Dr. Cate LiaBraaten on the Clarksville Federation of Women’s Clubs, as part of the essay series “The Road to 250: Community Spirit in Action,” celebrating the history of unity in Clarksville ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.
In the mid- to late 19th century, women across the United States began organizing themselves into clubs. This trend included women in Clarksville, and the Clarksville Federation of Women’s Clubs exemplified “community spirit in action.”
The General Federation of Women’s Clubs was established in New York in 1890 to organize various women’s clubs at different levels. The Clarksville Federation comprised several individual clubs that shared a clubhouse, collaborated, and participated in the General Federation at both state and national levels.
| MORING LOCAL NEWS DELIVERY: Sign up for the free daily Clarksville Now email newsletter
These women’s clubs were crucial educational organizations. The participants advanced their own education through subject study and professional training, taking their club work as seriously as a career. The clubs also focused on educating others, particularly supporting children’s education and local schools. While members of the Clarksville Federation were largely white, African American women were deeply involved in the club movement as well, and many of their efforts focused on ending lynching and other discriminatory aspects of Jim Crow society.
The Clarksville Federation built community among its members, providing spaces for women to form friendships and working relationships. Their clubhouses on Second and Main and later on Madison Street were central to their activities, requiring significant effort to maintain.
The Clarksville Federation engaged in various forms of activism including civic, philanthropic and political work. Their most significant contribution was establishing Clarksville’s first public library in 1918. They also worked to improve municipal services, such as trash pickup. The Clarksville Federation’s charitable work included supporting arts and culture, providing wartime assistance during World War II, and aiding impoverished people in Appalachia. Though officially nonpartisan, the Federation sometimes involved itself in political issues relevant to women and children, such as property rights for married women.
The Clarksville Federation of Women’s Clubs was part of a broader movement of women in the 20th century who were getting involved in their communities across the country. They had lasting impacts on Clarksville, most notably the public library. The clubs positively affected both the community and the women involved, making them more confident, better educated, and more engaged citizens.
The stories of clubwomen in Clarksville demonstrate that history does not just happen – people make it happen. These women actively shaped their community, certainly embodying “community spirit in action.”
| ROAD TO 250 SERIES:
- Celebration of nation’s 250th kicked off with visit from John Adams, Mercy Otis Warren
- Sons of American Revolution stands behind creation of strong, unified country
- Daughters of American Revolution keeps spirit of independence alive
- Clarksville’s NAACP voice of conscience in an American community
- The Austin Peay belt: Generations across region part of APSU family
- Churches have shaped civic life in Clarksville for more than two centuries
- Cumberland Winds brings town and gown together for music, culture
- Journalism in Clarksville has merged competition with collaboration
- Central Civitan’s Lone Oak Picnic keeps cultural, political tradition alive
| NEW TO CLARKSVILLE? Check out our Newcomer’s Guide