Woman's clubs or women's clubs are examples of the woman's club movement. Many local clubs and national or regional federations were influential in history. The importance of some local clubs is demonstrated by their women's club buildings being listed on historic registries.
In the United States, the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) became the primary umbrella organization of women's clubs in the United States. "For the later part of the nineteenth century and much of the twentieth century, the women's clubs were an essential vehicle for women's activity outside of the home."[1]:8 In New Mexico alone, a state federation grew to include 59 clubs.[2]
Most historical women's clubs served social and charitable purposes, most of which may seem relatively uncontroversial today. These purposes have included voluntary civic service purposes such as:
opening lending libraries and seeking funding to create permanent public libraries
pursuing historic preservation
advocating for women's suffrage, other rights for women
hosting lectures and otherwise engaging in education
addressing employment and labor conditions
Some women's groups with a more activist political orientation which used "club" in their name, such as perhaps the Alpha Suffrage Club which fought for black female suffrage in Chicago, are included here, too.
Notable examples
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International Association of Lyceum Clubs, founded in 1904 in London, England, asserted to have clubs in 17 countries. Was formed as a place for women involved with literature, journalism, art, science and medicine to meet in an atmosphere that was similar to the men's professional clubs of that era.
List of Cosmopolitan Clubs. England, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, China, India, U.S. (Are/were these all women's clubs? The ones in Philadelphia and NYC were, and have articles, and are separate items below.)
Junior League, founded in 1901 in New York City, went international in 1926. A charitable women's empowerment organization. Over 295 Leagues around the world.
P.E.O. Sisterhood, founded as a sorority in Iowa in 1869, went national in 1883. A charitable organization.
Woman's Christian Temperance Union, organized in Ohio in 1873, has affiliates in Australia, Canada, Germany, Finland, India, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, United Kingdom, and the United States
Women for Sobriety, founded in 1976, for women only, an alternative to the Twelve Steps program of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Women in the Wind (motorcycle club), founded in 1979, has had 100 chapters in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Portugal, also purports to be the largest women's motorcycle organization
Ali Bayramov Club, Baku, founded in 1920 as a literacy and sewing circle, it campaigned for women's unveiling and literacy.
Cuba
Lyceum and Lawn Tennis Club (1929–39), Havana. A women's cultural, social, and physical fitness organization; it established Cuba's first free public library, first children's library, and first course of instruction for librarians.
Ladies Dining Society (1890-World War I), Cambridge, a private women's dining and discussion club at Cambridge University. Primarily wives of male professors and college fellows. Members campaigned for Cambridge to grant degrees to women, and most were strong supporters of female suffrage.
In the United States a number of clubs were established, and corresponding buildings were built, in the early 1900s as part of a scheme by publisher Edward Gardner Lewis to promote sales of Woman's Magazine,[3] but many more were independent organizations.
Numerous women's club buildings have been evaluated for listing on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) individually or as part of wider collections. Historic preservation studies have been conducted for women's clubhouses in Florida,[4] in Illinois,[3] in New Jersey,[5] in New Mexico,[2] and in Olympia, Washington[6]
Women's clubs in the United States were indexed by the GFWC, and also by Helen M. Winslow who published an annual "register and directory" of the GFWC ones and some more, which was in its 24th annual edition in 1922.[7] The GWFC did not admit clubs for African-American women, and Winslow's directory seems to omit them too.
American News Women's Club, established in 1932 as a newspaper club for female reporters. The club's records[8] are held at the University of Maryland Archives.
Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching, founded in 1930 in Atlanta, Georgia, grew throughout the south to have a claimed presence in nearly every county throughout the south. Fought against lynchings of black persons. Was restricted to white women only to better be able to affect white women opinions generally, and to address purported motivation of lynching to "protect" white women.
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), organized in 1890 after the Sons of the American Revolution would not admit women and expand to become "Sons and Daughters". Promotes historic preservation, education, and patriotism. Membership limited to direct lineal descendants of soldiers or others of the American Revolution. Eclipsed the "Sons" in membership? with 195,000 members?
Embroiderers' Guild of America, established in 1958 as a branch of 1906-founded Embroiderers' Guild headquartered in London, England, and split off later. Is this a women's club? Seems was not exclusively for women, but probably was effectively a women's club.
Executive Women's Golf Association, founded in 1991, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; in 2014 had 114 chapters throughout the United States, and 1 chapter each in Canada, Bermuda, South Africa, Ireland and Italy.
Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic (Ladies of the G.A.R.), founded 1881 as "Loyal Ladies League", went national and assumed current name in 1886. It claims to be the oldest women's hereditary organization in the United States.
Northeastern Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, founded 1896, first umbrella organization for black women's clubs in the United States, went back and forth in affiliating with NACWC, had 55 clubs in northeastern U.S. in early 1900s, was incorporated in 1927
Phillis Wheatley Club, African Americans' women's clubs, started in 1895 in Nashville, TN, also in Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, Texas, Wisconsin and elsewhere
Pulpwood Queens, founded in 2000 in Jefferson, Texas; reportedly has 400 chapters, including 10 in foreign countries and one in a women's prison
United Order of Tents, founded in Virginia, a secret society for African American churchwomen
Women's Health Protective Association, founded as the "Ladies' Health Protective Association" in 1884 in New York City, had 40 clubs from various cities at its 1897 convention in Philadelphia.
In 1922 the Arizona State Federation of Women's Clubs had 53 clubs with about 3,515 members.[7]:64 In 1932, the Arizona Republic listed 66 federated clubs throughout the state.[9]
Ebell Society, founded in 1876 in Oakland as the International Academy for the Advancement of Women. The club's purpose was the advancement of women in cultural, industrial and intellectual pursuits.
San Rafael Improvement Club, founded 1902, a civic improvement organization whose clubhouse is listed on the NRHP. It may or may not have defined itself as a club for women, but photos show it was.
Woman's Building (Los Angeles), a "feminist mecca" during 1973 to 1991, a non-profit arts and education center (is this fairly categorized as a women's club?)
In 1922 the Colorado Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1895, total membership was not reported, but 28 clubs were listed in Winslow's directory.[7]:75
Portia Club, in Payette, Idaho, was organized in 1895, joined Idaho Federation in 1904, built clubhouse 1927, NRHP-listed
Illinois
In 1922 the Illinois Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1892, had 584 clubs with about 66,963 members,[7]:84 not including any African-American women's clubs.
Clubs in the state have included:
Alpha Suffrage Club, black female suffrage club founded in 1913, based in Chicago
Alton Chapter House (built 1909), 509 Beacon St. Alton, IL (associated with Edward Gardner Lewis's scheme), NRHP-listed
Frederick Douglass Woman's Club, Chicago, founded in 1906, one of the first women's clubs in Chicago to promote suffrage, and one of few interracial women's clubs in Chicago. Mostly middle-class. Pressured the Chicago Political League, another local woman's club to extend their membership to African-American women.
Queen Isabella Association, organized in Chicago in 1889 with purpose to create a statue of Spanish queen Isabella in the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, it expanded to chapters in New York, St. Louis, and Washington D.C. as well, attempting to become a national organization
Zion Chapter House, 2715 Emmaus Ave. Zion, IL (associated with Edward Gardner Lewis's scheme), NRHP-listed
Indiana
In 1922 the Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1890-1900, had 517 clubs with about 23,269 members,[7]:88 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Iowa Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1893, had 806 clubs with about 40,485 members,[7]:91 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Kansas Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1895-1904, had 397 clubs with about 10,034 members,[7]:94 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Kentucky State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1894, had 154 clubs with about 10,000 members,[7]:95 not including any African-American women's clubs.
The Louisiana Federation of Women's Clubs was organized in 1899. The 1922 directory listed 25 clubs,[7]:96 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Maine Federation of Women's Clubs had 147 clubs with about 6,500 members.[7]:24
Maryland
In 1922 the Maryland Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1900, had 84 clubs with about 12,000 members,[7]:98 not including any African-American women's clubs.
Woman's Era Club, Boston, founded c.1892-94, first black women's club in Boston, attempted to desegregate GFWC in 1900.
Michigan
In 1922 the Michigan State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1895, had 423 clubs with about 50,567 members,[7]:99 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Minnesota State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1895, had 601 clubs with about 48,153 members,[7]:103 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Mississippi State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1898, had 147 clubs with about 5,000 members,[7]:107 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Missouri Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1896, had 306 clubs with about 20,000 members,[7]:108 not including any African-American women's clubs.
Montana
In 1922 the Montana Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1904, had 103 clubs with about 5,000 members,[7]:110 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Nebraska Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1895, had 275 clubs with about 14,000 members,[7]:112 not including any African-American women's clubs.
Nevada
In 1922 the Nevada State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1908, had 32 clubs with about 10,000 members,[7]:113 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the New Mexico Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1911, had 50 clubs with about 2,000 members,[7]:114 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the North Carolina State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1902, had 196 clubs with about 10,000 members,[7]:115 not including any African-American women's clubs.
Woman's Club of Fayetteville, Fayetteville, NC, founded in 1906 as a Civic Improvement Association to fight for preservation of historic Market House, not named a Women's Club until 1920. Established first public library in Fayetteville, continues to work for historic preservation.
North Dakota
In 1922 the North Dakota Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1897, had 188 clubs with about 4,500 members,[7]:117 not including any African-American women's clubs.
Ohio
In 1922 the Ohio State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1894, had 603 clubs with about 85,000 members,[7]:118 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Oklahoma State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1898, had 225 clubs with about 10,000 members,[7]:122 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Oregon State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1889, had 119 clubs with about 8,000 members,[7]:123 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Pennsylvania State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1895, had 233 clubs with about 57,180 members,[7]:125 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Rhode Island Federation of Women's Clubs had 42 clubs with about 2,220 members.[7]:44
South Carolina
In 1922 the South Carolina State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1898, had 182 clubs with about 6,509 members,[7]:131 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the South Dakota State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1900, had 132 clubs with about 4,181 members,[7]:132 not including any African-American women's clubs.
Tennessee
In 1922 the Tennessee Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1899, had 120 clubs with about 8,000 members,[7]:133 not including any African-American women's clubs.
Ladies Rest Room, Lewisburg, NRHP-listed. Built by the Marshall County court in 1924 as a place for rural women to relax, rest, and eat during their visits to Lewisburg, the county seat. During the 1910s and 1920s, there was widespread encouragement in the United States for the establishment of ladies' lounges and rest rooms to accommodate rural women.
Ossoli Circle, Knoxville, founded in 1885 as a literary society; the Ossoli Circle Clubhouse]] (1933) is NRHP-listed
In 1922 the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1897, had 450 clubs with about 25,000 members,[7]:135 not including any African-American women's clubs.
See also: Pulpwood Queens, founded in Texas, with multiple locations elsewhere in U.S. and internationally.
Utah
In 1922 the Utah Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1893, had 72 clubs with about 3,500 members,[7]:137 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Vermont Federation of Women's Clubs had 67 clubs with about 6,383 members.[7]:30
Virginia
In 1922 the Virginia State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1907, had 80 clubs with about 1,600 members,[7]:138 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1896, had 241 clubs with about 27,000 members,[7]:139 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the West Virginia State Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1904, had 78 clubs with about 5,000 members,[7]:140 not including any African-American women's clubs.
Woman's Club of Fairmont, Fairmont, clubhouse in historic Thomas and Annie Fleming mansion, NRHP-listed
Wisconsin
In 1922 the Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1896, had 312 clubs with about 20,000 members,[7]:142 not including any African-American women's clubs.
In 1922 the Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1904, had 62 clubs with about 2,000 members,[7]:144 not including any African-American women's clubs.
The National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC) is an American organization that was formed in July 1896 at the First Annual Convention of the National Federation of Afro-American Women in Washington, D.C., United States, by a merger of the National Federation of Afro-American Women, the Woman's Era Club of Boston, and the Colored Women's League of Washington, DC, at the call of Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin. From 1896 to 1904 it was known as the National Association of Colored Women (NACW). It adopted the motto "Lifting as we climb", to demonstrate to "an ignorant and suspicious world that our aims and interests are identical with those of all good aspiring women." When incorporated in 1904, NACW became known as the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC).
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin was a publisher, journalist, civil rights leader, suffragist, abolitionist, and editor of the Woman's Era, the first national newspaper published by and for African American women.
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. (ΣΓΡ) is a historically African American sorority, international collegiate, and non-profit community service organization that was founded on November 12, 1922. The organization was formed as a club in 1920, by seven African American women in Indianapolis, Indiana. At its inception, the sorority was created to support Black women pursuing degrees in education. It was incorporated within Indiana in November 1922 as a sorority for school teachers and held their first national conference in 1925. The sorority became a national collegiate sorority on December 30, 1929, when a charter was granted to the Alpha chapter then established at Butler University that year. The sorority was incorporated as a national collegiate sorority in 1930. Sigma Gamma Rho is the only sorority of the four historically African American National Pan-Hellenic Council sororities founded at a predominantly White institution instead of at Howard University.The sorority's slogan is "Greater Service, Greater Progress".
Mary Burnett Talbert was an American orator, activist, suffragist and reformer. In 2005, Talbert was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Jessie Daniel Ames was a suffragist and civil rights leader from Texas who helped create the anti-lynching movement in the American South. She was one of the first Southern white women to speak out and work publicly against lynching of African Americans, murders which white men claimed to commit in an effort to protect women's "virtue." Despite risks to her personal safety, Ames stood up to these men and led organized efforts by white women to protest lynchings. She gained 40,000 signatures of Southern white women to oppose lynching, helping change attitudes and bring about a decline in these murders in the 1930s and 1940s.
Sallie Wyatt Stewart was an American educator and a social services organizer for the black community in Evansville, Indiana, who is best known for her leadership in local, state, and national black women’s clubs. Stewart served as president of the Indiana Federation of Colored Women from 1921 to 1928 and succeeded Mary McLeod Bethune as president of the National Association of Colored Women from 1928 to 1933. During her term as the IFCW's president, Stewart launched "The Hoosier Woman", a monthly newsletter that served as the organization's official publication. Among her accomplishments as the NACW's president was the founding in 1930 of the National Association of Colored Girls. In addition, Stewart was a delegate in 1930 to the International Council of Women in Vienna, Austria, and fourth vice president of the National Council of Women of the United States. She also served a trustee and secretary of the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association, a member of the executive committee of the National Negro Business League, a member of the executive committee of the National Colored Merchants Association, and a teacher in the Evansville public schools for more than fifty years.
Selena Sloan Butler (1872–1964) was the founder and first president of the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers Association (NCCPT). President Herbert Hoover appointed her to the White House Conference on Child Health and Protection in 1929. During World War II, she organized the Red Cross' first black women's chapter of "Gray Ladies." When Congress merged the NCCPT with the National PTA in 1970, Butler was posthumously recognized as one of the organization's founders. Today, Butler is considered a co-founder of the National Parent-Teacher Association.
Eliza Ann Gardner was an African-American abolitionist, religious leader and women's movement leader from Boston, Massachusetts. She founded the missionary society of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AMEZ), was a strong advocate for women's equality within the church, and was a founder of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs.
The First National Conference of the Colored Women of America was a three-day conference in Boston organized by Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, a civil rights leader and suffragist. In August 1895, representatives from 42 African-American women's clubs from 14 states convened at Berkeley Hall for the purpose of creating a national organization. It was the first event of its kind in the United States.
Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, also known as the Minor House, is a historic National Association of Colored Women's Clubs clubhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The two-and-one-half-story "T"-plan building was originally constructed in 1897 as a private dwelling for John and Sarah Minor; however, since 1927 it has served as the headquarters of the Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, a nonprofit group of African American women. The Indiana federation was formally organized on April 27, 1904, in Indianapolis and incorporated in 1927. The group's Colonial Revival style frame building sits on a brick foundation and has a gable roof with hipped dormers. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
The woman's club movement was a social movement that took place throughout the United States that established the idea that women had a moral duty and responsibility to transform public policy. While women's organizations had existed earlier, it was not until the Progressive era (1896–1917) that they came to be considered a movement. The first wave of the club movement during the progressive era was started by white, middle-class, Protestant women, and a second phase was led by African-American women.
Rosa L. Dixon Bowser was an American educator. She was the first African-American teacher hired in Richmond, Virginia. She organized the Virginia Teachers' Reading Circle, which became the Virginia State Teachers Association, the first organization representing black teachers in Virginia, serving as the organization's president from 1890 to 1892. Bowser was president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in Virginia, as well as founder and first president of the Richmond Woman's League. She was a correspondent for the magazine The Woman's Era, and wrote essays for national publications.
The Texas Association of Women's Clubs (TAWC) is an umbrella organization of African American women's clubs in Texas. It was first organized as the Texas Federation of Colored Women's Clubs in 1905. The purpose of the group was to allow clubs to work together to improve the social and moral life of people in Texas. The club also spoke on topics of interest to black women in the United States.
The Mississippi State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, Inc (MSFCWC) is an African American woman's club located in Mississippi. The umbrella organization, affiliated with the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) was founded in 1903. The headquarters of the club are located in Jackson. The organization had an annual convention and was organized into committees. MSFCWC sponsored scholarship opportunities, and provided resources for black people in Mississippi.
The Woman's Era Club was an African-American women's civic organization founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in between 1892 and 1894 by Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin. The club was the first black women's club in Boston. The organization was especially well known for the conflict caused when Ruffin attempted to desegregate the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) in 1900.
The Tennille Woman's Clubhouse, at 132 Smith St. in Tennille, Georgia, was built in 1922. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
Helen Appo Cook was a wealthy, prominent African-American community activist in Washington, D.C., and a leader in the women's club movement. Cook was a founder and president of the Colored Women's League, which consolidated with another organization in 1896 to become the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), an organization still active in the 21st century. Cook supported voting rights and was a member of the Niagara Movement, which opposed racial segregation and African American disenfranchisement. In 1898, Cook publicly rebuked Susan B. Anthony, president of the National Woman's Suffrage Association, and requested she support universal suffrage following Anthony's speech at a U.S. Congress House Committee on Judiciary hearing.
The Colored Women's League (CWL) of Washington, D.C., was a woman's club, organized by a group of African-American women in June 1892, with Helen Appo Cook as president. The primary mission of this organization was the national union of colored women. In 1896, the Colored Women's League and the Federation of Afro-American Women merged to form the National Association of Colored Women, with Mary Church Terrell as the first president.
Oregon women achieved the vote in 1912 and throughout the state women in organizations organized around racial groups and ethnicities. Portland had a significant number of African American women’s clubs and organizations, including the Oregon Federation of Colored Women's Clubs.
↑ "WIA 'Country Store' Makes Hit". Las Cruces Sun-News. 1967-11-03. p.7. Retrieved 2021-02-13– via Newspapers.com. and "WIA". Las Cruces Sun-News. 1967-11-03. p.8. Retrieved 2021-02-13– via Newspapers.com.
↑ Silverman, Willa Z. (2008). The New Bibliopolis: French Book Collectors and the Culture of Print, 1880-1914. University of Toronto Press. p.261. ISBN9780802092113.
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