Records of The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo, 1924 - 2015

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Summary

Creators:
The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo
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.
Extent:
36.50 Linear Feet 31 boxes, 3 flat files (17 manuscript boxes, 14 flat boxes, 3 flat files)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo Records, Special Collections and Archives, California Polytechnic State University

Background

Scope and content:

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.

Biographical / historical:

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.

Acquisition information:
Donated by the Monday Club of San Luis Obispo.
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

Access and use

Restrictions:

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/.

Terms of access:

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

Location of this collection:
Robert E. Kennedy Library, Rm 409
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, US
Contact:
(805) 756-2305
archives@calpoly.edu
Website