Overview of the Collection
Historical NoteThe Women of Fairhaven was a charitable and social organization based in Fairhaven, Washington. The club was founded in 1948 to support the Fairhaven Boys' and Girls' Club. The Women of Fairhaven assisted in the construction of the Fairhaven Boys' and Girls' Club annual parade floats, supported their weekly dances, organized picnics, and donated goods for their club house. The club also sought to involve itself other ways in the community. They raised money on behalf of the Mt. Baker Kidney Center, Skagit Preschool Association for the Rehabilitation of Children (SPARC), Bellingham Visiting Nurses Association, and provided financial support to community members in need. The club ceased meeting in the late 1980s. Content DescriptionThe Women of Fairhaven records span the dates 1948-1988, and comprise administrative and financial records, correspondence, records regarding club Activities, and documents relating to the Fairhaven Hotel. The records document the club’s charitable activities and social gatherings. It also documents the social activities of the Fairhaven Boys' and Girls' Club. These records provide a vibrant glimpse of Bellingham’s youth activities during the late 1940s and community life from the late 1940s to the mid 1970s. Administrative and financial records span the period 1948-1988, and contain two minutes notebooks (1948-1951, 1960-1963). The minutes notebooks record the organization’s first meeting and bylaws, as well as notes from later gatherings. The financial documents (1955-1988) including receipts, checks, and an insurance policy. These financial records cover the fundraising efforts of the Women of Fairhaven. Correspondence spans 1949-1986 and consists almost exclusively of thank-you notes documenting the charitable activities of the club. Club activities records reflect the organization’s charitable work, fundraising events, and other gatherings and events from 1948-1975. This series includes photographs, newsletters, and newspaper clippings. Also included in the club activity records are scrapbooks (1948-1975) documenting the charitable and social activities, as well as other events of the Fairhaven Boys' and Girls' Club. The scrapbooks also include articles detailing the fiery destruction of the Fairhaven Hotel on July 19, 1953, then the meeting place of the Fairhaven Boy’s and Girl’s Club. It also documents the fire’s effects on the community including the efforts of the Women of Fairhaven to find a new location for the Fairhaven Boys' and Girls' Club. The collection also contains materials pertaining to the history of the Fairhaven Hotel. These comprise duplicates of Fairhaven Hotel restaurant menus, and letters from Mary Larrabee Bourque, responding to questions posed by E. Rosamond Ellis, a local historian and club member, about the construction of the hotel and what life was like growing up in the old Fairhaven Hotel. Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
The collection is open to the public. Preferred Citation :Women of Fairhaven records, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123 Administrative Information
Arrangement :
The Women of Fairhaven records are organized in accordance with the following series arrangement:
Detailed Description of the CollectionThe following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
This series contains records collected by E. Rosamond Ellis, a local historian and club member, documenting the history of the Fairhaven Hotel
SubjectsThis 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.
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