The Woman’s City Club Records comprise
minutes, financial records, photographs, programs, reports, correspondence, a
scrapbook and other documents relating to the Woman’s City Club of Seattle,
Washington.
Repository:
Museum of History &
Industry Sophie Frye Bass
Library
Funding for encoding this finding
aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
Historical Note
The Woman’s City Club of Seattle was organized in 1922 by former
Seattle Mayor Bertha K. Landes. The club was originally known as “The Woman’s
Civic League,” but the name changed to the Woman’s City Club in December 1923.
The purpose of the club was to educate women about local, state, national and
world politics, and in cooperation with other organizations, to work towards
securing the welfare of the city and improving civic conditions. The club was
non-partisan and did not endorse particular candidates for office, however
during election years it did invite all candidates for public office to address
the club. Club meetings were held every Tuesday and individual meetings would
focus on particular aspects of government.
The club grew quickly in popularity. In December 1923, the club
reported 640 women on its membership rolls. Not long after establishing the
club, Bertha Landes resigned as president. In November 1923, Mrs. Frederic J.
Beull was elected president in her place. The club worked very actively with
other community organizations, at one point having delegate representatives in
thirteen other organizations such as the Anti-Tuberculosis League, the Red
Cross, King County Home and others. The club was dissolved in 1973.
Content Description
The Woman’s City Club Records is mostly made up of financial records
and meeting minutes. Both the financial records and meeting minutes span the
entire life of the club, from 1923 – 1973, but include some gaps in the
chronology.
Other records for the collection include a small number of photographs
and programs, as well as a collection of correspondence spanning from
1924-1942, some reports written by club members, a scrapbook containing
newspaper clippings about the club ranging from 1941-1945, and other records
relating to the club and its involvement in the community.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
The collection is open to the public by appointment.
Restrictions on Use :
The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in
the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research,
publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI
before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to
all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may
require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Preferred Citation :
Woman's City Club Records, Museum of History & Industry,
Seattle
Administrative Information
Arrangement :
The Woman’s City Club Records is comprised of eight series, three of
which have been further arranged into subseries. All series and subseries are
arranged chronologically. The arrangement of the collection is as follows:
Series 1: Financial Records
Subseries A: Financial Reports, 1923-1972
Subseries B: Lists of Members and Record of Dues Paid,
1924-1972
Series 2: Minutes and Other Records of Meetings
Subseries A: Meeting Minutes, 1922-1972
Subseries B: Member register and Sign-in Sheets
Series 3: Correspondence, 1924-1942, undated
Series 4: Community Involvement and Involvement with other
Organizations, 1927-1949
Series 5: Reports and Publications of the Woman’s City Club,
1923-1934
Series 6: Photographs of club members, 1932, circa 1958
Series 7: Programs
Subseries A: Woman’s City Club Annual Luncheons, 1948-1955
Subseries B: Regular Meetings, 1927, 1945
Series 8: Scrapbook, 1941-1945
Acquisition Information :
Source: Women’s City Club, January 4, 1973
Processing Note :
Processed by Esther Benson 2008
Separated Materials :
These materials are part of a donation by Woman’s City Club that also
includes a number of artifacts such as flags, sound equipment, a gavel and
other miscellaneous equipment. The artifacts are cataloged and stored
separately by MOHAI’s Collections Department.
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in
the collection.
Series 1: Financial
Records, 1923-1972
17 bound volumes
Arranged chronologically
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box
1
Subseries A: Financial
Reports
6 bound volumes
1923-1972
Box
1
Financial Reports
1 bound volume
1923 February – 1930 June
1
Financial Reports
1 bound volume
1930 June - 1932 August
1
Financial Reports
1 bound volume
1937 circa November –1939 circa July
1
Financial Reports
1 bound volume
1940 May - 1950 May
1
Financial Reports
1 bound volume
1950 May – 1963 May
1
Financial Reports
1 bound volume
1972 May – 1972 September
1
Subseries B: Lists of Members and
Record of Dues Paid
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Personal Names :
Landes,
Bertha Knight, 1868-1943
Geographical Names :
Seattle
(Wash.)
Subject Terms :
Clubs--Washington
(State)--Seattle
Women in community
organization--Washington (State)--Seattle
