In the spring of 1880 the West Newton Women's Club was formed by three women who had great insight into the things women could accomplish. The Massachusetts Legislature had just made women eligible to vote. These three women were very involved in women's suffrage, and met to confer on the best way to take advantage of the opportunity to vote.

The women were: Mrs. Electa N.L. Walton (pictured), Mrs. N. T. Allen, and Mrs. S. R. Urbino, three pioneers of the intellectual and social enlightenment of the women of Newton. Their motto was, "We will start a Woman's Club; and if only we three join it, it shall accomplish a purpose, it shall be a success." Thus, on July 28, 1880 the club was formed with twelve members.

The object of the club was, "to promote the educational interests of women and of the community in general." The club formed classes, held programs, participated in philanthropic activities, and did community work. Some of the classes included: travel, home economics, parliamentary law, and literature.

Most meetings consisted of a paper presented by a member of the club on a topic of her choosing. This was typically followed by entertainment of some sort by members of the club, as well as a tea. There were often guest speakers.

The club often seemed years ahead of its time. For instance, at the first annual banquet the club held the conversation reverted to husbands. The women discussed the "Ideal Husband," deciding he had never been born.

In the 1930s the club had a special discussion on Planned Parenthood, presented by Dr. Illia Galeania. There was also a lecture given by Professor Fred Schumann of Williams College. Professor Schumann voiced his warning that he was positive Hitler had on his program the invasion of England. At the time, this seemed an absurd and outlandish statement to the members of the club.

As early as 1886, the club was very involved with the forward movement of the Tuskegee Institute. Mrs. Booker T. Washington visited the club in 1886 to encourage the club to supporting the Tuskegee Normal School. It was then with a $50 scholarship that a bond between the two institutions was formed. Throughout the years books and clothing were sent to Tuskegee and other places in the South.

The club also participated in a multitude of other philanthropic and voluntary services. In 1912, a permanent scholarship fund was established. Each year it was awarded to a Newton senior girl to help her obtain higher education. Some of the colleges these women attended include Boston University, Radcliffe College, Wellesley College, and the New England Conservatory of Music.

The club was also very involved in work for the blind. One member and her daughter read law books to a blind man at the Perkins Institute, thus enabling him to pass the bar exams.

When times were hard for the country as a whole the both the West Newton Women's Educational Club and the Community Service Club of West Newton were there to provide whatever type of support it could. During the Depression the WNWEC collected and distributed clothes to the less fortunate.

The effects of World War II were greatly felt by the members of both clubs. Even so, the club persevered in order to come to the aid of the country. The members sold war stamps and bonds across the town and at schools. They sent clothes to the Newton Unit. They adopted two children from England, to whom candy, clothes, books and other things were sent. Items were knitted for soldiers, and clothes were sewn for English children. Thirty pounds of food were sent to Europe.

The Community Service Club of West Newton was founded by a group of loyal women who worked for the soldiers during World War I. As early as 1935, members from both the WNWEC and The Community Service Club were invited to attend each others meetings. Thus forming a bond that would become clearly evident some thirty years later.

On December 4, 1961 it was concluded that the West Newton Womens Educational Club and The Community Service Club of West Newton would join together to form one united club. The new club was henceforth to be called The West Newton Womens Club.

Scope and Content Note

The collection of the West Newton Women's Educational Club consists of detailed accounts of the activities of the organization. The club was officially formed on July 28, 1880 with its first meeting attended by twelve members. The bulk of the material is from the West Newton Women's Club; in 1961 it joined together with The Community Service Club forming the West Newton Women's Club, so some records from The Community Service Club are included. The materials span the years from 1880 to 1961. All items are labeled in accordance with their club.

There are twenty-five record books of both the WNWEC and The Community Service Club. These cover minutes from weekly meetings and other special events. At the end of each year, there is an annual report, which describes the highlights of that particular year. This includes summaries of all the subgroups of the club, as well as other various events. Four of these record books have been placed in folders for preservation purposes. This is clearly identified in the series description. There is also a record book of the Executive Board of The Community Service Club.

There are eight record books containing financial information of the WNWEC and The Community Service Club.

There are two record books that contain the history of the WNWEC. There are two scrapbook of publicity for The Community Service Club, one of which is foldered for preservation reasons. There are yearbooks of the WNWEC for the years 1889-1962, with some exceptions. There is a folder of miscellaneous documents.

While not all books are paginated, they are all chronological. Some items, which had been placed at the front and ends of the record books, have been removed for preservation. When this is the case, it is clearly labeled as such, and the documents can be found in parallel folders.

No. of Boxes: 2 Record Cartons, 1 MS box
(1 drawer in storage area, 1/00)

Finding aid: Yes