Collection open for research.
No physical characteristics affect use of this material.
Home Interest Club Records, 1903-2013 (M 077), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.
Home Interest Club, Purcellville, VA.
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2001.0007
Elizabeth E. Preston, 9 November 2012
Updated, 1 October 2013
The Home Interest Club was founded in the fall of 1903 by a group of women near Lincoln, VA and operated until March 2013. Most of the founding women were members of the Society of Friends, though involvement with the Friends was not a prerequisite for membership in the club. The constitution and bylaws of the club state that it is to "Benefit the home by making housekeeping easier in the exchanging of recipes and the discussion of all topics tending to elevate and improve the home." One of the original requirements of membership was that every woman share a proven recipe at each meeting. Some of the recipes were eventually published in a cookbook written to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the founding of the club, a copy of which is included in the club's records.
Some of the early members of the club included:
The club held monthly meetings that throughout its history consisted of a roll call, discussion of club business, a program, and refreshments. The program usually consisted of one or more presentations by members. Presentations often included readings from published material or original writings, but were usually informational in nature. Topics included temperance, suffrage for women, civil rights for African Americans, foreign affairs, local history, and current events. During World War II there was a program on using sugar substitutes and members were asked to contribute sugar-shortage recipes. The membership also shared ideas about education, child rearing, and household maintenance.
Initially, membership was capped at twenty, though the club eventually expanded its membership to twenty-five. When a membership became available in the club, an active member nominated a woman in the community. Her name was brought before the club at a meeting, and each member voted to approve or deny the nominated woman. Balloting was done originally using a button box and white and black buttons. A white button placed in the box was a vote to approve the nomination, while a black button denied membership. The club's constitution stipulated that approval be unanimous. The button box was eventually retired in favor of a secret ballot, and, later, a vocal vote. New officers were elected each fall and took their posts in January..
The club worked with other organizations in the community to raise money for and awareness of issues affecting women and children. It collaborated with the Paxton Home for Children, Hamilton Book Club, Purcellville Woman's Club, and Leesburg Garden Club on various projects in the community. The Home Interest Club disbanded on 16 March 2013 as a result of low membership.
This collection is made up of the administrative papers of the Home Interest Club. Records include correspondence, financial records, meeting agendas and minutes, as well as some of the notes for presentations made by members at the monthly meetings. Presentations made by Rachel Hoge Branch (1875-1944), one of the founding members, have been photocopied and collected in a bound volume by her son. The volume, included here, is titled Papers from Overlea. There are handwritten recipes contributed by the membership, some of them dating to the founding of the club. The recipes have been arranged thematically in preparation for the production of a cookbook in 2003, a copy of which is also included in the collection. Also of note in the collection are yearbooks, which contain the names of the officers for the year, a list of meetings, and brief descriptions of the meeting presentations. It was common for the yearbooks to be bound in scraps of wallpaper. The collection includes a small set of photographs, mostly from three summer picnics, but also including one photograph from the final meeting of the club on 16 March 2013. In addition, there is a walnut button box that was used in the election of new members to the club. An explanation of the election procedure is located in Box 1.
Box: folder
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Cosmelia Janney Hughes Sketchbook, 1945 (BV 007). Jane Hirst Bogle Photograph Collection (VC 0005). Leesburg Garden Club Collection, 1920- (M 044). Purcellville Woman's Club, 1922-1960 (M 046).