1453 THL

Scope and Content: This collection includes programs, minutes of meetings, scrapbook, speeches, and a club history.
(9 boxes) Last updated 11/15.

Biographical/Historical: The Century Club was founded in 1905-1906 in Winchester, VA. Mrs. Thomas W. (Nell) Harrison had suffered a broken leg and several of her friends had assembled in her home to cheer her up. There, the idea of enriching their lives with a little culture was born. Those present being Mrs. Thomas W. Harrison, Mrs. Samuel Barton, Miss Lily Baker, Mrs. Robert Barton, and Mrs. Harry K. Russell. Another fact sparked the birth of the club. From a record by Mrs. H. Clay de Grange, Mrs. Francis de Montaigu, and Mrs. Harry K. Russell, the Reverend Dame had protested the evils of playing cards for money. There were two factions in town dubbed the “Saints” and the “Sinners.” The Saints found themselves left out of all the parties, apparently deciding to fall back on culture—thus the birth of The Century Club.

Bibliography: The Century Club, January 18, 1983 minutes

Cite As: The Century Club Collection, 1453 THL, Stewart Bell Jr. Archives, Handley Regional Library, Winchester, VA, USA.

Organization:

Box 1

Program books, printed
1905-1906—no program printed
1906-1907, 1908-1909, 1909-1910, 3 items
1911-1912, 1912-1913, 2 items
1913-1914, 1914-1915, 1915-1916, 3 items
1916-1917, 1917-1918, 1918-1919, 3 items
1919-1920—no program printed
1920-1921, 1921-1922, 1922-1923, 3 items
1923-1924, 1924-1925, 1925-1926, 3 items
1926-1927, 1927-1928, 1928-1929, 3 items
1929-1930, 1930-1931, 1931-1932, 3 items
1932-1933, 1933-1934, 1934-1935, 3 items
1935-1936, 1936-1937, 1937-1938, 3 items
1938-1939, 1939-1940, 1940-1941, 3 items
1941-1942, 1942-1943, 1943-1944, 3 items
1944-1945, 1945-1946, 1946-1947, 3 items
1947-1948, 1948-1949, 3 items
1949-1950, 1950-1951, 2 copies of each, 4 items
1951-1952, 2 copies, 2 items
1952-1953, 1953-1954, 1954-1955, 3 items
1955-1956, 2 copies, 1956-1957, 2 items
1957-1958, 1958-1959, 2 items
1958-1959, 1959-1960, 1960-1961, 3 items
1961-1962, 1962-1963, 2 copies, 3 items
1963-1964, 1964-1965, 1965-1966, 3 items
1966-1967, 1967-1968, 1968-1969, 3 items
1969-1970, 1970-1971, 2 items
1971-1972, 3 copies, 1972-1973, 4 items
1973-1974, 1974-1975, 1975-1976, 3 items
1976-1977, 3 copies, 3 items
1977-1978, 2 copies, 1978-1979, 3 items
1979-1980, 2 copies, 2 items
1980-1981, 1981-1982, 1982-1983, 1985-86, 1986-1987, 1988-1989, 3 items

Box 1A

Program Books, printed
1991-1992, 1992-1993, 1995-1996, 1996-1997, 2002-2003, 2003-2004,
2004-2005, 2005-2006

Century Club Program Themes, 1905-2012; 15 leaves, printed

Box 2

The Century Club History, 1905-1948, 3 copies, printed

Speech of Mrs. Carl F. Massey, June 7, 1932, 2 leaves, typescript
end of year review in verse

Members and When They Joined the Club, 1905-2012, 15 leaves, typescript

Members–Interesting Notes, 39 leaves, manuscript/photocopy

Century Club Miscellaneous, c. 1911-1920, unnumbered leaves, manuscript/typescript/printed

Century Club Miscellaneous, c. 1949, 34 items, typescript/manuscript

Program Notebooks (cites sources used for papers) 1905-1906, 1924-1925, 1926-1927- 1928-1929-1930-1931-1932, 1933-1934, 1934-1935, 1935-1936, 5 items, manuscript

Programs, 27 leaves, manuscript/photocopy

Box 3

Minutes
1905-1906, 1 item, 24 pages, manuscript
1913-1914, 1 item, 98 pages, manuscript
1916-1918, 1 item, 90 pages, manuscript
1920-1922, 116 pages, manuscript
1922-1926, 142 pages, manuscript, printed, typescript
1926-1929, 108 pages, manuscript, printed, typescript
1929-1932, 103 pages, typescript
1932-1934, 86 pages, typescript, printed
1934-1935, 116 leaves, manuscript
1936-1939, 71 pages, typescript, manuscript
1940-1941, 54 Leaves, typescript, manuscript

Box 4

Minutes
1942-1943, 78 pages, manuscript
1944-1948, 157 pages, typescript, manuscript
1948-1950, 144 pages, typescript, manuscript
1950-1951, 52 pages, typescript
1951-1953, 70 pages, typescript, manuscript
1953-1954, 120 pages, manuscript
1954-1955, 59 leaves, manuscript
1955-1956, 97 leaves, manuscript
1956-1957, 62 leaves, manuscript
1957-1961, 198 pages, typescript

Box 5

Minutes
1961-1963, 112 pages, typescript
1963-1965, 92 pages, typescript, manuscript
1965-1967, 130 pages, manuscript
1967-1969, 114 pages, manuscript
1969-1970, 64 leaves, manuscript
1970-1971, 56 leaves, manuscript
1971-1972, 21 leaves, manuscript
1972-1973, 45 leaves, manuscript
1974-1975, 112 pages, manuscript
1976-1977, 61 pages, manuscript
1978-1980, 79 pages, 12 leaves, manuscript
1982-1983, 47 leaves, manuscript; 2 leaves, typescript
1983-1984, 32 leaves, typescript, manuscript

Box 6

1984-1985, 170 pages, manuscript
1986-1989, 44 leaves, typescript
Oct. 1995-1996, 26 leaves, typescript
1997-1999, 31 leaves, typescript
2000-2006, 47 leaves, typescript
2006-2007, 5 leaves, typescript

Box 7 Material to be delivered at a later date

Box 8

Scrapbook dedicated to Mrs. H. Clay de Grange, inscription written by Mrs. Edgar M. Whiting, "Officers, Members, Rules, and Programme" booklets, 1906-1956

Box 9

Scrapbook dedicated to Mrs. H. Clay de Grange, inscription written by Mrs. Edgar M. Whiting, “Officers, Members, Rules, and Programme” booklets, 1957-2001