Historical Note

The West End Woman's Club was organized in 1892 and received its papers of incorporation in December the same year. As stated in section two of their statement of intent, the clubs' objectives were for, "mutual counsel and entertainment; literary, musical, educational and philanthropic work, social and municipal reform." Three departments with the club were formed to achieve its goals: the Philanthropic, Educational, and Municipal departments. The group held regular meetings on the first and third Fridays each month and at least one annual evening meeting a year.

Scope and Content

This small collection consists of annual (announcement) yearbook which contain articles of incorporation, lists of officers and membership, by-laws and program calendars. The yearbooks are arranged in chronological order. There is also one folder containing an historical sketch on the West End Woman's Club.

Provenance

The Records of the West End Woman's Club were first accessioned into the Chicago Public Library during the period 1915-1928 and located in the Reference Department. After the creation of the Special Collections Division in the CPL/Cultural Center in the 1970s, a survey was conducted throughout the Library system to record the existence and location of books, documents and related material of significant historical value for transfer to the Division. The annual (announcement) yearbooks of the West End Woman's Club were part of this transfer. In January 1985 the material was added to the Neighborhood History Research Collection.

Access

The Records of the West End Woman's Club are available to the public for research in the Special Collections and Preservation Division Reading Room on the 9th floor of the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60605. The collection does not circulate although photocopy and photoreproduction services are available depending upon the condition of the original materials. First time patrons to Special Collections must present a photo identification and complete a Reader Registration Form. Telephone inquiries on this collection and other Special Collections holdings can be directed to (312) 747-4875.

Box and Folder Inventory

BOX 1

1. Yearbook, 1894/1895 & 1897/1898.
2. Yearbook, 1898/1899, 1899/1900, 1900/1901.
3. Yearbook, 1901/1902.
4. Yearbook, 1902/1903.
5. Yearbook, 1903/1904.
6. Yearbook, 1904/1905.
7. Yearbook, 1905/1906.
8. Yearbook, 1906/1907.
9. Yearbook, 1907/1908.
10. Yearbook, 1908/1909.
11. Yearbook, 1909/1910.
12. Yearbook, 1910/1911.
13. Yearbook, 1911/1912.
14. Yearbook, 1912/1913.
15. Yearbook, 1913/1914.
16. Yearbook, 1914/1915.
17. Yearbook, 1927/1928.
18. Yearbook, 1928/1929.

19. Historical Sketch on the West End Woman's Club, ca. 1915.