Clarksville Federation of Women's Clubs Records

Originally, Clarksville was home to many different women’s clubs that all operated independently from one another. After a fire in the Court House in 1900, some of these organizations decided to collaborate to fundraise for a new library building. On January 7, 1901, seven clubs founded the Clarksville Federation of Women’s Clubs and ratified the club constitution. Although they all maintained their individual club autonomy, they frequently collaborated in planning fundraisers, such as ice cream suppers, concerts, and carnivals. Many of their events achieved high levels of popularity and were featured frequently in the local news. Similarly, The Clarksville Federation of Women’s Clubs eventually joined the state and national Women’s Federations, which were dedicated to similar philanthropic work.

In September of 1912, the organization used their money from the fundraisers and purchased the McDaniel home, which was located on the corner of Hiter St. and Franklin St. This property served as the new library location and the headquarters for the Federation. The club and the library quickly grew, and the Federation decided a new building was needed to better serve their needs. Under the leadership of Sallie Peay, the Federation purchased a different property on the corner of Main St. and North 2nd St. in 1918 and sold the McDaniel home in 1919. The Women’s Clubs and the library operated jointly out of this facility and a portion of each member’s dues were donated to the library in exchange for open access to the library’s collection of books. Intially, many of the clubs within the Federation were not affiliated with the State or National branches of the organization. By 1924, The Students Club and The Music Club were the only two women's clubs in Clarksville that were a part of the National and State Federations of Women’s Clubs. These organizations managed to host the Tennessee Convention of the Federation of Women’s Clubs, which encouraged the other local clubs to join the State and National chapters in the following years.

Despite their close association, the Federation and the library ended their joint partnership in 1958 when they sold their building. The Federation was unable to keep up with the costs of maintaining the property, and the growth of the two organizations made it difficult for them to share one space. In January 1961, the Federation purchased a new facility on Madison St. and used it as the club’s new headquarters after the proper repairs were completed. By the time the new location was opened, the Federation had grown to include ten total clubs.

These clubs cooperated in maintaining the Federation’s building and organizing several philanthropic events. These events benefitted charity organizations such as the Salvation Army, the Boys’ Challenge Center, and the Five Rivers Campus Project. In addition, the Federation continued to support the library, despite no longer sharing the same space, by joining the “Friends of the Library” organization in 1974. These charitable events were organized alongside the regular club meetings which focused on studying various topics. Several of these meetings featured guest speakers that taught club members about various parts of the world.

In 1976, the Federation celebrated their seventy-fifth anniversary in a celebration that jointly honored the Club and the Bi-Centennial of the United States. During this time, the Federation had over two hundred members, but they often struggled to fund their various activities. Rising prices led to several cutbacks in the yearly budgets in order to maintain a small surplus. Despite these setbacks, the Federation continued to raise money for various charities, such as the Dialysis Center of Memorial Hospital.

Throughout the 1980s, the Federation experienced many more expenses in the upkeep of their building. Membership declined slightly as some of the federated clubs dissolved. However, the remaining clubs cooperated to maintain the property and continue the mission of the Federation.

In the later 2010s the Club experienced a period of reduced activity. In 2021 it was reformed with a new charter and joined the General Federation of Women's Clubs. Instead of being comprised of several different clubs, the current iteration of the Clarksville Women's Club is one single club dedicated to community outreach and coordinating with various charities.