

Originally the Women’s Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (WPSPCA), our organization became an inspiration and model for similar groups across the nation and around the world, pioneering humane standards in animal capture and transport, housing and sanitation, employee training and euthanasia. The WPSPCA also initiated the nation's first humane education programs and organized the first junior humane societies. The American Ant-Vivisection Society,  the first organization established to advocate against the use of animals in research and science, was likewise formed out of the groundbreaking work of the WPSPCA. Now doing business as Women's Animal Center, our organization relocated to Bensalem in 1994.

Our board of directors and staff were honored to be joined at the dedication ceremony by special guests, Nancy Moses, Chair of the PHMC, and Bernard Unti, Senior Policy Advisor for The Humane Society of the United States. The gathering  marked the last official event of Women's Animal Center's 150th Anniversary celebrations. Our focus now turns to carrying out the lifesaving legacy of our visionary founders for the next 150 years - as we continue our work towards a future in which no animal needs suffer, and every pet has a loving home.