Guide to the Woodbine Home Demonstration Club records, 1961-2008 C0303
Woodbine Home Demonstration Club
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George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library, MS2FL4400 University Dr.
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Business Number: 703-993-2220
Fax Number: 703-993-8911
speccoll@gmu.edu
URL: https://scrc.gmu.edu
Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Beckman
Administrative Information
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions on personal use. Permission to publish material from the Woodbine Home Demonstration Club records must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Access Restrictions
There are no access restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Woodbine Home Demonstration Club records, C0303, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Acquisition Information
Donated by the Prince William County Library in November 2016.
Processing Information
Processing completed by Elizabeth Beckman in February 2017. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in February 2017.
Historical Information
The Woodbine Home Demonstration Club of Prince William County, VA was born of a wider movement across the United States - Elizabeth Griffin Hill notes that "Home Demonstration Clubs were an integral part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, which was established during the early 20th century as an experiment in adult education, providing agricultural demonstration work for men and home demonstration work for women" ('Home Demonstration Clubs'). According to a history by Louise Benton (a long-time officer and member) included in Box 3, Folder 6 of the collection, the Woodbine Club formed from the merger of two different home demonstration clubs in 1941. The organization was also known as the Woodbine Extension Homemakers Club and later as the Woodbine Family, Community, and Education (FCE) Club. Over the years, the women of the group gathered regularly, held meetings and events, and raised money for numerous charities. As of 2017, the Woodbine FCE club has disbanded.
Scope and Content
The collection is largely made up of scrapbooks, meeting minutes, photographs, and realia kept by the Woodbine Home Demonstration Club of Prince William County, VA between 1961 and 2008. The social and charitable activities of the club from the 1960s to the early 2000s are well documented in the records. Of particular interest in one of the scrapbooks from 1978-1979 is a letter from the White House congratulating club officer Louise Benton on her designation as Homemaker of the Year. VHS tapes and a DVD on charitable programs and the dedication of Louise Benton Middle School are also included.
Arrangement
The collection is largely arranged by format.
Related Material
The Special Collections Research Center holds other collections donated by RELIC at the Prince William County Library, including the Future Farmers of America, Nokesville records, the Prince William Cultural Arts Foundation records, the Henry H. Douglas papers, and the Prince William Historic Newspapers collection.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Color photography
- Domestic life
- Home economics
- Home economics extension work
- Prince William County (Va.)
- Scrapbooks
- Women -- Societies and clubs
Bibliography
Hill, Elizabeth Griffin. 'Home Demonstration Clubs,' The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System, http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=5387, accessed February 2, 2017.
Container List
some pages may be out of chronological order due to sleeved pages falling out of the folder
some pages may be out of chronological order due to sleeved pages falling out of the folder