Twentieth Century Club Records

Collection

Identifier: 056

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of yearbooks, monthly bulletins, by-laws, printed programs, histories of the Club, a few items regarding membership and fundraising, and a handwritten ledger recording the celebration in 1940 of the 50th anniversary of the Club’s founding.

Dates

Creation: 1904-1999

Creator

Twentieth Century Club (Washington, D.C.) (Organization)

Language of Materials

English

Biographical / Historical

In April 1890 a group of women members of the All Souls’ Unitarian Church at 14th and I Streets NW met to form the Twentieth Century Club. As stated in its first Constitution, the Club was established “to unite for promotion of liberal thought and philanthropic work in its broad sense.” Membership was gained by submission of your name for consideration by the Club’s Board. In the 1890s the Club maintained a reading room for boys and girls, improved workhouse conditions, and helped establish kindergartens in the DC Public schools. The Club’s work supported many local community organizations, including Gallinger/D.C. General Hospital, DC Public Library, WWII home front efforts, DC Public Schools, Crippled Children’s Clinic, Children’s Hospital, Junior Village, and the Y.W.C.A.