IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES

IOWA CITY, IOWA

HISTORIES OF RURAL IOWA WOMEN'S CLUBS (1936- )

RECORDS, 1996-1998

1 linear inch

ACQUISITION: The reords (donor no. 579) were donated by various donors, beginning in 1998.

ACCESS: The records are open for research.

COPYRIGHT: Copyright has been retained by the donor and their heirs.

PROCESSED BY: Doris Malkmus, 1999. [HistRuralIowaWomensClubs.doc]

History

      A fabric of women's clubs wove together rural women's society. From the rural township clubs initiated by the Farm Bureau in the early 1920s to the more cultural "study clubs," to the Federated Women's Clubs, garden clubs, and church-related clubs, rural women participated in a great number and variety of clubs. In most cases, clubs developed when individual women organized their friends or neighbors to create opportunities to socialize, educate themselves, and support each other in joys and grief. Frequently officers were elected, minutes recorded, and club anniversaries celebrated. Although membership was high during the first half of the twentieth century, it has declined in recent decades as younger women find other social outlets or have less unscheduled time.

Scope and Content Note

      This collection consists of short histories of women's clubs in rural Iowa, written by club members or published in local newspapers.

Clubs include:

Allamakee County      Bob's Creek Neighbors

Allamakee County      Grand Meadow Women's Club

Allamakee County      Post-Franklin Township Club

Winneshiek County     Minowa Rug Guild

Box no. Description

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