Highland Park Woman's Club, records

1.1 Roll book, 1899-1910 1.2 Minutes, 1899-1907 1.3 Minutes, 1907-1916 1.4 Minutes, 1918-1923

Identity elements

Reference code

US IlHpHS HPWC

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Collection

Title

Highland Park Woman's Club, records

Date(s)

  • 1899-2000 (Creation)

Extent

18.0 Cubic feet + 1 drawer artifacts

Name of creator

(1899-ongoing)

Administrative history

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/.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

There are five series in this collection: Minutes and Dues, Yearbooks, Scrapbooks, Topical files, and Artifacts. The Minutes document meetings with handwritten minutes and subscription information from the Club’s inception until 1956 and dues, 1902-1957. A sub-series contains the minutes from the Highland Park Woman’s Club Garden Club, 1935-1967. This series is one foot located in Box 1. The Highland Park Woman’s Club Yearbooks, 1902-1970, contain membership data for the Club and its Junior Auxiliary and information regarding events and achievements from previous years. This series is two feet, located in Boxes 2-3. The Chronological Scrapbooks documents the Club’s activities through clippings, yearbooks and other memorabilia. This series is twelve cubic feet, located in boxes 4-16. The topical file is arranged chronologically and by subject. Of special interest are folders documenting the history of the Club, created by Club members, newsletters (very incomplete), and files documenting two key court cases; one regarding the disposition of the clubhouse and the other property tax exempt status. Also housed within this series are several rare issues of the Illinois Clubwoman periodical. The Series is two linear feet, Boxes 17-18. Artifacts include a plaque and logo and other brand stamps. The artifacts are located in Artifact Drawer 1.

System of arrangement

All series are arranged chronologically with minor topical or sub-series disruptions.

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

No known restrictions.

Physical access

Scrapbooks are fragile and should be handled with care.

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

Languages of the material

  • English

Scripts of the material

Language and script notes

Finding aids

Acquisition and appraisal elements

Custodial history

Immediate source of acquisition

The Highland Park Woman's Club donated their records to the Highland Park Historical Society circa 1995-2000.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

Accruals

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Existence and location of copies

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Description control element

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Physical storage

  • Box: 2
  • Box: 11; 18
  • Box: 14
  • Box: 6; 8-9; 13
  • Box: 1; 15
  • Box: 3; 5; 7; 10
  • Box: 4; 16
  • Box: 17
  • Box: 12