| Dates: | 1927-1971 |
| Size: | 4 linear feet, 1 photograph |
| Repository: | Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, 400 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60605 |
| Collection Number: | Archives_ACW |
| Provenance: | The Historical Society of Woodlawn was a member of the ACW. One result of this association was that the ACW’s records came into the possession of the Historical Society of Woodlawn. As part of the Special Collections Division’s neighborhood history project, the papers of the ACW were processed between July and October 1984. A Scholl Foundation grant provided the necessary funding for this project. The ACW collection was transferred to the Special Collections Division for archival storage and is now available for research. |
| Access: | No restrictions |
| Citation: | When quoting material from this collection the preferred citation is: The Associated Clubs of Woodlawn Records [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections, Chicago Public Library. |
Historical Note
The Associated Clubs of Woodlawn (ACW) was a community improvement association founded in 1927 and incorporated in 1936. Until its dissolution in February 1970, the ACW served as a clearing house for information of concern to its member clubs and the Woodlawn community as a whole. It also attempted to safeguard and to promote the business, civic, educational and social welfare of Woodlawn.
From 1927 to around the mid-1930s, membership in the ACW was limited to clubs and organizations. This membership practice was gradually modified to allow individuals unaffiliated with either clubs or organizations to apply for membership in the ACW. Despite the liberalization of the ACW’s membership policy, joining the ACW was still a judicious process as late as 1957. Article II, Section 2 of the ACW’s 1957 constitution and by-laws mandate that:
an organization wishing to join the Associated Clubs of Woodlawn, Inc. shall submit an application in writing, stating the name of the organization, the date of its founding, its aims and purposes, and a list of its officers and their addresses.
Furthermore, attendance at ACE meetings was limited to two delegates from each member organization. In every case the delegates had to include the president and one other member of the club or organization.
On February 9, 1970, the ACW, with the written consent of its members, filed corporate dissolution papers with the Illinois Secretary of State. The reason for disbanding mentioned that other community improvement programs, notably the Woodlawn Urban Progress Center, “were willing to step in and undertake activity in behalf of improving the Woodlawn neighborhood.”
Scope and Content
A wide range of activities and interests are represented in the papers of the ACW. The records document the ACW’s activities in preparation for its annual banquet, annual block beautiful contest, clean up - fix up campaign and other special events. The papers also include correspondence files from 1927 to 1971, financial records, membership rosters and minutes of meetings. The records from several of the ACW committees have been preserved and comprise a separate series in the ACW collection.
Series Descriptions
Series 1: Administrative Records, 1934-1972
This series contains records detailing the ACW’s preparation for its annual banquet events and its annual block beautiful contests. Also included in this series are annual reports, certificates of incorporation and dissolution, circular letters to members of the executive committee, the ACW’s constitution and by-laws, extensive correspondence files, detailed financial records, membership materials and minutes of meetings. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder subject title.
Series 2: News clippings and Newsletter, 1931-1966
The ACW’s activities are well documented in both news clippings and its own newsletters. The news clippings are arranged chronologically and the newsletters are arranged alphabetically by title.
Series 3: Committees, 1939-1945
This important series records the work of the ACW’s standing and special committees. ACW committee activity ranged from organizing card parties to obtaining a new drinking water filtration plant for the Southeast side of Chicago. Committees are arranged alphabetically by name.
Non-Manuscript Materials
Photographs from the ACW manuscript collection are listed at the end of the finding guide.
Box ACW 9 contains approximately 300 3" x 5" inch index cards with the names, addresses and donation amounts to the ACW’s Annual Block Beautiful Contest.
Container List
Series 1: Administrative Records
| Box 1 | Folder 1-3 | Annual Banquets, May 1941 - May 1943 |
| Box 1 | Folder 4-7 | Annual Banquets, May 1948 - May 1951 |
| Box 1 | Folder 8-11 | Annual Banquets, May 1953 - May 1956 |
| Box 1 | Folder 12-13 | Annual Banquets, May 1958 - May 1959 |
| Box 1 | Folder 14-16 | Annual Banquets, May 1960 |
| Box 1 | Folder 17-19 | Annual Banquets, May 1961- May 1962 |
| Box 1 | Folder 20-23 | Annual Banquets, January-May 1964 |
| Box 1 | Folder 24-25 | Annual Banquets, May 1965 |
| Box 1 | Folder 26 | Annual Banquets, March 1970 |
| Box 1 | Folder 27-28 | Annual Block Beautiful Contest, 1953-1954 |
| Box 1 | Folder 29 | Annual Block Beautiful Contest, 1956 |
| Box 1 | Folder 30 | Annual Block Beautiful Contest, 1959 |
| Box 1 | Folder 31 | Annual Block Beautiful Contest, 1961 |
| Box 1 | Folder 32-33 | Annual Block Beautiful Contest, 1964-1965 |
| Box 1 | Folder 34-36 | Annual Block Beautiful Contest, 1967 |
| Box 2 | Folder 1-2 | Annual Block Beautiful Contest, 1967 |
| Box 2 | Folder 3-7 | Annual Block Beautiful Contest, 1968 |
| Box 2 | Folder 8 | Annual Block Beautiful Contest, 1969 |
| Box 2 | Folder 9 | Annual Block Beautiful Contest, 1972 |
| Box 2 | Folder 10-11 | Annual Reports, 1934-1935, 1935-1936 |
| Box 2 | Folder 12 | Brotherhood Tea, 1956 February, 1959 April |
| Box 2 | Folder 13 | Certificates of Corporate Officers, 1950, 1962 |
| Box 2 | Folder 14 | Certificates of Incorporation, 1936, 1965 [see also: Dissolution Papers] |
| Box 2 | Folder 15 | Christmas Pageant, December 1950-January 1951 |
| Box 2 | Folder 16 | Circular Letters to Members of the Executive Committee, January 1960-Dec. 1962 |
| Box 2 | Folder 17 | Circular Letters to Members of the Executive Committee, September 1963-April 1964 |
| Box 2 | Folder 18 | Circular Letters to Members of the Executive Committee, April-December 1964 |
| Box 2 | Folder 19 | Circular Letters to Members of the Executive Committee, January-July 1965 |
| Box 2 | Folder 20 | Circular Letters to Members of the Executive Committee, August 1965-September 1966 |
| Box 2 | Folder 21 | Circular Letters to Members of the Executive Committee, March 1966-June 1968 |
| Box 2 | Folder 22 | Circular Letters to Members of the Executive Committee, January-June 1969 |
| Box 2 | Folder 23 | Circular Letters to Members of the Executive Committee, July 1969-October 1970 |
| Box 2 | Folder 24 | Clean Up - Paint Up Campaign, 1969 March |
| Box 2 | Folder 25 | Constitution and by-laws, [1936-1937] |
| Box 2 | Folder 26 | Constitution and by-laws, 1943 |
| Box 2 | Folder 27 | Constitution and by-laws, 1946, 1947 |
| Box 2 | Folder 28 | Constitution and by-laws, 1954 January |
| Box 2 | Folder 29 | Constitution and by-laws, 1957 |
| Box 3 | Folder 1 | Correspondence, 1927 |
| Box 3 | Folder 2 | Correspondence, 1928 |
| Box 3 | Folder 3 | Correspondence, 1929 |
| Box 3 | Folder 4 | Correspondence, 1931 |
| Box 3 | Folder 5 | Correspondence, 1932 |
| Box 3 | Folder 6 | Correspondence, 1933 |
| Box 3 | Folder 7 | Correspondence, 1934 |
| Box 3 | Folder 8 | Correspondence, 1935 |
| Box 3 | Folder 9 | Correspondence, 1936 |
| Box 3 | Folder10 | Correspondence, 1937 |
| Box 3 | Folder 11 | Correspondence, 1938 |
| Box 3 | Folder 12 | Correspondence, 1939 |
| Box 3 | Folder 13 | Correspondence, 1940 |
| Box 3 | Folder 14 | Correspondence, 1941 |
| Box 3 | Folder 15 | Correspondence, 1943 |
| Box 3 | Folder 16 | Correspondence, 1944 |
| Box 3 | Folder 17 | Correspondence, 1948 |
| Box 3 | Folder 18 | Correspondence, 1949 |
| Box 3 | Folder 19 | Correspondence, 1950 |
| Box 3 | Folder 20 | Correspondence, 1951 |
| Box 3 | Folder 21 | Correspondence, 1954 |
| Box 3 | Folder 22 | Correspondence, 1955 |
| Box 3 | Folder 23 | Correspondence, 1956 |
| Box 3 | Folder 24 | Correspondence, 1957 |
| Box 3 | Folder 25 | Correspondence, 1958 |
| Box 3 | Folder 26 | Correspondence, 1959 |
| Box 3 | Folder 27 | Correspondence, 1960 |
| Box 3 | Folder 28-31 | Correspondence, 1961 |
| Box 3 | Folder 32 | Correspondence, 1962 |
| Box 3 | Folder 33 | Correspondence, 1963 |
| Box 3 | Folder 34 | Correspondence, 1964 |
| Box 3 | Folder 35 | Correspondence, 1965-1968 |
| Box 3 | Folder 36 | Correspondence, 1969-1971 |
| Box 4 | Folder 1 | Correspondence, meeting notices, 1930-1941 |
| Box 4 | Folder 2 | Correspondence, meeting notices, 1948-1951 |
| Box 4 | Folder 3 | Correspondence, meeting notices, 1950-1953 |
| Box 4 | Folder 4 | Correspondence, meeting notices, 1954-1955 |
| Box 4 | Folder 5 | Correspondence, meeting notices, 1956 |
| Box 4 | Folder 6 | Correspondence, meeting notices, 1957-1958 |
| Box 4 | Folder 7 | Dissolution Papers, Feb. 1970. [see also, Constitution and by-laws] |
| Box 4 | Folder 8 | Financial Records, 1945-1950 (bound volume) |
| Box 4 | Folder 9 | Financial Records, 1948 |
| Box 4 | Folder 10 | Financial Records, June 1960-February 1963 |
| Box 4 | Folder 11 | Financial Records, July-December 1963 |
| Box 4 | Folder 12 | Financial Records, January-April 1964 |
| Box 4 | Folder 13 | Financial Records, May-November 1964 |
| Box 4 | Folder 14 | Financial Records, January-April 1964 |
| Box 4 | Folder 15 | Financial Records, May-December 1965 |
| Box 4 | Folder 16 | Financial Records, January-December 1966 |
| Box 4 | Folder 17 | Financial Records, 1967 |
| Box 4 | Folder 18 | Financial Records, 1968 |
| Box 4 | Folder 19 | Financial Records, January 1969-April 1970 |
| Box 4 | Folder 20 | Financial Records, bank records, November 1949-July 1951 |
| Box 4 | Folder 21 | Financial Records, dues, 1936 |
| Box 4 | Folder 22 | Financial Records, financial reports, 1934-1935, 1937 |
| Box 4 | Folder 23 | Financial Records, treasurer’s reports, 1950-1951 |
| Box 4 | Folder 24 | Financial Records, treasurer’s reports, 1952-1953 |
| Box 4 | Folder 25 | Financial Records, treasurer’s reports, July 1, 1957-June 23, 1958 |
| Box 5 | Folder 1 | Grand Crossing Police District Community Relations Workshop, 1967 February |
| Box 5 | Folder 2-3 | Honor Roll Promotion, World War II, 1944, 1945, 1958 |
| Box 5 | Folder 4 | Jobs for Teens Campaign, 1965 |
| Box 5 | Folder 5-6 | Membership Applications, 1949, 1951-1952 |
| Box 5 | Folder 7 | Membership Campaigns, Oct. 1963 |
| Box 5 | Folder 8-9 | Membership Delegates List, 1937, 1938 |
| Box 5 | Folder 10 | Membership Rosters, 1920-1940 |
| Box 5 | Folder 11 | Membership Rosters, 1950 |
| Box 5 | Folder 12 | Membership Rosters, 1958-1959 |
| Box 5 | Folder 13 | Membership Rosters, 1960 |
| Box 5 | Folder 14 | Membership Rosters, 1961 |
| Box 5 | Folder 15 | Membership Rosters, 1962 |
| Box 5 | Folder 16 | Membership Rosters, 1963 |
| Box 5 | Folder 17 | Membership Rosters, 1967, undated |
| Box 5 | Folder 18 | Membership Rosters, past presidents, 1927-1952, 1964 |
| Box 5 | Folder 19 | Membership Rosters, roll call records, 1928-1935 |
| Box 5 | Folder 20 | Membership Rosters, roll call records, 1936-1937 |
| Box 5 | Folder 21 | Minutes of Meetings, January 1928-March 1928 |
| Box 5 | Folder 22 | Minutes of Meetings, April 1928-September 1928 |
| Box 5 | Folder 23 | Minutes of Meetings, October 1928-December 1928 |
| Box 5 | Folder 24 | Minutes of Meetings, January-June 1929 |
| Box 5 | Folder 25 | Minutes of Meetings September-December 1929 |
| Box 5 | Folder 26 | Minutes of Meetings, January-December 1930 |
| Box 5 | Folder 27 | Minutes of Meetings, January-June 1931 |
| Box 5 | Folder 28 | Minutes of Meetings, September-December 1931 |
| Box 5 | Folder 29 | Minutes of Meetings, January-June 1932 |
| Box 5 | Folder 30 | Minutes of Meetings, September 1932-June 1933 (bound volume) |
| Box 5 | Folder 31 | Minutes of Meetings, October 1933-June 1934 |
| Box 5 | Folder 32 | Minutes of Meetings, September 1934-July 1935 (bound volume) |
| Box 5 | Folder 33 | Minutes of Meetings, October 1935-May 1937 (bound volume) |
| Box 6 | Folder 1 | Minutes of Meetings, June 1937-May 1938 (bound volume) |
| Box 6 | Folder 2 | Minutes of Meetings, June 1938-April 1939 (bound volume) |
| Box 6 | Folder 3 | Minutes of Meetings, September 1939-March 1942 (bound volume) |
| Box 6 | Folder 4 | Minutes of Meetings, May 1948-March 1950 |
| Box 6 | Folder 5 | Minutes of Meetings, October-December 1951 |
| Box 6 | Folder 6 | Minutes of Meetings, January-December 1952 |
| Box 6 | Folder 7 | Minutes of Meetings, January-December 1953 |
| Box 6 | Folder 8 | Minutes of Meetings, speech by Commissioner D. E. Mackermann, October 1960 |
| Box 6 | Folder 9 | Minutes of Meetings, 1961 |
| Box 6 | Folder 10 | Minutes of Meetings, 1962 |
| Box 6 | Folder 11 | Minutes of Meetings, 1965 |
Series 2: News Clippings and Newsletters
| Box 6 | Folder 12 | News Clippings, 1931, 1938 |
| Box 6 | Folder 13 | News Clippings, 1961 |
| Box 6 | Folder 14 | News Clippings, 1961 |
| Box 6 | Folder 15 | News Clippings, “We Waste a Million Kids a Year,” The Saturday Evening Post, March 10, 1962. |
| Box 6 | Folder 16 | News Clippings, 1964-1966 |
| Box 6 | Folder 17 | News Clippings, scrapbook, 1945 |
| Box 6 | Folder 18 | Newsletters [untitled], February 1965-September 1966 |
| Box 6 | Folder 19 | Newsletters, Associated Clubs Herald, 1948 |
| Box 7 | Folder 1 | Newsletters, Associated Clubs Herald, 1949 |
| Box 7 | Folder 2 | Newsletters, Associated Clubs Herald, 1950. |
| Box 7 | Folder 3 | Newsletters, Associated Clubs Herald, 1951 |
| Box 7 | Folder 4 | Newsletters, community clubs and comments, November 1958-May 1959 |
| Box 7 | Folder 5 | Newsletters, community clubs and comments, 1961 |
| Box 7 | Folder 6 | Newsletters, Youth Welfare Bulletin, 1962 |
| Box 7 | Folder 7 | Newsletters, Associated Clubs Herald, 1951 |
Series 3: Printed Materials
| Box 7 | Folder 8 | Printed Materials, 1962 |
| Box 7 | Folder 9 | Printed Materials, 1969-1970 |
| Box 7 | Folder 10 | Questionnaire of Woodlawn Service Organizations, 1958 |
| Box 7 | Folder 11 | Reports: “Correlation of Community Publicity,” July 1937; “Financing of Community Recreation Programs,” circa 1937; “Increasing the Effectiveness of the Associated Clubs,” 1937 |
| Box 7 | Folder 12 | Reports, Margret Hulette on Clubs and Organizations of Woodlawn, 1948 |
| Box 7 | Folder 13 | Resolutions, 1934-1939 |
| Box 7 | Folder 14 | Resolutions, “A Resolution from the Adequate Protection of the Community of Woodlawn,” 1951 October |
| Box 7 | Folder 15 | School Board Election, 1955 April |
| Box 7 | Folder 16 | Stationery, undated |
| Box 7 | Folder 17 | Woodlawn’s Matinee, circa 1939 October |
Series 4: Committees
| Box 7 | Folder 18 | Card Party Committee, 1935, 1937 |
| Box 7 | Folder 19 | Conference Committee, Woodlawn’s Future, 1935-1936 |
| Box 7 | Folder 20 | The Library Committee, circa 1936-1937 |
| Box 7 | Folder 21 | Nominating Committee, Reports, 1937, 1939, 1940 |
| Box 7 | Folder 22 | Public Affairs Committee, 1936. |
| Box 7 | Folder 23 | Special Committee on Relief, Report, “Chicago Chapter, American Association of Social Workers,” circa 1929 |
| Box 7 | Folder 24 | Water Purification Committee, correspondence, Jan. 1937 |
| Box 7 | Folder 25 | Water Purification Committee, correspondence, Feb. 1937 |
| Box 7 | Folder 26 | Water Purification Committee, correspondence, March-Oct. 1937 |
| Box 7 | Folder 27-29 | Water Purification Committee, correspondence, 1942 |
| Box 7 | Folder 30 | Water Purification Committee, correspondence, 1943 |
| Box 7 | Folder 31 | Water Purification Committee, correspondence, 1944 |
| Box 7 | Folder 32 | Water Purification Committee, correspondence, City Club of Chicago, 1932 |
| Box 8 | Folder 1 | Water Purification Committee, minutes of meetings, 1938, 1942, 1944 |
| Box 8 | Folder 2 | Water Purification Committee, news clippings, 1943 |
| Box 8 | Folder 3 | Water Purification Committee, Record of Public Meeting of the United States Engineer Office, April 1942 |
| Box 8 | Folder 4-5 | Water Purification Committee, Reports, “To Mr. Albert Chapman, Water Filtration Committee, Associated Clubs of Woodlawn on Pollution of Water by the Indiana Towns and Industries,” 1937 March |
| Box 8 | Folder 6 | Water Purification Committee, Reports, “Pollution of Chicago Water Supply,” record of public meeting, 1942 April |
| Box 8 | Folder 7 | Water Purification Committee, Reports, “Chicago’s South Shore District Filtration Plant,” Department of Public Works, 1945 September |
| Box 8 | Folder 8 | Water Purification Committee, resolutions, 1942 |
| Box 8 | Folder 9 | Water Purification Committee, resolutions, 1942 |
| Box 8 | Folder 10 | Water Purification Committee, resolutions, 1944 |
| Box 8 | Folder 11 | Water Purification Committee, Symposium, “Pollution of the Chicago South Side City Water,” 1942 April |
| Box 8 | Folder 12 | Woodlawn Planning Committee, 1940 |
Series 5: Non-Manuscript Materials
| Box 9 | 3″ x 5″ index cards [300] with names, addresses and donation amounts to ACW’s Annual Block Beautiful Contest |
Photographs
| ACW Audio-visual Collection | Photograph 1.1 | Associated Clubs of Woodlawn, honor roll, 1958 |
