History
It was October 24, 1913. There were 400 people in the town of Stuart. The first settler had arrived in 1880. It was an area surrounded by rivers and the principal industry was the raising of pineapples. On this day the weekly STUART TIMES carried an announcement of importance to its readers:
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Woman’s Club of Stuart
729 S.E. Ocean Blvd.,
Stuart, Fl, 34994
Phone: (772) 288-3227
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“This afternoon, the ladies of Stuart are assembled at the Epworth League Hall for the purpose of organizing a Woman’s Club of Stuart. Accordingly to advance reports given out, the club is to be fourfold in its aims: civic, domestic, literary, and musical. It is hoped out of this meeting will grow great things for our town…such things as only the ladies can accomplish.”*
A later paper records the names of twenty-nine women who attended the first meeting.*
Great
things for the town! It has been said that great accomplishments are the reward of
those who dare to dream. Only courageous dreamers could have written the charter
that was granted to this group on April 22, 1914. It stated in part…”Object of this
club shall be to promote and maintain a free public library in Stuart, to help promote
and establish a park system in Stuart, to work for the establishment of a public
hospital in Stuart…”*
In this year of 1914, the Woman’s Club of Stuart also joined
the Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs and thus became part of the 20th Century
club women’s movement*. The first objective of the club to form a free public library
was immediately undertaken. The clubhouse was used as a library and was manned by
members. They raised money to buy books and operated a hospital to repair books.
After meeting in a variety of places, in 1917 the club finally purchased their own
home, the Christian Endeavor Hall, and it became Martin County’s first library.
The civic activities of the women continued to increase. Community Christmas trees, assistance to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and many local beautification projects were included in their work.* Committees for county celebrations and fairs were formed, local teachers were entertained, and the members offered frequent invitations to tourists. The arrival of the train once a day was an event of social importance and the club members would give oranges to the passengers.
In September 1933, the club suffered a severe setback when a hurricane demolished the Woman’s Club building and destroyed the library books so painstakingly acquired over the years. The problem of rebuilding was solved when the members deeded the property to the City of Stuart for the purpose of obtaining federal aid. A new building was erected in 1934, not as a clubhouse but as a library. The City then returned the property to the Woman’s Club. A drive to acquire a new supply of books was started and the women returned to their library, youth, and community work.*
In 1938, the Woman’s Club of Stuart celebrated its 25th Anniversary and a population of 2,000 people lived in Stuart.
In 1940, the Abundance statue that was originally crafted in France for the New York
World’s Fair was brought to Stuart. The Woman’s Club planned to place her in Haney
Circle but a storm of community objections to this placement of the “naked lady”
forced the Club to place her on the Courthouse grounds. She caused so much controversy
a bra was found on her one morning.
In 1961, Abundance was legally presented to the
City of Stuart via a bill of sale for $1.00 and moved to the City Park. In 1991,
Abundance was finally moved to Haney’s Circle by the City of Stuart as part of the
downtown revitalization project. A new plaque recording the gift from the Woman’s
Club was dedicated by Mayor James Christie.*
In 1950, a scholarship program was initiated that gave a girl from Martin County High School $100 toward her expenses at the newly formed Indian River Community College.*. In 1957, after 40 years of operating the library, the Woman’s Club of Stuart created a citizen’s group known as the Martin County Library Association, and the club donated 7500 books to a new facility. The Kiplinger family donated the land for the Library. Moreover, the family repeated this generosity by presenting the club with the adjacent property for a new clubhouse with the proviso that the clubhouse be built within the next year. The Woman’s Club clubhouse was built piece by piece as the monies were raised and bonds were sold. It took one year to build, but eight years for this debt to be paid. When it was paid a “Bonds Away” party was held.
In the 1960s, the club equipped the children’s ward of Martin Memorial Hospital,
sponsored the Santa Claus parade, and appointed a committee to encourage bi-racial
dialogue. The club helped restore an obsolete building for Helping People Succeed
(HPS) (originally known as the Pioneer Occupational Center) and had Christmas parties
for the families. When the HPS program outgrew the clubhouse, Christmas bags were
provided by the club for all the children. The “Just a Minute” program also was initiated
for individuals who lived alone and could register with the club and receive a daily
phone call to verify their wellbeing.
In 1963, the Woman’s Club of Stuart celebrated
its 50th Anniversary. In spite of rising monetary obligations, the women continued
to increase their community activity.
In the 1970s, the club helped build the Hacienda
Girls Ranch for disadvantaged and homeless girls, helped to purchase the kidney dialysis
equipment for the hospital, and donated special chairs for handicapped children at
the Open Door School.
During the 1980s, the affiliated Junior Woman’s Club initiated
a community effort to raise over $30,000 to repair, upgrade, and build a 2,400 square
foot addition to the existing City of Stuart Recreation Center. 53 people, 267 businesses,
and 19 civic organizations participated. Afterward, the club encouraged the vote
from the County Commission to create a county-wide Parks and Recreation Department.
In
1988, the Woman’s Club of Stuart celebrated its 75th Anniversary. The Woman’s Club
of Stuart helped pass the amendment “Martin County Conservation Alliance” and in
the late 1990s, the club beautifully landscaped the clubhouse and earned “Green Thumb”
award in 2007. The first political forum was hosted to a full house for all the candidates
and that encouraged the first African-American to join our club.
On January 25, 2004,
the Woman’s Club celebrated its 90th Anniversary with a lovely tea. More than 100
guests attended including, FFWC officials, elected state and county officials, local
historians, and library officials. In 2004, the City of Stuart and the Martin County
Commissioners (MCC) each issued a proclamation honoring the Woman’s Club.
In January
2009, the Woman's Club of Stuart re-dedicated the famed "Abundance Statue" at Haney
Circle in Downtown Stuart as originally planned. This Bronze Beauty has been beautifully
restored, surrounded by greenery and placed on a proper pedestal and is a magnificent
addition to Old Stuart.
In photo (not in order); Virginia McDonald, Pat Schmader, Lauri Parenti, Joan Longo, Lois Genuario, Jeannie Ferrra, Diane Jettinghoff, Edithy Marcellis, Jackie Lester, Marguerite Wiseman, Lauri J. Goldstein, P.A., Barbara Peard, Betty Kopf, Sofia Valente, Mona Salisbury, Dana Coates, and Valerie Mosher. Members of the GFWC Women's Club of Stuart and "Girlfriends" of the Women's Club pose with Lady "Abundance" for the re-dedication of the statue January 21, 2009. Photo courtesy: Diane Jettinghoff
Continuing in the spirit of our predecessors, the Woman’s Club of Stuart supports
many projects of General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Florida Federation of Women’s
Clubs, and local projects such as the Alzheimer’s Walk, Canine Companions for Independence,
Council on Aging, Environmental Studies Council, Hacienda Girls Ranch, Heifer International,
Hope Rural School, Helping People Succeed, Mothers & Infants Striving for Success
(MISS), House of Hope, Safe Space, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(SPCA), Toys for Tots, and the Veterans Hospital. We continue our mission to provide
scholarships to young, female women in Martin County. In May 2011, four (4) $2,500
scholarships were awarded to female students in Martin County High Schools.
In October
2013, we will celebrate our 100th anniversary. Plans are being made to honor our
legacy and continue our purpose to serve our community.
Today, the Woman’s Club of
Stuart is the oldest organization in Martin County, the largest Woman’s Club in District
10 of the FFWC, and one of the largest on the Treasure Coast.
*Excerpts from this
text were taken from:
“A History of the Woman's Club of Stuart, Florida’ by Catherine
C. Walter
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