PUBLIC "-//Arlington Public Library::Center for Local History//TEXT (US::ViAr::ViAr00195::A Guide to the Records of the Potomac Woman's Club, 1953-2012)//EN" "ViAr00195.xml" A Guide to the Records of the Potomac Woman's Club, 1953-2012 Potomac Woman's Club, Records of the RG 195 Heather Crocetto Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History © 2018 Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History Machine-readable finding aid derived from MS Word, created by Gregory Pierce, 8 October 2020 Description is in English A Guide to the Records of the Potomac Woman's Club, 1953-2012 A Collection in Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History RG 195

Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History 2018 Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History Descriptive Summary Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History Records of the Potomac Woman's Club, 1953-2012 RG 195 6 boxes. English Potomac Woman's Club Administrative Information Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

There may be restrictions on the financial documents in Series 2, which contain bank account and/or credit card information in files 2, 4 through 9, and 15 through 17.

Preferred Citation

Records of the Potomac Woman's Club, Collection # RG 195, Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History

Acquisition Information

Gift of Joyce Tannahill in May 2012.

Historical Information

The Potomac Woman's Club (PWC) is a social organization founded in 1953 by Nell Broyhill, who was wife of the developer M.T. Broyhill and mother of local political leader Joel Broyhill. The PWC began with 75 charter members and served as a social outlet for the women moving into the Broyhill firm's new neighborhoods. Its stated purpose is to "be for mutual improvement and the advancement of civic and social welfare of the community."

In its early years, PWC meetings were held at members' homes, located near the Washington Golf and Country Club, and later moved to the Church of the Covenant. The PWC's early activities included a welfare project with the Arlington Children's Shelter; the "Live-and Learn" campaign, which was a series of Civil Defense courses open to the public about preparation for atomic attack and first aid; and community issues such as traffic safety. The PWC organized fashion shows, bridge parties, luncheons, speaker events, and card parties to raise money for various charities and scholarships. Over the years, club activities included support for the Arlington Tuberculosis Association, the Cancer Society, and the Arlington Hospital, often in conjunction with other local, state, and national women's groups.

The PWC is affiliated with the General Federation of Women's Cubs (GFWC), the Virginia Federation of Women's Clubs (VFWC), and its Northern District. The club was still active as of May 2018.

Scope and Content

Record Group 195, which measures 2.1 linear feet and oversize materials, contains the records of the Potomac Woman's Club dating from its founding in 1953 through 2012 when the material was donated. The collection includes minutes from executive and general meetings spanning 1953-2012, financial and administrative documents, installation banquet programs and event photos, yearbooks, scrapbooks, and the club's newsletter the Potomac Patter. Series 1, Reports and Meeting Minutes, includes reports from the Card Party Luncheons (1979, 1982), the Yearbook Committee (1980), the Craft Workshop (1985), and the Book Review Group (1986). Series 3, Administrative Materials, includes typed and handwritten descriptions of officer duties and organization procedures, including a month-by-month (May to May calendar year, n.d.) list of officer tasks and meeting, memorial programs for Theresa V. Swain and Rebecca Parks Moist, and memorabilia from Alta Parker. Series 3 also contains material that indicates a connection with the Police Wives' Club.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into seven series and was processed in two phases. Each series and material within files generally follows a chronological order. Folder titles in brackets ([ ]) were added by the archivists for clarification.

Series 1, Reports and Meeting Minutes, contains annual and committee reports and the general and executive board meeting minutes. This series is arranged alphabetically and then chronologically.

Series 2, Financial Materials, includes a variety of financial documents (i.e., receipts, budgets, treasurer's reports, and ledgers). Arrangement is by type of material and then generally chronological.

Series 3, Administrative Materials, contains administrative files such as the club's constitution and bylaws along with member files and procedural documentation. This series is arranged alphabetically and then chronologically.

Series 4, Events and Activities, consists largely of programs from PWC events and notes corresponding to those events as well as a few photographs.

Series 5, Club Newsletter, is a complete run of the PWC's newsletter Potomac Patter from its inception in 1954 to the time the collection was donated in 2012. Arrangement is chronological.

Series 6, Club Yearbooks, consists of a complete run of the PWC's yearbooks from 1954 to time of donation in 2012, documenting its leadership and members over the course of PWC's history. Arrangement is chronological.

Series 7, Scrapbooks, includes three club scrapbooks (1953-1956, 1963-1964, and 1976-1997), which document participation in regional and national conferences as well as local events, activities, meetings, and awards through newspaper clippings, photographs, ephemera, and the Potomac Patter.

Adjunct Descriptive Data Related Material

Researchers interested in Arlington Women's organizations may also consult: RG 33, American Association of University Women, Arlington Branch; RG 44, Arlington League of Women Voters; RG 49, Woman's Club of Lyon Village; RG 50, Women's Club of Waycroft; RG 73, Williamsburg Woman's Club of Arlington; RG 131, Zonta Club of Arlington County, Virginia; RG 156, Soroptimist International of Arlington, and several others.

Index Terms Subjects: Women -- United States -- Societies and clubs. Women in community organization Community organization. Arlington (Va.) Arlington County (Va.) Contents List Reports and Meeting Minutes Annual Reports, 1955-1957, 2007 1 Committee Reports, 1979-1986 1 Executive Board Meeting Minutes, October 1953 - May 1959 1 Executive Board Meeting Minutes, May 1959 - May 1964 1 Executive Board Meeting Minutes, August 1978 - March 1983 1 Executive Board Meeting Minutes, September 1986 - May 1988 1 General Meeting Minutes, 1953-1954 1 General Meeting Minutes, 1955-1959 1 General Meeting Minutes, 1959-1963 1 General Meeting Minutes, September 1978 - May 1983 1 General and Executive Board Meeting Minutes, August 1985 - April 1990 (missing 1987) 1 General and Executive Board Meeting Minutes, 1990-1994 1 General and Executive Board Meeting Minutes, September 1994 - September 1999 1 General and Executive Board Meeting Minutes, 2000-2001 2 General and Executive Board Meeting Minutes, 2001-2006 2 General and Executive Board Meeting Minutes, 2006-2008 2 Financial Materials Budgets, 1955, 1960-2012 2 Bank Statements, July 1995 - June 1997 2 Financial Reports, August 1995 - January 1997 2 [Deposit Receipts & Check Stubs], July 1996 - 2003 2 Bank Statements, July 1997 - July 1998 2 Bank Statements, August 1998 - June 2000 2 Bank Statements, July 2000 - June 2002 2 Bank Statements, August 2002 - May 2004 2 Bank Statements, July 2004 - July 2005 2 Ledger[s], September 1991 - June 2000 3 Ledger [and Budgets], July 2000 - October 2004 3 Ledger [and Financial Documents], 2004-2006 3 Transaction Reports, 1997-1999 3 Treasurer's Reports, June 2001 - July 2003 3 Treasurer's Files, 2006-2007 3 Treasurer's Files, 2007-2008 3 Financial Records, 2008-2009 3 [IRS Letter, Change of Address], September 1999 3 [Donation Acknowledgement Letters], 2005-2006 3 Administrative Materials Constitution and By-laws, 1956-2006 3 Duties and Procedures, 1967-1994 3 Duties and Procedures: [Reports on Duties], 1989-1999 3 Members [File], 1998-2011 4 Events and Activities Events File, 1994-2012 4 [Notes from] Events, 1985-1994 4 [Notes from] Events, 1994-2002 4 Club Newsletters Potomac Patter, December 1954 - February 1963 4 Potomac Patter, March 1963 - May 1976 4 Potomac Patter, September 1976 - May 1993 4 Potomac Patter, September 1993 - December 2002 5 Potomac Patter, September 1996 - May 1997 5 Potomac Patter, January 2003 - May 2012 5 Club Yearbooks Yearbooks, 1955-1967 5 Yearbooks, 1967-1979 5 Yearbooks, 1979-1999 5 Yearbooks, 1999-2012 5 Scrapbooks Scrapbook, 1953-1956 Scrapbook, 1963-1964 Scrapbook, 1976-1997