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The Highland Park Woman’s Club (HPWC) was founded in 1899 through the efforts of Laura Dayton Fessenden who served as the Club’s first president. Fessenden had been involved in the Chicago Woman’s Club; and she and her friends wanted to be part of an organization for women that was not dependent on a male counterpart.

The HPWC is representative of the American Woman’s Club Movement and First Wave Feminism. For many (chiefly elite) women, the Club Movement provided their only independent cultural, community and/or intellectual activities. At the time of the HPWC's founding, most clubs for women served solely as auxiliaries of mens' clubs. Within a year, there were 95 members of the HPWC. The foundling organization outlined its goals as “Reform, Education, Home, Art, Literature, and Philanthropy” for dues of $1/year and qualifications of membership being "character and intelligence." A newspaper article found in the Club's 1899 scrapbook notes, “The club does not consider or question such distinctions as race, color, religion, or politics.” The HPWC joined the General Federation of Women’s Clubs and Illinois Federation in 1900 and incorporated in 1920. The Club’s earliest meetings included the reading of papers written by members and literary discussions. The HPWC held study groups with subjects as diverse as Emily Dickinson, history, “Oriental Magic,” music, and foreign travel.? They held language classes and hosted visiting musical groups, professional and amateur. Later, the Club organized departments, including Fine Arts, Drama, Garden, and a Collectors Study Group. The Club adapted to its members and community’s direction with new and different clubs and activities. In 1950 the Club organized a Junior Auxiliary. The HPWC established a scholarship committee in 1965.

The HPWC founded and administered an early version of a bookmobile, a traveling library with five cases of fifty books each. The cases rotated between rural schools. As public and school libraries developed, the Club discontinued the program and donated the books to Highwood, Illinois schools. The HPWC secured funding to build the Highland Park Public Library from Andrew Carnegie as an early notable achievement. Rummage sales, advocating for regular, covered garbage pick-up and Christmas Seals sales constituted early and continuing Club activities. Initially, the club met at the Young Men’s Club, the library, various houses, churches, and schools, including Elm Place School where they placed their piano for use by the children in exchange for meeting space. In 1914 The Club established a Building fund to plan in raise money for a clubhouse. The HPWC first met in its newly built clubhouse, a colonial revival designed by architect Arthur Brown, on February 27, 1924. The HPWC had purchased the land at the corner of Elm and Sheridan for $10,500 in 1919 (IFWC December 1925). This building served as club headquarters until 1993.

After an expensive battle to retain the organization’s not-for-profit status and property tax exemption that reached the Illinois Supreme Court, the HPWC kept its not-for-profit status. However, the HPWC's leadership decided it was no longer economically feasible to maintain a clubhouse. After much internal and external discussion and debate, the Club rejected offers from developers (one which resulted in a lengthy lawsuit documented in this collection), and the HPWC deeded the club’s grounds and building to the City of Highland Park as the Highland Park Community Center. The HPWC continues to meet at the renamed Highland Park Community House and other locations in 2011.

http://highlandpark.gfwcillinois.org/.

Part of the Lyric Opera Chapters Community, "In a Lyric Opera Chapter, opera lovers of all ages get together to enjoy lectures, musical performances, events, volunteer opportunities, and each other's company. Each Chapter is chartered with the dual purpose of providing educational programs in their communities and raising money to support community-engagement and educational programs at Lyric Opera of Chicago." (www.lyricopera.org)

Biographical/Historical note The Highland Park United Way, formerly named the Community Chest, is a not-for-profit organization formed in 1935. In 1935 twelve members representing the twelve social and welfare agencies which accepted membership in the Chest composed the group, and of thirteen members of the public. The original objective of the organization was to coordinate the fund-raising activities of the social welfare agencies serving the Highland Park community. As of 2012, the Highland Park United Way is part of the United Way of North Shore. The Community Chest aims at cutting down the cost of administration of the various philanthropic organizations whilst supervising and inspecting budgets and expenditures of all enterprises receiving support from the community chest. It eliminates the annoyance to donors in the repeated solicitation for funds, and adds the assurance that the money sought will be properly handled. The original agencies representatives in 1935 were: Arden Shore, Mrs. W. Fyffe; Boy Scouts, Albert Snite; Dorcas Home, Mrs. G. B. Chapman; Highland Park Hospital, John W. Newey; Women’s Auxiliary of the Highland Park Hospital, Mrs. Charles Rubens; Girl Scouts, Mrs. Roy. O. Nereim; Highland Park Social Service, Lyle Gourley; Infant Welfare, Mrs. Malcolm Vail; Red Cross, H.F. Kelley; Northwestern Settlement, Mrs. Kenneth Ives; Baby Feeding Clinic, Edith Fyffe; and Y.W.C.A., Mrs. T.L.Osborne. Allan Wolff, William F. Ross, H.E. Kerber, Gilbert Fuller, Cloud Wampler, C.W. Jones, A.T. Sihler, Robert Greenslade, H.F. Aiston, Lawrence Abt, Mrs. E.A. Harrington, E.J. Fucik and H.N. Pfister are the members at large. The Highland Park United Way, formerly named the Community Chest, is a not-for-profit organization formed in 1935. In 1935 twelve members representing the twelve social and welfare agencies which accepted membership in the Chest composed the group, and of thirteen members of the public. The original objective of the organization was to coordinate the fund-raising activities of the social welfare agencies serving the Highland Park community. As of 2012, the Highland Park United Way is part of the United Way of North Shore. The Community Chest aims at cutting down the cost of administration of the various philanthropic organizations whilst supervising and inspecting budgets and expenditures of all enterprises receiving support from the community chest. It eliminates the annoyance to donors in the repeated solicitation for funds, and adds the assurance that the money sought will be properly handled. The original agencies representatives in 1935 were: Arden Shore, Mrs. W. Fyffe; Boy Scouts, Albert Snite; Dorcas Home, Mrs. G. B. Chapman; Highland Park Hospital, John W. Newey; Women’s Auxiliary of the Highland Park Hospital, Mrs. Charles Rubens; Girl Scouts, Mrs. Roy. O. Nereim; Highland Park Social Service, Lyle Gourley; Infant Welfare, Mrs. Malcolm Vail; Red Cross, H.F. Kelley; Northwestern Settlement, Mrs. Kenneth Ives; Baby Feeding Clinic, Edith Fyffe; and Y.W.C.A., Mrs. T.L.Osborne. Allan Wolff, William F. Ross, H.E. Kerber, Gilbert Fuller, Cloud Wampler, C.W. Jones, A.T. Sihler, Robert Greenslade, H.F. Aiston, Lawrence Abt, Mrs. E.A. Harrington, E.J. Fucik and H.N. Pfister are the members at large.

In 1969, construction for a modern hotel began on a 4.5 acre parcel of land in Highwood, Illinois. The hotel opened in 1970 as a Ramada Inn franchise. Between 1972 and 1985, the Ramada Inn changed hands several times and becomes the Highwood Inn. In 1985, local restaurateur William Pigati purchased the Highwood Inn and renames it the Hotel Moraine.

Hotel Moraine-on-the-Lake opened in Highland Park in 1900 to serve vacationing Chicagoans, many from the city's exclusive Gold Coast. Hotel Moraine was designed by Highland Park architect, Ernst Mayo, for F.W. Cushing and named for the nearby granite rock shelf. Originally open solely for the summer months, many guests spent their entire summer at the hotel. The Hotel operated at maximum capacity for its first 35 years, but was negatively effected by the stockmarket crash and subsequent Great Depression. In 1943 Jules Reingold, a wealthy real estate man from Glencoe, Illinois, bought the hotel and ran it successfully until his death in 1947 The Hotel changed hands several times between 1947 and 1963. In 1963, Richard S. Wright Enterprises purchased the hotel, capitalizing on the dining room and numerous meeting rooms to attract industry conferences. By 1968, the hotel was empty again. Illinois Bell rented and redesigned the hotel's garage to serve as a school for telephone operators. In 1969, Bert Schwarz purchased the land with intentions of tearind down the hotel and building a lakeshore high-rise. Moraine Citizens Committee, a group of Highland Park residents and politicians, mobilized to block the high rise development though a city wide referendum that would granted the City of Highland Park the funds to purchase the Moraine Hotel property for a future park and nature preserve. The original Hotel Moraine-on-the-Lake was demolished in 1972. In 1999, The Highland Park City Council proposed deeded the property to the Park District of Highland Park in hopes the park built where the Hotel Moraine-on-the-Lake will be better maintained.

In 1969, construction for a modern hotel began on a 4.5 acre parcel of land in Highwood, Illinois. The hotel opened in 1970 as a Ramada Inn franchise. Between 1972 and 1985, the Ramada Inn changed hands several times and becomes the Highwood Inn. In 1985, local restaurateur William Pigati purchased the Highwood Inn and renamed it the Hotel Moraine.