| The Fortnightly Club was organized in Lancaster, PA
in 1908 to promote the mental, moral and social culture of its members. This all-male club
met bi-weekly from October to April each year to hear and discuss presentations on topics
of interest to its members. The membership included prominent gentlemen from Franklin and
Marshall College, the Lancaster Theological Seminary and the Lancaster community. http://library.fandm.edu/archives/FortnightlyClub.html
History of Fortnightly Club, University of Missouri, Columbia
The Fortnightly Club was established in October 1892 by Mrs. Frederick C. Hicks, wife
of a professor of history and political economy. she devoted her time and talent to the
organization of this club for faculty wives for the dual purpose of providing
"congenial associations for the wives of faculty members" and "building
community resources and good will at the University." good will and resources were
particularly needed at this time because the main building of the University had burned
down in January of that year and the university community struggled to think of ways to
rebuild the University and to "contribute to the feeling of a university
family."
The first meeting was held at the residence of Mrs. Joseph Blanton on October 2, 1892.
Mrs.R/H. Jesse, wife of then University President Richard Jesse, was named the honorary
president of the club and Mrs. Edward A. Allen was the chairperson of the club. There were
approximately 20 members in the club this first year. They met fortnightly, or every two
weeks. The meetings consisted primarily of the study of Shakespearean plays, and later
branched out to include the study of other authors. In 1903 the club broadened its mission
to include student welfare causes. In 1907 and 1908 arts and crafts and drama became a
part of Fortnightly programs. The club's focus included women's suffrage issues in 1913,
where Fortnightly women sought to define women's roles in the world. Later topics
concerning Fortnightly Club included world crises, social and educational legislation,
community improvement, and the study of various countries.
Because of the increasing size of Fortnightly Club and varying interests, special
interest groups were formed in 1948. At that time there were only eight of these groups.
Today there are 25 special interest groups, and this number continues to grow. In contrast
to the 20 members of its first year, today there are nearly 400 members of Fortnightly
Club and we are proud to continue a rich tradition established over 100 years ago.
The Fortnightly Club and Library Association of Herndon (Northern Virginia)
Founded in 1889 to found the first library in Herndon. A women's club encouraging
education and health within the community. Holds charitable functions. Offers an annual
scholarship. 378-5993 Nancy Jordan
August 20, 1996, is the 90th anniversary of the dedication of the first Eugene
Public Library. (Oregon) The little Carnegie building with the awning and
steps was dedicated in a Sunday evening ceremony August 20, 1906. To celebrate, EPL staff
and Friends held an open house with refreshments and a historical exhibit at the current
EPL building. Local officials, former board members and members of the Fortnightly Club of
Eugene were invited to commemorate the occasion and look back into the past. (Fortnightly
Club started a community library in Eugene before the turn of the century, and by 1904 had
prevailed upon the city to take it over. It was Fortnightly who sent the letter to Andrew
Carnegie for the grant for the building. Fortnightly is still active and still supports
the Library.)
http://www.open.org/ola/hot/olahot2-22.html
The Campbell House was built in 1892 by gold miner and timber owner, John Cogswell for
his daughter Idaho. It is one of the earliest and largest houses built in the East Skinner
Butte Historic District. (Oregon)
John's parents were pioneer Eugene residents Ann and Martin Gay.
Idaho married Nicholas Frazer, and their daughter became a prominent doctor in town,
(Dr. Eva Frazer Johnson). Shortly after Eva was born, Nicholas passed away and Idaho
remarried in 1897 to Ira Campbell, co-owner and editor of the Daily Eugene Guard
newspaper.
Idaho was a charter member of the Eugene Fortnightly Club (which
helped raise funds for Eugene's first library) as well as several other clubs.
http://www.campbellhouse.com/history.htm
The Fortnightly Club of Fort Smith, Arkansas, was founded in 1888 as a
women's' literary and social organization and is today one of the oldest women's' clubs in
the state. Mrs. Isaac C. Parker (wife of the famous Fort Smith federal judge) was a
charter member and the Fortnightly Club's first president. Soon after the club was
organized, members became interested in establishing a public library for the city. They
created the Fortnightly Club Library Association which helped fund library building
expenses by selling shares at five dollars apiece. Through these efforts, Fort Smith's
first public library opened in the Belle Grove School during the summer of 1889. All 1100
books were donated by Fortnightly members, St. John's Episcopal Church, or were purchased
by the Library Association. By 1902, the Belle Grove School housed the largest public
library in the state and was eventually moved to the probate courtroom.
The Fortnightly Club was also responsible for a twenty-five thousand dollar loan
obtained from Andrew Carnegie which helped construct the Carnegie Library in 1908. (The
building was renamed the Fort Smith Public Library in the early 1970's). Fortnightly
members donated books to the Library on a yearly basis.
http://cavern.uark.edu/libinfo/speccoll/smithfortnightaid.html
The Sandusky Fortnightly Club (Ohio) was started in
the spring of 1898 by a group of Episcopalian women who wished to provide their members
with religious and intellectual study. This club was one of several women's organizations
in the city of Sandusky at that time. According to former Sandusky Fortnightly Club
Historian, Dorothy Keller, "The women of Sandusky were among the first to appreciate
the advantages of organizations for women and were leaders in this movement. In 1908, it
was stated that Sandusky had more clubs for social, beneficial, and intellectual culture
than any city its size."
Several areas of study were explored by the club women over the years. European
countries, Shakespearean plays, the Bible, current events and world problems, women's
suffrage, and world religions are a few examples of topics discussed in club research
papers and lectures.
http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/cac/ms0368.html#sketch
Interview with Mary Sims Elliott, member of the Ladies Fortnightly Club (Summit,
NJ)
Speech in 1895 to the Georgia Legislature at age 105 years
"Music has always meant so much to me. My mother was an accomplished pianist. She
used to play for the Ladies Fortnightly Club –(which became the Federated Women's
Clubs in the new century.
http://www.ovpr.uga.edu/rcd/95su/eliot_sb.html
Correspondence, business and personal papers of Edward Griffith Miner
(1863-1955), prominent Rochester businessman and civic leader, president and chairman of
the Board of Directors of the Pfaudler Company (now Pfaudler Permutit Inc.).
The bulk of the papers relate to Rochester and
New York State business, civic, educational, industrial and social matters from
the 1890s to Mr. Miner's death in 1955.
(Has Fortnightly Club papers with titles from 1915 to 1943.)
SLATER, JOHN ROTHWELL. Printing and the Renaissance: a paper read before
the Fortnightly Club of Rochester New York.New York: Battery Park Book
Company, 1978. $20
Papers of James Whitcomb Riley at Indianapolis Marion County Public
Library, 40 East St. Clair St, Indianapolis, IN 46206-0211 (including
talks to Fortnightly Club)
William H. Hardy, was the founder of the Mississippi cities of
Hattiesburg, Gulfport, and Laurel, After the death of his first wife, Hardy moved to
Meridian, Mississippi, and set up a law office. While visiting Mobile, Alabama, he met his
second wife, Miss Hattie Lott, who was born in Mobile, Alabama, on February 20, 1848. She
received her education at the Barton Academy in Mobile, and was described as a
sweet-natured, beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. William and Hattie were
married December 1, 1874, after a brief courtship; she moved to his Meridian home and
began to raise the Captain's orphaned children. They had three children: Lena Mai, Lamar,
and Toney.
Being a cultured woman, Hattie tried to improve the quality of life in Meridian.
She helped organize a literary society, the Fortnightly Club, which is the oldest women's
club in Mississippi. Hattie spent the rest of her life in Meridian, never
living in the city that was named for her, Hattiesburg. She died suddenly on May 18, 1895,
at her home in Meridian, Miss.
Hemorrhagic Disease of the Newborn, By Robert M. Green, M.D., Boston, and John B.
Swift, Jr., M.D., Boston, (From the Clinic of the Boston Lying-In Hospital) Boston Medical
and Surgical Journal 164(13):454-456, March 30, 1911. Read before the Surgical Fortnightly
Club, Boston, Feb. 21, 1911.
The Fortnightly Club, organized in 1902, meets in Italy the third Thursday of each
month. President is Margaret Smotherman. (Waxahachie, TX)
Hannah Baker was active in the Congregational Church, the Boulder
Fortnightly Club and Boulder Woman's Club. (Colorado) She helped beautify
Columbia Cemetery and campaigned against storekeepers who sold cigarettes to young people.
She also started Boulder Creamery, served as a director of Boulder National Bank and
supported Chautauqua and the Boulder Public Library.
The Fortnightly Musical Club of Cleveland, a member of the National
Federation of Music Clubs, was founded on January 24, 1894. Fortnightly still supports the
Guild, by providing tax exempt status, accounting services, and by commissioning a new
work annually since 1974. One of the closest working relationships is in the annual Young
People's Concert, where students from the Junior Fortnightly Musical Club and the
Cleveland Music School Settlement perform works written especially for them by Guild
composers.
http://www.en.com/users/jaquick/faq.html
ORGANIZATION/ACTIVITY: Junior Fortnightly Club of Benton, Arkansas.
OTHER INFORMATION: Used to be very active in civic affairs. Having been active for 63
years, it is the oldest club in this area.
http://www.bentonchamber.org/discover/other_clubs.htm#jrfortnightly
History of Arkansas City Public Library
There were several precursors to the Arkansas City Public Library. (Kansas)
They were the Fortnightly Club, the Y.M.C.A., and Miss Little Gilliland's attempt to
establish a circulating library. This early library was housed in the Commercial Club
Assembly Room. It closed a year later when the club was unable to establish funding. The
next attempt was by the St. Cecilia Club which produced concerts to raise funds for a
public library. In 1904 after considerable promotion, the proposition "to establish
and maintain a free public library" was defeated at the polls.
http://www.hit.net/acpl/geninfo.htm
Fortnightly Club, 423-29 South Wabash Building, Chicago
Mary Stewart wrote the Collect in 1904 as a member of the Fortnightly Club, the
forerunner of the Longmont (Colorado) BPW club.
http://www.carrollsweb.com/jacobavis/history.htm
Fortnightly Club of San Francisco, California, records, 87
http://www.calhist.org/Support_Info/Collections/Manuscripts/MSS-SF-Guide/MS-SFColl3-Index.html
The GREENE COUNTY COUNCIL ON THE ARTS, Catskill, NY, is supported by
the Fortnightly Club et al.
http://www.bearsystems.com/gcca/aboutus.html
March 27, 1897 (Saturday) A writer from the Chicago Record, a highly respected
newspaper, has come to Beloit (Wisconsin) to write a
story about the women's clubs of Beloit, and her story includes profiles of several Beloit
women including Misses Edna Riggs and Alice B. Smith, and Mmes. E.F. Hansen, and G.L.
Cole... The Saturday Club, the Parliamentary Club, the Fortnightly Club, and East End
Club, the Social Reading Circle, The Archie Club, The Schubert Musical Club, Daughters of
the American Revolution , all these plus Beloit College, the Chicago writer says, make
Beloit ``the abode of peace, learning and refinement''... A taffeta corset that ``fits
like a glove'' is on sale at 55 cents at New York Fair store; high bust corsets are 50
cents.
http://www.beloitdailynews.com/397/twiw27.htm
Calvin College (Missouri) student organizations more than 70 years ago
include an open forum club, the Fortnightly Club (where they discussed the philosophy of
religion), Aurora Society (a social club), Nil Nisi Verum (a club that studied the
Calvinistic principles and the applications to the church, state and society) and
Girls’ Literary Society.
http://www-stu.calvin.edu/chimes/970919/f4.htm
James Lewis Howe was a longtime member of the Fortnightly Club, a scholarly Lexington,
VA, discussion society whose papers are held in Special Collections. Many of
Howe's published works are in our Faculty Publications collection.
http://www.wlu.edu/~vstanley/wnlhist.html
RICHARD THORNE graduated from Mansfield in 1952, received his Masters of Education
degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1959, and did graduate work at Indiana
University, Bloomington, Indiana from 1963-64. He was the former head of the department of
Humanities and Choral Director at State College High School, Pennsylvania. Richard has
appeared as a clinician and workshop consultant in 38 states, and since 1958, has guest
conducted some 263 festival choruses ranging from All-City to All-State. He directed the
Fortnightly Club of Philadelphia(PA) (the second oldest continuing male
chorus in the city)
http://www.mnsfld.edu/~music/alumni.html
Service Clubs: American Legion, Elks Club, Federated Womens Club, Fortnightly Club,
Golden K (Kiwanis), Jaycees, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, Lions, Masons, Moose Club,
Newcomers Club, Rice Lake Mens Club, Rotary and VFW Club. Rice Lake, WI
http://chamber.rice-lake.wi.us/serv.htm
Redlands Fortnightly Club, founded in 1895, is the oldest Literary
Society in California. Literary Groups, Language Clubs, Social and Service Clubs
contribute much to make Redlands "The City for Delightful Living."
http://www.redlandsfortnightly.com/
Strawberry Point, Iowa, has a Fortnightly Club.
http://www.strawberrypt.com/business.htm#Churches & Organizations
Representing the Central New York Retail Lumber Dealers Association
William B. Handley, T.J. Burke Lumber Corp., Oswego, N.Y. He is a member of the
Fortnightly Club of Oswego.
Fortnightly Club, 1408 Westview Dr., Macomb IL 61455
The Library services in Sheridan County dates back to the early
1900's. This is when the Kansas Federation of Women's Clubs established traveling
libraries throughout the state of Kansas. The Hoxie Fortnightly Club (Kansas)
served as one of the first libraries by taking advantage of the deal of 50 books for six
months for $2.00.
http://www.hoxie.org/hoxie/comsnap.htm
Warder W. Stevens In 1892 was the prime factor in the organization of the Salem Farmers
Club and the Salem Fortnightly Club, the latter of which was the
forerunner of the Salem Public Library Association, an organization that has done much for
all classes in Salem.
http://www.starbase21.com/kybiog/hardin/stevens.ww.txt
Waynesboro, Mississippi 39367, Fortnightly Club
Framington, Missouri has a Fortnightly Club
http://fxnet.missouri.org/econdev/clubs.htm
Chester, NH, has a Fortnightly Club
http://www.homeforyou.com/community.html
Clarion county, PA, has a Fortnightly Club
http://www.public.usit.net/mcnamara/clarion/clarbib.htm
The Mendon Public Library had its start in 1912, through the efforts of a group of
women from the Fortnightly Club of Honeoye Falls, New York. The club formed the Honeoye
Falls Free Library which opened in November of that year with a total collection of 500
books, which the residents of the village could use free-of- charge. The library was
housed in two upstairs rooms on Main Street and was open twelve hours per week.
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