NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG5661.AM: Monday Afternoon Club (Blair, Neb.)
Records: 1904-2009
Blair, Washington County, Neb.: Women’s club
Size: 3 reels of microfilm
BACKGROUND NOTE
Probably the oldest continuing culture club in Nebraska, the Monday Afternoon Club of Blair first met in late 1876. Originally composed of six young ladies and three gentlemen, the group formed to discuss literature. Shortly after its formation, the club dropped its male members and became a women’s club. Its early subjects for discussion were the works of William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and other renowned authors.
Because it lacked formal organization and officers in its early years, early minutes of the Monday Afternoon Club do not exist. The club was formally organized around 1900 when Mrs. Charles Selleck became its president. Shortly after, probably in 1903, a club motto was adopted: Take All Swift Advantage of the Hour. Yearbooks began about this time and recorded the monthly activities and programs of the club.
Although begun as a study club leaning toward book and play reviews, the club evolved to include current events and important issues facing the country. During World War II the club abandoned regular meetings and undertook Red Cross work. In its later years the club relied on outside speakers, rather than club members, to present programs of literary and cultural interest, as well as contemporary concerns. With membership declining in the 2000s, the club voted to disband in April 2009, 133 years after its founding.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection consists of three reels of microfilm arranged in two series: 1) Yearbooks and Historical Material, 1904-2009; and 2) Minutes, 1905-2009. This collection relates to the history and activities of the Monday Afternoon Club of Blair, Nebraska.
The Yearbooks of Series 1 provide the yearly programs of the Monday Afternoon Club, 1904-2009. The organization’s year of programs ran from September through May. The yearbooks typically provide the constitution and bylaws of the organization, officers, membership lists, the topics and programs presented, and listings of deceased members. Following the yearbooks of 1904 to 1999 on reel one, a scrapbook includes financial statements from the 1980s and compiled material documenting the club’s history. Included are various histories of the Monday Afternoon Club and anniversary booklets from the club’s 80th, 85th, and 120th anniversaries. Yearbooks covering the years 1993-2009 can be found on the third reel of microfilm.
The Minutes of Series 2, 1905-2009, provide information on attendance, programs, financial status, and various projects sponsored by the Monday Afternoon Club. Also included are questionnaires produced at the end of the 2009 program season for the members to voice their views on the continuation of the club. Based on these responses, the Monday Afternoon Club decided to hold its last meeting in April of 2009.
DESCRIPTION
Series 1 – Yearbooks, 1904-2009
Reel 1
Yearbooks, 1904-1999 (see Reel 3 for additional yearbooks)
Bank Statements, 1986-1989
Scrapbook – includes musical programs, clippings, photographs, notes, anniversary booklets
Series 2 – Minutes, 1905-2009
Reel 2
Minutes, 1905-1991 (preceded by Constitution and Bylaws, 1903; 1905-1906)
Reel 3
Minutes, 1991-2009
Facts and Questionnaire Forms, 2009
Financial Reports, 2000-2009
Yearbooks, 1993-2009
ADDED ENTRIES:
Blair (Neb.) — History
Monday Afternoon Club (Blair, Neb.)
Washington County (Neb.) — History
Women — Societies and clubs
AF/tmm 12-28-2009
