Founded in 1984, the GFWC Women’s History and Resource Center (WHRC) collects, preserves, interprets, and promotes the history of GFWC. The WHRC documents the social and political contributions of GFWC clubwomen from 1890 to the present through the GFWC archives and related special collections. Our holdings are available for research by clubwomen, academics, and the general public.
The WHRC collections encompass GFWC’s institutional archives, including convention records, files related to our programs and leadership, and “Clubwoman” magazine (and its predecessors). We hold a robust photograph and audio-visual collection, as well as GFWC ephemera, memorabilia, and the art and artifacts that furnish our historic Headquarters building. We also maintain a reference library collection focused on women’s history, the woman’s club movement, and the history of volunteerism.
Please note: While we do have many state- and club-level archival and photographic materials, we do not maintain official records for State Federations or local clubs, or for outside organizations.
WHRC: From the Archives
Family Connections (Part 1) The theme of FAMILY runs strongly through the General Federation of Wome…
WHRC: From the Archives
Cooking for the Community Welcome back to the GFWC Women’s History and Resource Center blog! T…
WHRC: From the Archives
Freddie Hilp and the GFWC Overseas Unit Welcome back to our new monthly blog series, direct from the…
Research at the WHRC
Learn more about the collections, request research assistance, or make an appointment to visit in person. To inquire about a potential donation, please email us with details: whrc@gfwc.org
LEARN MOREHistory on the go! You might not be surprised to learn that the WHRC Librarian (me!) loves to read outdoor historical signage. Today’s example is one of three signs in Lafayette Park, in Washington DC, which I walked past today. The text and photos highlight the park’s long legacy of protests and demonstrations through the example of the fight for women’s suffrage. What good stories have you learned lately from historical interpretive signs?
History on the go! You might not be surprised to learn that the WHRC Librarian (me!) loves to read outdoor historical signage. Today’s example is one of three signs in Lafayette Park, in Washington DC, which I walked past today. The text and photos highlight the park’s long legacy of protests and demonstrations through the example of the fight for women’s suffrage. What good stories have you learned lately from historical interpretive signs?
Got plans for your Friday night? How about spending a few hours doing a little volunteer labor (in 1959)? Bring your own tools!
From our Community Improvement Project collection, this handwritten sign asks for help finishing "clearing the park," one of the many components of the comprehensive community work performed by the Manvel Woman`s Club (North Dakota) during the 1958-1960 GFWC administration.
📗"Volunteers needed Thursday and Friday at 7:00 P.M. — To finish clearing the Park. Bring an axe, spade, scythe or hoe." Pasted into the club`s Community Improvement Contest submission, with caption "August 27-28-1959. Four of these signs were posted in Devines` Bar, Hoverson`s Grocery, Peterson`s Grocery, and the American Legion Club." CIP 1960-62.03
#northdakotahistory #clubwomeninaction
Got plans for your Friday night? How about spending a few hours doing a little volunteer labor (in 1959)? Bring your own tools!
From our Community Improvement Project collection, this handwritten sign asks for help finishing "clearing the park," one of the many components of the comprehensive community work performed by the Manvel Woman`s Club (North Dakota) during the 1958-1960 GFWC administration.
📗"Volunteers needed Thursday and Friday at 7:00 P.M. — To finish clearing the Park. Bring an axe, spade, scythe or hoe." Pasted into the club`s Community Improvement Contest submission, with caption "August 27-28-1959. Four of these signs were posted in Devines` Bar, Hoverson`s Grocery, Peterson`s Grocery, and the American Legion Club." CIP 1960-62.03
#northdakotahistory #clubwomeninaction
On December 10th, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the committee that drafted the Declaration, and the news of its passage was conveyed to the women of America by six General Federation of Women`s Clubs members who, though not part of the official American Delegation to the UN, were allowed to observe many discussions and debates. Catherine Amberg Sporborg, one of the GFWC attendees, sent her reports to Frances White Diehl, Chairman of the GFWC International Relations Department (1947-1950), to be shared with GFWC members through the departmental Bulletin.
Decades later, human rights came again to the forefront of GFWC reporting during the administration of Mary Elizabeth Sowards Quint (1978-1980), who created a Human Rights Committee chaired by Mrs. Charles G. Wood Jr. In a special human rights-focused issue of "Clubwoman," Quint assured her readers that "YES–both joined in Federation and individually as clubwomen–we can do our share for the cause of human rights."
📙Cover of the Human Rights issue of "Clubwoman" magazine, October 1979.
#HumanRightsDay #ClubwomenInAction #ClubwomenInHistory
On December 10th, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the committee that drafted the Declaration, and the news of its passage was conveyed to the women of America by six General Federation of Women`s Clubs members who, though not part of the official American Delegation to the UN, were allowed to observe many discussions and debates. Catherine Amberg Sporborg, one of the GFWC attendees, sent her reports to Frances White Diehl, Chairman of the GFWC International Relations Department (1947-1950), to be shared with GFWC members through the departmental Bulletin.
Decades later, human rights came again to the forefront of GFWC reporting during the administration of Mary Elizabeth Sowards Quint (1978-1980), who created a Human Rights Committee chaired by Mrs. Charles G. Wood Jr. In a special human rights-focused issue of "Clubwoman," Quint assured her readers that "YES–both joined in Federation and individually as clubwomen–we can do our share for the cause of human rights."
📙Cover of the Human Rights issue of "Clubwoman" magazine, October 1979.
#HumanRightsDay #ClubwomenInAction #ClubwomenInHistory
Join us for today`s #ArchivesFeast at the December #ArchivesHashtagParty! Here are four menus to choose from, courtesy of the General Federation of Women`s Clubs "Diamond Jubilee" (75th Anniversary) convention held in Chicago in 1966. Which event would you like to attend?
🍽 June 6th: Illinois Federation Night dinner. Guests included the Governor of Illinois and the Mayor of Chicago
🍽 June 7th: Diamond Jubilee Breakfast for GFWC Charter Member clubs, hosted by Sorosis of New York City
🍽 June 9th: Diamond Jubilee Banquet, featuring toasts by eight Honorary Presidents (as we then referred to our International Past Presidents), and the presentation of the "State Federation Jewels," the women from each state with the "longest continuous club membership and the longest outstanding record of leadership"
🍽 June 10th: Celebrity and Awards Luncheon. Guests included representatives from the various organizations and companies that sponsored our contests… and James Stewart (yes, that James Stewart)
Join us for today`s #ArchivesFeast at the December #ArchivesHashtagParty! Here are four menus to choose from, courtesy of the General Federation of Women`s Clubs "Diamond Jubilee" (75th Anniversary) convention held in Chicago in 1966. Which event would you like to attend?
🍽 June 6th: Illinois Federation Night dinner. Guests included the Governor of Illinois and the Mayor of Chicago
🍽 June 7th: Diamond Jubilee Breakfast for GFWC Charter Member clubs, hosted by Sorosis of New York City
🍽 June 9th: Diamond Jubilee Banquet, featuring toasts by eight Honorary Presidents (as we then referred to our International Past Presidents), and the presentation of the "State Federation Jewels," the women from each state with the "longest continuous club membership and the longest outstanding record of leadership"
🍽 June 10th: Celebrity and Awards Luncheon. Guests included representatives from the various organizations and companies that sponsored our contests… and James Stewart (yes, that James Stewart)
Since 1992, the United Nations has declared December 3rd as International Day of Persons with Disabilities. For the 2024 celebration, the theme is “Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future” – so let’s take a look at a leader from GFWC history!
Blanche Guggenheimer Eddy (1887-1964) of California is believed to have been the first American women to partner with a guide dog. She received training at Nashville’s “The Seeing Eye” school in 1929, and with her dog, Bada (or Beta), she helped pioneer the use of guide dogs for the blind in the western United States. She was also the first President of the East Bay Club of Blind Women, organized in late 1929, whose officers (with the exception of the Recording Secretary) were all sight-impaired. The club was an active member of the Alameda County Federation of Women’s Clubs, and existed at least until the late 1930s.
Some sources say this was the first club for blind women in the United States, but after we featured it the December 1929 issue of the GFWC magazine, another club was quick to point out that it had been in existence for over a decade: The Monday Guild, a “section” of the Women’s Department of Indianapolis, was organized in 1919 for the blind women of that city. If you know of similar clubs in your state’s history, please let us know!
📷 Black and white photo of Blanche Eddy and Beta at work, 1933: a smiling woman in a fur-collared coat, holding a cane and the harness of a German Shepherd dog, descending an outdoor staircase. From the “San Francisco Examiner,” February 12, 1933. Superimposed in the top corner is the headline from the December 1929 “General Federation News” story about the East Bay Club: “Club For Blind Women Officered By Blind Women”
#DisabilityDay #IDPD #EveryoneIncluded #clubwomeninhistory
Since 1992, the United Nations has declared December 3rd as International Day of Persons with Disabilities. For the 2024 celebration, the theme is “Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future” – so let’s take a look at a leader from GFWC history!
Blanche Guggenheimer Eddy (1887-1964) of California is believed to have been the first American women to partner with a guide dog. She received training at Nashville’s “The Seeing Eye” school in 1929, and with her dog, Bada (or Beta), she helped pioneer the use of guide dogs for the blind in the western United States. She was also the first President of the East Bay Club of Blind Women, organized in late 1929, whose officers (with the exception of the Recording Secretary) were all sight-impaired. The club was an active member of the Alameda County Federation of Women’s Clubs, and existed at least until the late 1930s.
Some sources say this was the first club for blind women in the United States, but after we featured it the December 1929 issue of the GFWC magazine, another club was quick to point out that it had been in existence for over a decade: The Monday Guild, a “section” of the Women’s Department of Indianapolis, was organized in 1919 for the blind women of that city. If you know of similar clubs in your state’s history, please let us know!
📷 Black and white photo of Blanche Eddy and Beta at work, 1933: a smiling woman in a fur-collared coat, holding a cane and the harness of a German Shepherd dog, descending an outdoor staircase. From the “San Francisco Examiner,” February 12, 1933. Superimposed in the top corner is the headline from the December 1929 “General Federation News” story about the East Bay Club: “Club For Blind Women Officered By Blind Women”
#DisabilityDay #IDPD #EveryoneIncluded #clubwomeninhistory
I was invited to the Frederick (MD) Woman’s Civic Club’s November meeting today, to share a little info about the WHRC, our collections, and GFWC history. Plus I got a delicious lunch and, best of all, a tour of their historic clubhouse. Thanks for having me, @frederickwomanscivic !!
I was invited to the Frederick (MD) Woman’s Civic Club’s November meeting today, to share a little info about the WHRC, our collections, and GFWC history. Plus I got a delicious lunch and, best of all, a tour of their historic clubhouse. Thanks for having me, @frederickwomanscivic !!
The 15th coin in the American Women Quarters Program (issued 2024) honors Zitkala-Ša, a Yankton Dakota author, musician, and activist who also went by her Americanized name, Gertrude Simmons Bonnin. Although not necessarily a GFWC clubwoman herself (though she belonged to many like-minded groups), Zitkala-Ša had a major impact on the work of the Federation!
In 1921, she was invited to speak on citizenship rights for Native Americans at the General Federation of Women`s Clubs` Council meeting in Salt Lake City. Her presentation led directly – at that meeting, in fact – to the formation of the GFWC "Indian Welfare" committee, which worked for many decades – often under the leadership, at both state and national levels, of Native American women – to advocate for Native American communities across the United States.
📷 Author photo from "American Indian Stories" by Zitkala-Ša, 1921, overlaid with quotation from the 1946 GFWC brochure "Twenty-Five Years: Indian Welfare": "If any one person can be credited with the creation of Indian Welfare in the General Federation of Women`s Clubs, that person is Gertrude Bonnin, a Sioux Indian. Her plea, her cause, aroused two million women."
#nativeamericanheritagemonth #clubwomeninhistory
The 15th coin in the American Women Quarters Program (issued 2024) honors Zitkala-Ša, a Yankton Dakota author, musician, and activist who also went by her Americanized name, Gertrude Simmons Bonnin. Although not necessarily a GFWC clubwoman herself (though she belonged to many like-minded groups), Zitkala-Ša had a major impact on the work of the Federation!
In 1921, she was invited to speak on citizenship rights for Native Americans at the General Federation of Women`s Clubs` Council meeting in Salt Lake City. Her presentation led directly – at that meeting, in fact – to the formation of the GFWC "Indian Welfare" committee, which worked for many decades – often under the leadership, at both state and national levels, of Native American women – to advocate for Native American communities across the United States.
📷 Author photo from "American Indian Stories" by Zitkala-Ša, 1921, overlaid with quotation from the 1946 GFWC brochure "Twenty-Five Years: Indian Welfare": "If any one person can be credited with the creation of Indian Welfare in the General Federation of Women`s Clubs, that person is Gertrude Bonnin, a Sioux Indian. Her plea, her cause, aroused two million women."
#nativeamericanheritagemonth #clubwomeninhistory
Enjoying the General Federation of Women`s Clubs history you can find here, but wish you could read more (and see even more photos)? Me too! Happily, the GFWC Women`s History and Resource Center has a new monthly blog, where yours truly can expand on the many stories that can be found amongst our resources. Head to the link in our bio (and scroll down to "Latest News") to read "WHRC: From the Archives," published on the first Thursday of every month.
Just in time for your Thanksgiving menu planning, the November post focuses on our cookbook collection, including this gem – submitted by future GFWC President Roberta Campbell Lawson – from the 1928 "Club Woman`s Cook Book." Get out your double boilers!
#clubwomeninhistory #blogsareback
Enjoying the General Federation of Women`s Clubs history you can find here, but wish you could read more (and see even more photos)? Me too! Happily, the GFWC Women`s History and Resource Center has a new monthly blog, where yours truly can expand on the many stories that can be found amongst our resources. Head to the link in our bio (and scroll down to "Latest News") to read "WHRC: From the Archives," published on the first Thursday of every month.
Just in time for your Thanksgiving menu planning, the November post focuses on our cookbook collection, including this gem – submitted by future GFWC President Roberta Campbell Lawson – from the 1928 "Club Woman`s Cook Book." Get out your double boilers!
#clubwomeninhistory #blogsareback
Happy Veterans Day! Today we honor GFWC members who have served in the military, such as Lt. Lee Crippen (1912-2003). Before her many years of GFWC leadership as President of the Woman`s Club of Bethesda (MD), President of the Maryland Federation of Women`s Clubs, and on staff as Executive Secretary at GFWC Headquarters, she served in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Service), the Women`s branch of the US Naval Reserve, during World War II. She is buried at Arlington Cemetery, with her gravestone proudly noting, "Lt. US Navy."
📷Left: In 1946, Caroline Lee McNeill married John T. Crippen; the photo in the Washington Evening Star wedding announcement showed her in uniform.
📷Right: Lee was hired as GFWC Executive Secretary in 1974; this headshot accompanied her many columns and articles in "Clubwoman" magazine.
We are always looking for more stories of GFWC clubwomen who served, or are serving, in the military. Leave a comment, or send an email to whrc@gfwc.org!
#clubwomeninaction @womansclubofbethesda
Happy Veterans Day! Today we honor GFWC members who have served in the military, such as Lt. Lee Crippen (1912-2003). Before her many years of GFWC leadership as President of the Woman`s Club of Bethesda (MD), President of the Maryland Federation of Women`s Clubs, and on staff as Executive Secretary at GFWC Headquarters, she served in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Service), the Women`s branch of the US Naval Reserve, during World War II. She is buried at Arlington Cemetery, with her gravestone proudly noting, "Lt. US Navy."
📷Left: In 1946, Caroline Lee McNeill married John T. Crippen; the photo in the Washington Evening Star wedding announcement showed her in uniform.
📷Right: Lee was hired as GFWC Executive Secretary in 1974; this headshot accompanied her many columns and articles in "Clubwoman" magazine.
We are always looking for more stories of GFWC clubwomen who served, or are serving, in the military. Leave a comment, or send an email to whrc@gfwc.org!
#clubwomeninaction @womansclubofbethesda
It`s Election Day, and it`s time to vote! Vote! VOTE! (If you haven`t already!)
📃"Our Responsibility, Our Privilege, Our Duty" brochure, urging our club members to ensure that all eligible voters (especially women) are educated and engaged voters. Published by the GFWC Citizenship Division, Department of Public Affairs, during the administration of GFWC President Helen Busch Chapman, 1954. Programs collection: PRO 1954-1956, folder 37
It`s Election Day, and it`s time to vote! Vote! VOTE! (If you haven`t already!)
📃"Our Responsibility, Our Privilege, Our Duty" brochure, urging our club members to ensure that all eligible voters (especially women) are educated and engaged voters. Published by the GFWC Citizenship Division, Department of Public Affairs, during the administration of GFWC President Helen Busch Chapman, 1954. Programs collection: PRO 1954-1956, folder 37
The November #archiveshashtagparty focuses on veterans, so let`s give a hearty #archivessalute to the women of World War II with the February 1943 issue of "General Federation Clubwoman." Lieutenant Commander Mildred H. McAfee, Director of the WAVES, featured on the cover of this "Women at War" edition, which included articles such as the Women`s Army Auxiliary Corps, "by a WAAC;" the Women`s Reserve of the United States Naval Reserve, "by a WAVE;" Women with the US Army Air Forces, by Hazel Taylor; Women of the Coast Guard, by Lieutenant Commander Dorothy C. Stratton; the American Women`s Voluntary Services, by Pan Levin; and National Nursing Council for War Service, by Florence M. Seder.
As our President, Sara A. Whitehurst, noted in her introduction to this special issue, "we cannot win this war without the cooperation of women"–and we didn`t mean only on the home front.
The November #archiveshashtagparty focuses on veterans, so let`s give a hearty #archivessalute to the women of World War II with the February 1943 issue of "General Federation Clubwoman." Lieutenant Commander Mildred H. McAfee, Director of the WAVES, featured on the cover of this "Women at War" edition, which included articles such as the Women`s Army Auxiliary Corps, "by a WAAC;" the Women`s Reserve of the United States Naval Reserve, "by a WAVE;" Women with the US Army Air Forces, by Hazel Taylor; Women of the Coast Guard, by Lieutenant Commander Dorothy C. Stratton; the American Women`s Voluntary Services, by Pan Levin; and National Nursing Council for War Service, by Florence M. Seder.
As our President, Sara A. Whitehurst, noted in her introduction to this special issue, "we cannot win this war without the cooperation of women"–and we didn`t mean only on the home front.
Still need a costume idea for your Halloween party tomorrow? Why not go as one of our "Centennial figurines," a series produced by Goebel in the 1980s to commemorate the GFWC 100th anniversary? Look how great Barbara Stanford, Centennial Chairman, looks dressed as the "1890-1914" clubwoman! (Swipe to see all four figurines in their original form.)
📸Barbara Stanford in one of the costumes designed to represent the Centennial figures (yes, we have outfits that go with all four), 1982.
Still need a costume idea for your Halloween party tomorrow? Why not go as one of our "Centennial figurines," a series produced by Goebel in the 1980s to commemorate the GFWC 100th anniversary? Look how great Barbara Stanford, Centennial Chairman, looks dressed as the "1890-1914" clubwoman! (Swipe to see all four figurines in their original form.)
📸Barbara Stanford in one of the costumes designed to represent the Centennial figures (yes, we have outfits that go with all four), 1982.