Finding Aid to the Fort Hill Woman's Club Papers

JONES MEMORIAL LIBRARY
2311 MEMORIAL AVENUE
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 24501
(434) 846-0501
FORT HILL WOMAN'S CLUB PAPERS
The collection of the Fort Hill Woman's Club, of Lynchburg, Virginia, includes
yearbooks, treasurer's books, a history of the Club, including the deed to Fort Early,
minutes, correspondence and reports.
FOLDER 1 Constitution, Minutes (1942-1948)
FOLDER 2 Constitution, List of Presidents
FOLDER 3 History, Organization, Deed
FOLDER 4 Treasurer's Books (1936-1947)
FOLDER 5 Reports and Correspondence
FOLDER 6 Yearbooks (1949-1964)
FOLDER 7 Newspaper clippings

MS1110

JONES MEMORIAL LIBRARY
2311 MEMORIAL AVENUE
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 24501
(434) 846-0501
FORT HILL WOMAN'S CLUB
The Fort Hill Woman's Club, in Lynchburg, Virginia, was organized 21 February
1912 in the home of Mrs. H. T. NICHOLAS, first President of the Club. The original
purpose of the Club was to provide a social organization for the women of the Fort Hill
section of Lynchburg. The members adopted as a motto a quotation from Isaiah 41:6,
"And they helped everyone their neighbor and each one said to his brother, 'Be of good
courage.'" The first philanthropic work undertaken by the Club was to provide aid for the
county demonstration work.
In 1920, the Fort Hill Woman's Club, in cooperation with Old Dominion Chapter,
United Daughters of the Confederacy, set about to build a clubhouse in the Confederate
fort known as Fort Early. The building, designed by architect Stanhope S. Johnson, was
completed in 1923 through the efforts of the membership. Jones Memorial Library
assisted with the financing of the construction of the south wing and established the Fort
Hill branch of the Library. The first meeting of the Fort Hill Woman's Club in its new
clubhouse was held on 10 October 1923.
In 1928, the property of the Fort Hill Club, "consisting of nearly 100 acres of land
and other effects, with the exception of the club building," was deeded to the City of
Lynchburg for a Confederate memorial. Under the terms of the agreement, the building
was to remain the property of the Fort Hill Woman's Club and the Old Dominion
Chapter, U.D.C. Should the two organizations agree to discontinue use of the building, it
would become the property of the City.
The Fort Hill branch of Jones Memorial Library, housed in the clubhouse, was
discontinued in the 1950's. As of this writing, the Club retains ownership of the
clubhouse building.
[Fort Hill Woman's Club Papers, Mss., MS1110, Jones Memorial Library, Lynchburg, VA; Lynchburg
News, 11 October 1923, p. 9 col. 5.]

MS1110