Paradise Women's Improvement Club records, 1921-1998, bulk (bulk 1921-2004)
Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Paradise Women's Improvement Club records
- Dates:
- 1921-1998, bulk (bulk 1921-2004)
- Creators:
- Paradise Women's Improvement Club
- Abstract:
- This collection contains the minutes of the general and executive board meetings, financial records, club histories, and clipping files of the disbanded club.
- Extent:
- 3 Linear Feet 6 half cartons
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
Paradise Women's Improvement Club records. MS 236. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains the minutes of the general and executive board meetings, financial records, club histories, clippings of the disbanded club.
- Biographical / historical:
-
On April 20, 1920 a group of women from Paradise met to protest the sale of acreage in Sierra Park for the operation of a hog farm. Realizing the necessity for group action, the Women's Improvement Club was formed that day and Mrs. L.A. McAndless was named president and Jessie Coleman, the founding secretary. At the second meeting in July 1920, the club took action by purchasing the first lots in Sierra Park, the heart of the community and blocking the hog farm. Later more lots were bought with a purchase price of about five dollars each and eventually in the 1940s these lots were sold to fund other projects.
From the very beginning, dedicated women from all over the mountain community became members and combined their efforts to enrich their town. They established a park near the railroad depot on Pearson and Black Olive, which they named Washington Park and nearly all community activities were held there. Through their efforts the first swimming pool was constructed and the property they owned help finance many projects for children and adults.
The club led campaigns to save the trees, to get street lights, clean up debris and start a public dump, helped form a volunteer fire department, and campaigned against billboards toname a few of their projects. The women worked at the schools and provided the students with food. They established scholarships, worked for the Red Cross and the servicemen during World War II and bought and sold the old Community Hall where dances, card parties and town hall meetings were held. From their efforts came the Garden Club, a Junior Women's Club, the Agenda Club, and the Arts and Crafts groups.
In the later years, the membership dwindled to a few faithful women and after seventy-five years of helping the Paradise Ridge community, the Paradise Women's Improvement Club was disbanded in 1998.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift from the estate of Leona Harrington, 2004
- Processing information:
-
Processed by UCSC OAC Unit completed August 2004. EAD encoded fingind aid by UCSC OAC Unit.
- Physical location:
- Stored offsite at NRLF: Advance notice is required for access to the papers.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-06-29 20:51:13 UTC .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright for the items in this collection is owned by the creators and their heirs. Reproduction or distribution of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the copyright owner. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether a use is fair use, and to obtain any necessary permissions. For more information see UCSC Special Collections and Archives policy on Reproduction and Use.
- Preferred citation:
-
Paradise Women's Improvement Club records. MS 236. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.
- Location of this collection:
-
Special Collections and Archives, University Library1156 High StreetSanta Cruz, CA 95064, US
- Contact:
- (831) 459-2547