Guide to the Records of the Woman's Club of Pittsburgh, 1875-1957
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Records of the Woman's Club of Pittsburgh
- Creator
- Women's Club of Pittsburgh
- Collection Number
- MSS#95
- Extent
- 2.75 cubic feet (6 boxes)
- Date
- 1875-1957
- Abstract
- One of the earliest clubs for women in the city, the Woman's Club of Pittsburgh was organized as a literary and cultural club to meet the needs of professional women and women journalists. The Woman's Club grew into a major force in the Pittsburgh community, providing leadership for social reform in the late 19th and 20th centuries. These records include minutes, yearbooks, correspondence, historical material, a scrapbook and other sundry items.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
Historical Sketch of the Woman's Club of Pittsburgh (1875-)
One of the earliest clubs for women in the city, the Woman's Club of Pittsburgh was organized as a literary and cultural club to meet the needs of professional women and women journalists. The Woman's Club grew into a major force in the Pittsburgh community, providing leadership for social reform in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Originally established as the Woman's Club of the City of Pittsburgh, it was the third oldest federated club in the General Federation of Women's Clubs. The Woman's Club had its beginnings in a "blue tea" (for "bluestocking"; a term used to designate professional women and journalists), given in honor of Jane Grey Swisshelm, the first Pittsburgh newspaper woman and a prominent suffragist. The tea was hosted by Helen P. Jenkins at her home in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, early in November 1875. During this meeting, Swisshelm gave an impassioned speech on women's rights and urged those in attendance to start a literary-cultural club that would be similar to the all-male clubs of the time. A few days later a literary society was organized by a small group of women who had attended the "blue tea". Among them were Helen P. Jenkins of the Pittsburgh Post; Elizabeth Wade, principal of the Ralston School, who wrote under the pseudonym "Bessie Bramble;" Fannie Kyle, a teacher and writer (she was the club's first President); Dr. Millie Chapman, the first woman dentist in Pittsburgh; the Reverend Augusta Chapman, pastor of Universal Church on Diamond Street in Pittsburgh; and Minnie Ourey (later Minnie Ourey Roberts), who was a published poet at the age of 17. The original mission of the club was to bring together women interested in art, literature, science, history and philosophy, for study, to write papers, and for discussions "without sectarian bias or partisan prejudice." The membership was small at first, in part because of ridicule from the local press for women who met to study and discuss cultural topics. Even the designation "Woman's Club" was severely criticized. Eventually membership grew and expanded, drawing members primarily from the educated middle class. Other prominent members include world traveller and writer Nellie Bly and actress Maggie Muhlandbring-Fitzgerald.
The Woman's Club met regularly during the fall, winter and spring, providing their members a forum to discuss the issues of the day. Initially, meetings of the Woman's Club were held at the Twentieth Century Clubhouse, then located in Duquesne Way in downtown Pittsburgh. Expanding membership brought about a drive for funds that, when combined with the money raised by other women's organizations, resulted in the purchase of Congress House (708 Penn Ave), on May 7, 1923. Almost every aspect of women's lives in Pittsburgh and the region were discussed, including women's suffrage, education, social conditions, and other issues. The Club also took an active concern with civic issues, bringing in members of local civic groups for lectures. These groups included the Chamber of Commerce of Pittsburgh, Civic Club, and in the 1940s, the Allegheny Conference for Community Development.
The Woman's Club of Pittsburgh was federated with the state-wide Federation of Pennsylvania Women in 1895, and was affiliated with the Allegheny County Federation in June, 1927. With their affiliation with the Federation, the Club broadened its outlook and became a service organization as well as a cultural club. The Woman's Club worked diligently to ease the burden of physically challenged citizens, unemployed men and women, and to improve the general conditions of children, education and the local environment. The Woman's Club supported blind children and adults through the Western Pennsylvania Institute for the Blind and by providing financial assistance for blind students to attend the Frick Training School for Teachers and the University of Pittsburgh. Soil conservation was also a leading cause of the club, and members annually planted trees at Pittsburgh's Point when the area was primarily used for industry and commerce. The Club was able to secure a small piece of land at the tip of the Point, for the creation of the original Point Park. The Woman's Club also established the "Clinic for Jobless Folks" during the Great Depression. The clinic provided assistance to the unemployed on where to find work and how to secure employment. To this end, the club founded the "Man Marketing Clinic," a successful seminar that assisted people through job interviews. The Club attained the services of employers at Joseph Horne Department Store, United States Steel, and the Pittsburgh Public Schools to assist in the Clinic. The Woman's Club was also active at Christmas, providing special events for members as well as fund raising and providing toys for children at Children's Hospital and the Zoar Home for Children in Allison Park (Allegheny County), Pennsylvania. Throughout its history, the Woman's Club has been successful in improving
Scope and Content Notes
These records include minutes, yearbooks, correspondence, historical material, a scrapbook and other sundry items. The bulk of these records are meeting minutes and board minutes, kept from 1877 to 1944. The minutes provide detailed and informative accounts of the proceedings and are especially strong for the early years through 1920. As the practice was to discuss current events at almost every meeting, these minutes contain a brief summary of the club's discussion of issues and events including the Johnstown Flood of 1889, steelworker's strikes, World War I, waves of immigration to Pittsburgh, as well as cultural themes. Topics of speeches and discussion at early club meetings include "Is Marriage a Failure?" , "Labor Laws", "Women's Suffrage", "Prohibition", "Are American Laws Fair to Women?", "Kindergartens", and "Pacifism," with speakers chosen from leaders in that field. Members of the club also discussed philosophy, religion, history and geography on a regular basis. Although no copies of the individual speeches given at the meetings remain, the minutes often offer detailed descriptions of discussions and the ensuing debates. The members were politically active, often drafting and sending out "Appeals" and "Resolutions" to government officials. Also included in the minutes are manuscript copies of the by-laws and the club constitution, the printed versions of both appear with the miscellaneous materials. The folder for loose minutes also includes a year by year list of the officers of the club from 1888 until 1942. Yearbooks, 1905-1957, record the Club's activities and speeches given throughout the year. These yearbooks are fairly comprehensive and may successfully be used as an index to the minutes. The yearbooks also list the names of officers, those appointed to standing committees, and a directory of members. The historical material includes correspondence and historical sketches written by Club members through the 75th anniversary in 1950. The historical correspondence includes a long reminiscence of Pittsburgh at the turn of the century by one of the Club's oldest members. Especially noteworthy among the club histories are Club chronologies by Elizabeth Wade (who wrote as Bessie Bramble) and Dorothea Thompson. Although incomplete, a scrapbook, kept by Helen Eakins, offers newspaper clippings documenting the Club activities from the late 1920's to 1959 and some photographs of club members. Financial records are sketchy and most often pertain to membership dues. The miscellaneous materials include a variety of printed and manuscript pieces covering the history of the club. These printed items include invitations to special dinners hosted by the club, by-laws and constitution of the club for 1892 and 1924, and others. Manuscript items included with the miscellaneous materials include some brief correspondence, partial minutes of the General Federation of Women's Clubs meeting in Portland, Oregon (June 1915), and other items. The correspondence was sent primarily to the club from other clubs and federations in the late 19th century. Among the undated miscellaneous material are lists of club presidents, fragments of speeches (possibly given at the club), and other items.
Arrangement
The Women's Club of Pittsburgh Records are housed in six archival boxes and are arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These materials came in two accessions and were combined into a single body of records in 1994.
Acc# 1963x Gift of the Woman's Club of Pittsburgh, (Records. Representing the Club was Mrs. G. Latus and Mrs. L. Geisey).
Acc# 1978x Gift of Elizabeth Yewell, (Historical Sketch of the Woman's Club).
Preferred Citation
Records of the Woman's Club of Pittsburgh, 1875-1957, MSS #95, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Christina Favretto on April 7, 1994.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Doug MacGregor on August 14, 2001.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Subjects
- Woman's Club of Pittsburgh (Pa.)
- Federation of Pennsylvania Women
- Eakins, Helen
- Latus, Grayce D.
- Thompson, Dorothea
- Wade, Elizabeth (1835-1910)
- Associations, institutions, etc. -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Clubs -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Political Rights -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Suffrage -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Women -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Women -- Social Conditions
- Women -- Societies and Clubs
- Women -- Suffrage -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Women in Journalism -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh