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FORT SMITH FORTNIGHTLY CLUB PAPERS

Letters, Papers, and Photographs, 1888-1986
Manuscript Collection MC 775
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FORT SMITH FORTNIGHTLY CLUB

The Fortnightly Club was founded in 1888 as a womens' literary and social organization and is today one of the oldest womens' clubs in the state. Mrs. Isaac C. Parker (wife of the famous Fort Smith federal judge) was a charter member and the Fortnightly Club's first president. Soon after the club was organized, members became interested in establishing a public library for the city. They created the Fortnightly Club Library Association which helped fund library building expenses by selling shares at five dollars apiece. Through these efforts, Fort Smith's first public library opened in the Belle Grove School during the summer of 1889. All 1100 books were donated by Fortnightly members, St. John's Episcopal Church, or were purchased by the Library Association. By 1902, the Belle Grove School housed the largest public library in the state and was eventually moved to the probate courtroom.

The Fortnightly Club was also responsible for a twenty-five thousand dollar loan obtained from Andrew Carnegie which helped construct the Carnegie Library in 1908. (The building was renamed the Fort Smith Public Library in the early 1970's). Fortnightly members donated books to the Library on a yearly basis.

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THE COLLECTION

Papers from the Fortnightly Club of Fort Smith were donated by the Club vice-president, Mrs. Robert S. Laser, and historian, Mrs. William H. Wood, on May 27, 1987.

The Fortnightly Club Papers include correspondence, minutes, yearly calendar events, a scrapbook, study papers, poems, photographs, clippings, and other papers relating to Fortnightly Club activities.

Processed by Susan Lynn Parks, March, 1988. Special Collections Division, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

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Series 1. Correspondence, Volumes, Papers, Photographs, and Clippings. Box 1.

This series contains correspondence, papers, and objects regarding the Fortnightly Club, its history and members. Photographs are black and white, and size is listed height first.
Box 1
  1. Correspondence, 1899-1982.
  2. Fortnightly Club histories, 1890-1894; constitution of the Fortnightly Library Association, Jan 1896; Fortnightly Club constitution and by-laws, 1896[?].
  3. Fortnightly Club lesson booklets and study sheet, 1893-1912.
  4. Fortnightly Club program notes, 1888-1932; Fortnightly public Library catalogues, 1892 and 1896; certificate of membership to the General Federation of Women's Clubs, 1904; Arkansas Federation of Women's Clubs information pamphlet, 1906[?]; two report cards from Fort Smith Public Schools, 1909 and 1911; Arkansas Federation Women's Clubs State Endowment flyer, 1926[?]; "Forever Fortnightly" by Veta, 1949; duplicate of Carnegie proposition, n.d.; fashion sketches, n.d.
  5. Fortnightly Club report for 1939-1940; treasury balances, 1961-1963; nominations for new members, 1963.
  6. Poems and study papers written by Fortnightly Club members, 1890-1987.
  7. Receipts, 1892-1908.
  8. Clippings, 1898-1977.
  9. Photographs.
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Series 2. Minutes and Yearbooks. 1888- 1983. Volumes 1-8, boxes 2-6.

Minutes for the Fortnightly Club and Fortnightly Library Association document both organizations' activities, membership and expenses from its first meeting in 1888 to 1983 [minutes from Oct 1933-May 1944 and May 1966-May 1976 are missing]. Yearbooks present a schedule of events and list of members names and positions [the years 1910-1912 and 1925-1926 are missing].

Volume 1. Fortnightly Club minutes, Sept 13, 1888-Apr 24, 1894.

Volume 2. Fortnightly Library Association minutes, Sept 23, 1891-Jan 19, 1906.

Volume 3. Fortnightly Library Association minutes, November [?], 1892- Oct 1896.

Volume 4. Fortnightly Club minutes, Oct 25, 1893-Dec 26, 1900.

Volume 5. Fortnightly Club minutes, Jan 9, 1901-May 17, 1906.

Volume 6. Fortnightly Club minutes, Oct 15, 1906-May 9, 1917.

Volume 7. Fortnightly Club minutes, Oct 3, 1917-May 12, 1926.

Volume 8. Fortnightly Club minutes, Oct 13, 1926-May 24, 1933.

Box 2
  1. Fortnightly Club minutes, Oct 18, 1944-May 21, 1947.
  2. Fortnightly Club minutes, Oct 22, 1947-May 23, 1951.
  3. Fortnightly Club minutes, Oct 10, 1951-May 18, 1955.
  4. Fortnightly Club minutes, Oct 5, 1955-May 28, 1958.
  5. Fortnightly Club minutes, Oct 8, 1958-May 25, 1960.
  6. Fortnightly Club minutes, Oct 19, 1960-Dec 13, 1961.
  7. Fortnightly Club minutes, Jan 3-Dec 12, 1962.
  8. Fortnightly Club minutes, Jan 9-May 15, 1963.
  9. Fortnightly Club minutes, Oct 2, 1963-May 13, 1964.
  10. Fortnightly Club minutes, Oct 7, 1964-Feb 16, 1966.
  11. Fortnightly Club minutes, May 26, 1976-May 30, 1979.
  12. Fortnightly Club minutes, Sept 12, 1979-Apr 29, 1981.
  13. Fortnightly Club minutes, May 13, 1981-May 25, 1983.
Box 3
  1. Fortnightly Club yearbooks, 1901-1903.
  2. Fortnightly Club yearbooks, 1904-1909 [1905-1906 missing].
  3. Fortnightly Club yearbooks, 1913-1919 [1917-1918 missing].
  4. Fortnightly Club yearbooks, 1920-1924 [1923-1924 missing].
  5. Fortnightly Club yearbooks, 1926-1931.
  6. Fortnightly Club yearbooks, 1932-1939.
  7. Fortnightly Club yearbooks, 1940-1949 [1942-1943 missing].
  8. Fortnightly Club yearbooks, 1950-1957.
Box 4. Club Yearbooks, 1958-1984.
  1. Fortnightly Club yearbooks, 1958-1963.
  2. Fortnightly Club yearbooks, 1964-1968.
  3. Fortnightly Club yearbooks, 1969-1973.
  4. Fortnightly Club yearbooks, 1974-1979.
  5. Fortnightly Club yearbooks, 1980-1986 [1985-1986 missing].
Box 5. Presentation Award.
  1. Gavel with engraved plaque in wooden box, presented to the Fortnightly Club by their president, Mrs. C.M. Barnes on March 3, 1892.
Box 6. Scrapbook, 1888-1963.
  1. Fortnightly Club diamond jubilee commemorative scrapbook, 1888-1963.
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