Scope and Content
The records of the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Hartford contain meeting minutes, committee reports, newsletters, financial information, correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, membership rosters, and historical information. Also included are brochures, flyers, invitations, and programs from club events and records documenting the scholarships that the club presented to local students each year. The material ranges in date from 1919 to 2010, with an especially large amount of material from the 1980s. There are very few records from the 1930s and 1940s.
The first twenty-eight boxes of the collection are the general working records of the club and are arranged chronologically. Boxes 29 and 30 contain written accounts of the club’s history, research notes on the history of the club, information about archived club material, and other historical information. Some of this material is undated, but most of it appears to date from the 1980s. Box 30 also contains undated photographs and clippings. Boxes 31 and 32 contain miscellaneous photographs, while Box 33 contains flyers, brochures, programs and other ephemera.
Dates
- 1919-2010 (Bulk Dates)
Creator
Access Restrictions
The records are stored in a restricted area and therefore may not be available on a same-day basis.
Use Restrictions
See Hartford History Center’s Collection Use policy. Permission to publish from the Collection must be obtained in writing from curator of the Hartford History Center, and a copy of the published work may be requested by the Hartford History Center. The Hartford History Center reserves the right to refuse permission to publish, etc. to those who have not complied with its policies. Use of the collections will normally not be permitted for the purpose of promotion of commercial products and services or political campaigns. Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library reserves the right to limit the number of photographic prints/captures and to restrict the use or reproduction of rare, fragile, or valuable objects.
Historical Note
Founded in 1919, the Business and Professional Women's Club's purpose was "to establish a common meeting ground for business and professional women, to create good feeling among them, to furnish greater opportunity for advancement, to unite them into a thinking group for service." The organizational meeting was held in the auditorium of the Hartford YWCA. They maintained rooms at the Goodwin Building for a short period of time before purchasing a clubhouse on Myrtle Street. The clubhouse offered lodging and dining, which appealed to single, working women. Connecticut Mutual purchased the property in 1924, and the club rented space from then on. At its peak, the Business and Professional Women's club had 936 members. A fraction remained when the club disbanded in 2010. Club members were committed to community service and philanthropy. A project in 1924 involved partnering with Dixie Gas Co. The women sold ticket books that offered automotive gifts in exchange for gas purchases. In 1955 the club began a scholarship program for area high school seniors. Over $221,000 was awarded to both girls and boys, regardless of their intended major. Much of the money was raised through an annual fashion show.
Extent
16.5 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Papers and records of the Hartford, Connecticut Business and Professional Women's Club.
Physical Location
Ground Floor Electronic Stacks
Accruals
The collection is closed. Additional accruals are not expected.
Processing Details
EAD Finding Aid created May 2013.
Creator
- Title
- Business and Professional Women's Club Collection
- Subtitle
- A Guide to the collection at the Hartford History Center
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Hartford History Center Repository
Hartford History Center
Hartford Public Library
500 Main St
Hartford CT 06103 USA
860.695.6297
hhc@hplct.org