Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biography/Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, Robert E. Kennedy Library, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Title: Records of The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo
Creator:
The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo
Identifier/Call Number: MS0087
Physical Description:
36.50 Linear Feet
31 boxes, 3 flat files (17 manuscript boxes, 14 flat boxes, 3 flat files)
Date (inclusive): 1924 - 2015
Abstract: Records of The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo, a civic and social non-profit organization founded in 1925. Records include
meeting minutes, presidents' papers, operations and financial records, fundraising events, social activities, scrapbooks,
and ephemera relating to the mission of the club and its members.
Language of Material:
English
.
Access
Collection is open to researchers by appointment. For more information on visiting, access policies, and reproduction requests,
please visit our Reference Services page online at http://lib.calpoly.edu/search-and-find/collections-and-archives/reference-services/.
Publication Rights
Digital copies are provided to researchers for the purpose of study, research, and personal use only, unless otherwise specified
in writing. Materials that are the property of Cal Poly Special Collections and Archives require written permission prior
to publication. No complete collection may be reproduced. For print and online publication, please visit our Reproduction
Services page online at http://lib.calpoly.edu/support/sca-policies/reproduction/. Special Collections and Archives reserves
the right to review all reproduction requests and to withhold permission if scanning would endanger the material, would violate
copyright law, or would violate institutional restrictions.
Preferred Citation
The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo Records, Special Collections and Archives, California Polytechnic State University
Acquisition Information
Donated by the Monday Club of San Luis Obispo.
Biography/Administrative History
The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo is a civic and social non-profit organization founded in 1925 by members of the women's
Book Club and the Home Culture Club. At the time of its founding, members of the club were involved in politics, law, and
welfare on the national and state levels as well as promoting local public services, civic, and social causes. While working
to support and improve municipal services, members continued to support recreation, homemaker skills, and the arts such as
sewing, gardening, reading, and music. Committees were formed to promote specific interests including an Arts and Crafts Section,
Book Section, Garden Section, and Music Section.
Over the years the club has been responsible for a number of civic and social advocacy projects that have impacted local public
services, social welfare, and culture including the first lighted entrances to the city off of Highway 101, the preservation
of Painted Rock and Dinosaur Caves, planting city trees, Music and Art Scholarships for youth, supporting WWII efforts with
fundraising and scrap metal, and lobbying for Southern Pacific passenger depot, among others. Today, Monday Club members continue
to pursue the organizational mission to enhance the educational, civic, social, and cultural quality of San Luis Obispo.
The club is a membership organization managed by a Board of Directors with an Executive Board holding office for two-year
terms. The first Board of Directors consisted of: President, Mrs. Louise Kirtland; Vice President, Mrs. Margaret Chase; Financial
Secretary, Mrs. Linnie Smith; Treasurer, Mrs. Ella Herbert; Secretary, Mrs. Mabel M. Thomson; Corresponding Secretary, Mrs.
Grace E. Barneburg; and Parlimentarian, Mrs. Grace Pepper. The club was registered with the California Federation of Women's
Clubs in 1926 and later with the National Federation of Women's Clubs. Today it is an independent club focused on the interests
of San Luis Obispo County.
The Monday Club Building, located at 1815 Monterey Street in San Luis Obispo, is a defining accomplishment of the club. The
club secured the plot of land on Monterey Street in 1930. A Building Committee, consisting of Grace Barneburg, Mrs. J. G.
Driscoll, Mrs. A. H. Kaufman, Mrs. Ralph Law, and Mrs. W. T. Masengill was developed to raise funds for the project. The club
hosted a salvage sale, a motion picture screening, dance parties, and card parties to acquire funds. The committee also requested
the help of nearby neighbors William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies. Although Hearst and Davies never responded to their
correspondence directly, the women were allowed to provide tours of the Hearst Castle for a fee. The funds were used to support
the building project. Dedicated in 1934, the building is an example of the work of Julia Morgan, renowned architect of Hearst
Castle. The building was constructed by local builder, James Jepson. In January 2016, a nomination application was approved,
placing the building on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sources:
The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo Records, Special Collections and Archives, California Polytechnic State University
The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo. The Monday Club SLO. Web. March 2016.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection contains organizational records, correspondence, financial documents, legal documents, newspaper clippings,
photographs, and ephemera of The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo. The collection documents the structure, activities, founding,
and role of this women's civic organization on a local, state and national level. The history and activities of the Monday
Club are most extensively documented in meeting minutes and administrative records.
Arrangement
Original organization of the records has been preserved where possible. Materials may have been reorganized or rehoused for
preservation and access purposes.
The collection is divided into three series:
Series 1: Architectural Drawings, 1933
Series 2: Administrative Records and Club Activities, 1924 - 2014
Series 3: Yearbooks, Scrapbooks, and Publicity, 1927 - 2015
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Women's Clubs
National Federation of Women's Clubs
Architecture
San Luis Obispo
Architecture Julia Morgan
Julia Morgan