For the first time in history, a bronze statue depicting and celebrating the achievements of women will join the myriad monuments honoring men, animals and fictional characters in the storied park.On Monday, city officials unveiled the site on the Literary Walk in the south end of the park where it plans to place the “Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Woman Suffrage Movement Monument” in 2020.  The tree-lined mall includes statues of writers such as William Shakespeare and Robert Burns.  Until now the only monuments depicting females in the park are Alice in Wonderland, Mother Goose, Juliet (from Romeo and Juliet) and a variety of nymphs and other mystical creatures.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, a long-time supporter of the statue, said it was important to place it in Central Park as opposed to another site in the city.

“About 42 million people use Central Park,” said Brewer, who secured $100,000 in city funds for the statue. “This is a place of education. And this is history not always being taught.”

Stanton and Anthony were passionate about the abolition of slavery and the right of women to vote. They both had strong ties to New York, and in 1866 Stanton became the first woman to run for Congress. The fierce pair founded the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869.