Portland Woman's Club records
Scope and Contents
Records of the Portland Woman's Club of Portland, Oregon, particularly the club's administrative records. These include the club's constitution and bylaws, meeting minutes, reports, correspondence, membership records, financial and property records, and records relating to the club's annual scholarship award. Other materials in the collection consist of material about the club's history; publications, such as the club's annual announcement; and photographs and memorabilia. Much of the memorabilia is in the form of scrapbooks containing newspaper articles, photographs, administrative records such as reports and correspondence, and ephemera. The collection also includes the records of two umbrella organizations, the Oregon Federation of Women's Clubs and the General Federation of Women's Clubs.
Dates
- Creation: 1850-2016
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1895-2016
Creator
- Portland Woman's Club (Portland, Or.) (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative History
The Portland Woman's Club was formed in December 1895 in Portland, Oregon, with 78 charter members. The club sought to organize women who wanted to become actively involved in Portland's civic life. One of the club's earliest acts was to lobby the Oregon State Legislature to pass a bill authorizing the creation of a public library in Portland. Throughout the club's existence, its members have advocated for women's education, including providing scholarships. The club's other advocacy efforts in the 20th century included preventing trees in the downtown Portland Park Blocks from being cut down; the establishment of public parks; the promotion of a bond to fund garbage collection; food safety legislation; and traffic safety. The organization erected a clubhouse at 1220 SW Taylor Street in 1922; the building was sold to the First Baptist Church in 2001. At its peak, the club had more than 500 members. Membership declined in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and was down to 26 members by 2012.
Sources: "History of Portland Woman's Club, 1895-1995" by Audrey Johnson, 1995; notice in the Oregonian, February 3, 2001, page A2; "A mission accomplished," Oregonian, May 21, 2012, pages B1-B2.
Extent
26.1 Cubic Feet (13 record cartons; 2 legal document cases; 2 slim legal document cases; 11 letter document cases; 1 slim letter document case; 5 flat boxes (11x14); 9 flat boxes (13x16); 1 flat box (14x18); 1 small telescoping box; 1 oversize folder (30x42); 1 compact disc)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Records of the Portland Woman's Club, an organization based in Portland, Oregon, that advocated for women's education and for civic improvements such as funding for a public library. The club was founded in 1895, and at its peak had more than 500 members. The collection includes administrative records such as minutes, correspondence, reports, and financial records; materials relating to the club's history; and memorabilia such as photographs and scrapbooks. The collection also includes records of two umbrella organizations, the Oregon Federation of Women's Clubs and the General Federation of Women's Clubs.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in five series:
- Series 1: Administrative records and correspondence
- Subseries 1.1: Constitution and bylaws
- Subseries 1.2: Minutes and other meeting records
- Subseries 1.3: Correspondence
- Subseries 1.4: Reports
- Subseries 1.5: Membership and attendance records
- Subseries 1.6: Financial and property records
- Subseries 1.7: Scholarship fund records
- Subseries 1.8: Other materials
- Series 2: Club history
- Series 3: Publications and publicity
- Series 4: Memorabilia and photographs
- Series 5: Records of other organizations
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Researcher access to negatives in the collection is limited for preservation purposes. Access to audio recording of special hearing in Subseries 1.2 is provided only by advance request, and is limited to listening in the library. To inquire about accessing these materials, contact library staff.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gifts of the Portland Woman's Club made in April 2001, April 2013, and July 2017 (Lib. Acc. 24428, Lib. Acc. 27895, Lib. Acc. 29097).
Processing Information
Collection was initially processed circa 2001, with additions processed circa 2013 by Shawna Gandy and in 2017 by Sue Armitage. Collection was partially rehoused and rearranged by Jeffrey A. Hayes in 2025. During initial processing, photographs were removed from some scrapbooks and rehoused in separate folders. Collection includes materials previously designated Org. Lot 1008.
Subject
- Portland Woman's Club (Portland, Or.) -- Records and correspondence (Organization)
- Portland Woman's Club (Portland, Or.) -- History (Organization)
- Portland Woman's Club (Portland, Or.) -- Photographs (Organization)
- Oregon Federation of Women's Clubs -- Records and correspondence (Organization)
- General Federation of Women's Clubs -- Records and correspondence (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Portland Woman's Club records
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Revised by Jeffrey A. Hayes
- Date
- 2012; revised 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Revision Statements
- 2025: Revised to bring to reflect additions, provide an inventory, and bring to current standard.
Repository Details
Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240
libreference@ohs.org