Special
Features / April 2004
A
Woman’s Place Through Time
Parkersburg Woman’s Club...100 years old. |
The GFWC Parkersburg Woman’s Club celebrates
100 years of camaraderie and service this spring. Originally
formed as the Woman’s Literary Club, the group met in church
parlors and the library during their first fifteen years. Early
programs centered around
American history, culture and U.S. contributions to
the world. Members answered roll call with a quotation from the
poet of the month. Ten minutes were devoted to discussion of current
events and there was always a musical interlude. The constitution
and bylaws, written by Laurane Boreman, daughter of the first Governor
of West Virginia, remain in place.
In 1904, the club affiliated with the State and General
Federation of Woman’s Clubs. By 1915, the membership was ready
for a permanent home and purchased a two-story house near the business
district for $6,000.
The membership met monthly as a group and in smaller
‘department’ meetings attended by women interested particularly
in civics, literature, parliamentary law, music and art. Political
science was added in 1914, and the membership hosted programs on
child labor, the World Peace Movement, property rights for married
women, the Prohibition Movement, city government and women’s
Suffrage. Members were “requested to inform themselves on
these subjects.”
During World War I, the Parkersburg Woman’s
Club led the state in the sale of war bonds. Their yearbook bore
the quote, “The Woman’s Club movement is but one manifestation
of the larger effort for liberty and culture found in great women’s
souls all over the world.” Over the years, the Club welcomed
local and national speakers on events and topics of the day, including
humorist Will Rogers, teacher Helen Keller and aviator Amelia Earhart.
Members led efforts to clean sidewalks and streets, discontinue
the practice of selling unwrapped bread, require the milk be covered
during delivery and established a Consumer’s League.
During WWII, Woman’s Club members worked at
the Sixth Street railroad station canteen aiding American troops
on their way to camps or overseas. The War Service Committee
knitted and sewed for the fighting men, made surgical dressings
and promoted war bonds. Programs about the United Nations,
returning veterans and adjusting homes to the post war era reflected
the changing world.
During their long history, the Parkersburg Woman’s
Club sponsored nursing and general scholarships, started a local
mental health association and cancer program, received national
recognition for their efforts in fighting Japanese beetles and assisted
in establishing the Boys Club. The annual Holly Trail of Homes,
initiated in 1968, still helps to raise money for local projects
and organizations, like the Wood County Library, Parkersburg Art
Center, Miss West Virginia Scholarship fund and the Salvation Army.
In 1980, the membership took the initial steps to
establish a Crises Center for Abused Children and contributed over
300 hours of volunteer effort to establish a Mathematics Resource
Center. The Clubhouse was renovated at a cost of $49,500 and placed
on the National Register of Historic Places.
New departments over the years reflected women’s
changing interests of art, conservation, education, home life, international
affairs and public affairs. The Club has continued to raise
money to support local ventures like the Blennerhasset Mansion,
Family Service Center, and nursing education. Last year, the 130
members contributed over 14,000 hours of volunteer work, for special
projects and for fundraisers like gift wrapping at Grand Central
Mall and the Holly Trail. This month, they are making chocolate
eggs to sell.
On March 28, members and guests gathered for an open
house, welcoming past presidents and celebrating receipt of the
2004 annual WEALTH award for community contributions. Members
will join the state GFWC celebration for their centennial the week
of April 25 at Oglebay Park in Wheeling.
Barbara Sullivan, President of the Parkersburg Woman’s
Club, says new members are always welcome. “After 100
years, the Woman’s Club remains one of the best places to
find friends, learn something new and support the community.
We’re happy to see new faces of every age and, with departments
that address a variety of interests, we have something to appeal
to everyone.” PL
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