Finding aid of Men's and Women's Clubs of Peninsula Township records, 2020

Dublin Core

Title

Finding aid of Men's and Women's Clubs of Peninsula Township records, 2020

Subject

Traverse City (Mich.)

Description

Finding aid of the Men's and Women's Clubs of Peninsula Township records collection. Collection is part of the holdings of the Peninsula Community Library.

Creator

Barritt, Amy, & Morgan, Mary 1984-

Source

Local History Collections, Peninsula Community Library, Traverse City (Mich.)

Publisher

Peninsula Community Library

Date

2020

Contributor

None

Rights

This document is protected by copyright law. Contact the Peninsula Community Library for permission to reproduce, display or transmit this document.

Relation

Men's and Women's Clubs of Peninsula Township records

Format

PDF

Language

English

Type

Document

Identifier

LHC004pcl-findingaid.pdf

Coverage

Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

PDF Text

Text

Peninsula Community Library
Local History Collections
Peninsula Men’s and Women’s Clubs, 1

LOCAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS
PENINSULA COMMUNITY LIBRARY
2699 Island View Road Traverse City, MI 49686

Creators: Archie Senior and Junior Woman’s Clubs; Bowers Harbor Senior Woman’s Club; Mapleton Woman’s Club; Peninsula Federation of Woman’s Clubs; Anna Cochlin Circle, Traverse City Business Men’s Association

Title: Peninsula Men’s and Women’s Clubs records
Inclusive dates: 1904-2006
Bulk dates: 1950-1980
Extent: 2 linear feet
Call number: LHC 004 Pcl

Language: Material is in English
Acquisition: Anonymous donations.
Accruals: Periodic additions to the collection are not expected.
Access: The collection is open without restriction.
Photographs: Box 2.
A-V Material: None.
Digital Material: None.
Copyright: Copyright is held by the Peninsula Community Library.
Processed By: Amy Barritt, 2013, Mary Morgan 2020

Peninsula Community Library
Local History Collections
Peninsula Men’s and Women’s Clubs, 2

Abstract

Records of the Woman’s Clubs of Peninsula Township, in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, documenting the history of Woman’s Clubs from the various towns located on Old Mission Peninsula. Clubs frequently engaged in social and intellectual pursuits, as well as supported social welfare in their communities. The Traverse City Business Men’s Association records are minimal. The series in the collection are: Peninsula Federation of Woman’s Clubs, Anna Cochlin Circle of the Ladies Aid, Archie Junior Woman’s Club, Archie Senior Woman’s Club, Mapleton Woman’s Club, Bowers Harbor Woman’s Club, Traverse City Business Men’s Association.

History

The Woman’s Clubs of Peninsula Township adopted their names from the village the members belonged to. Each club was an individual organization, each unique in its membership and operations. According to the records of the Peninsula Federated Women’s Club, the following organizations were at one time operating on the Peninsula: Archie Senior Woman’s Club, Archie Junior Woman’s Club, Bowers Harbor Senior Woman’s Club, Bowers Harbor Junior Woman’s Club, Maple Grove Senior Friendship Club, Maple Grove Junior Friendship Club, Old Mission Woman’s Club, and Mapleton Woman’s Club.

The Anna Cochlin Circle of the Ladies Aid (or the Anna Cochlin Division of the Congregational Ladies Aid Society) of Old Mission Congregational Church, was a group comprised entirely of women and served a similar social function as the Woman’s Clubs.

The Peninsula Federation of Woman’s Clubs (or the Peninsula Federated Women’s Club) met biannually, once in the spring and once in the fall. Each club would in turn host the biannual meeting. The program usually consisted of a potluck lunch, a music or poetry performance, a speaker, and a business meeting. Frequently, the business meeting resulted in a joint project to be undertaken by the members of all the individual Clubs. Improving the Old Mission School landscaping was a frequent project for the Federation. On May 5, 1970, the Federation discontinued, citing a lack of interest and small attendance.

The Archie Woman’s Club was organized in September 1914, and county federated in November 1915. It was still operating in 1948-1949.

The Archie Junior Woman’s Club was organized in February 1940, and discontinued in 1998.

Peninsula Community Library
Local History Collections
Peninsula Men’s and Women’s Clubs, 3

The Mapleton Woman’s Club was founded on 10 January 1950, although the name was not approved until the 18 January 1950 meeting. A vote by the membership on 18 May 1989 discontinued the Club; their final luncheon was held on 7 June 1989.

Peninsula Community Library
Local History Collections
Peninsula Men’s and Women’s Clubs, 4

Scope and Content Note

The Woman’s Clubs of Old Mission Peninsula Township records contains the records that have been donated to the Peninsula Community Library over a period of several decades, typically after the Club had disbanded and the records were no longer of primary use to their creators. Meeting minutes, financial records, scrapbooks, annuals and correspondence are the primary records retained and donated by these Clubs. The series are organized by the creators: Peninsula Federation of Woman’s Clubs, Anna Cochlin Circle of the Ladies Aid, Archie Junior Woman’s Club, Archie Senior Woman’s Club, Mapleton Woman’s Club, Bowers Harbor Woman’s Club.

While not a part of the Peninsula Federation of Woman’s Clubs, the Anna Cochlin Circle of the Ladies Aid was a group comprised entirely of women and served a similar social function as the Woman’s Clubs. Their association with a church distinguishes this group from other Woman’s Clubs in the area, but their records are included with the collection because of the similarity in membership and mission between these organizations.

The Mapleton Woman’s Club series contains the minutes for the entire length of years that the Club operated. In addition, correspondence indicates the Club’s interest in assisting the operations of Camp Roy-El. The Camp was founded by camp directors Roy and Ellen Brigman in 1952, in response to the polio epidemic. Although the Club was not directly involved with the operations of the Camp, the Club frequently contributed to the Club from the Sunshine Funds, which was a collection of funds from the membership that was designated to be gifted to institutions that improved the lives of individuals within the communities of Old Mission. In response to the donations, the Camp directors sent the Club quarterly updates concerning the Camp’s operations and a summary of each week of Camp during the summer months. The Club’s final financial gift was given to Camp Roy-El, before discontinuing in May 1989.

Traverse City Business Men’s Association includes the delinquent debtor’s reports of the organization from 1904-1908. These were found in a donated copy of a Grand Traverse County atlas, and Library Staff do not believe the donation was intentional. Therefore, the record is highly incomplete.

Peninsula Community Library
Local History Collections
Peninsula Men’s and Women’s Clubs, 5

Container No. Description
Peninsula Federation of Woman’s Clubs [series]:

Box 1 Minutes, 2 October 1947-5 May 1970

Financial Records

Box 1 1958-1967

Box 1 20 July 1959-7 July 1970

Anna Cochlin Circle [series]:

Box 1 Minutes, 23 January 1935-November 1941

Archie Junior Woman’s Club [series]:
Box 1 Annuals, 1984 and undated

Box 1 Constitution, 6 February 1940 (with amendments, 1940-1954)

Box 1 Correspondence and unused stationery, 2006

Box 1 Financial Ledger, 10 February 1940-March 1998

Box 1 Financial Records,1963-1998

Archie Senior Woman’s Club [series]:

Annuals

Box 2 1921/1922, 1927/1928-1939/1940

Box 2 1940/1941-1948/1949

Box 2 1953/1954, 1961/1962, 1964/1965-1966/1967

Minutes

Box 2 9 September 1914-6 April 1921 (5 ledgers)

Box 3 13 September 1922-9 May 1928

Peninsula Community Library
Local History Collections
Peninsula Men’s and Women’s Clubs, 6

Box 3 12 September 1929-9 January 1934

Box 3 20 February 1935-8 May 1939

Box 4 22 May 1940-6 May 1948

Box 4 23 September 1948-29 November 1956

Box 4 13 December 1956-28 May 1959

Box 4 17 September 1959-22 June 1961

Box 4 18 April 1962-26 May 1966

Box 2 Photographs, ca. 1928

Mapleton Woman’s Club [series]:

Box 2 Annuals and Correspondence, 1983, 1984-1985, 1989

Box 2 Camp Roy-El newsletters, 1985, 1989

Box 2 Financial Records, February 1962-June 1989

Box 2 Minutes, January 1950-17 April 1980

Bowers Harbor Senior Woman’s Club [series]:

Box 5 Scrapbook, 1927-1976

Traverse City Business Men’s Association [series]:

Box 2 Delinquent Debtor’s Reports, 1904-1908

Document Item Type Metadata

Original Format

PDF, converted from a Google Docs document file.

Text

Download PDF

Transcribe This Item

  1. LHC004pcl-findingaid.pdf