About the Woman’s

Department Club

In May of 1922, the Woman’s Department Club of Terre Haute held their first annual meeting after having been legally incorporated as a club to promote social and mental development and to make itself a power for good in the community. Over one hundred years later, The Woman’s Department Club is still fulfilling the original purposes.

Our History

The Woman's Department Club was founded in June of 1920 with a charter membership of 237 ladies. 

In the early 1900's there were 36 Women's Clubs in the Terre Haute area, which had been organized by mostly middle-aged and older women. Many of them were prominent and wealthy ladies who had reared their children and needed intellectual and charitable outlets for their energies and to be involved with civic betterment. 

For ten years there had existed a council of Women's Clubs composed of a representative from each of the Clubs of the city which worked for the civic and moral welfare of the community. The Council extended it's activities to sponsor Chautauquas, handed the sale of War Savings Stamps and Liberty Loan Bonds and many other matters of public good. 

By 1917 a committee was working to formulate a plan to combine many of the Clubs into a Woman's Department Club. By March of 1920 committees were appointed to write a Constitution and a meeting was held in the Chamber of Commerce Meeting Rooms with more than 400 women being present. These Club Women planned a larger organization to take over not only the work of the Council of Women's Clubs, but to present programs along the lines of Art, Drama, Literature, Music, Nature Study and Social Science and to conduct study classes. 

Eleven of the larger Women's Clubs enrolled 100% of their membership and the Council of Women's Clubs was formally merged into the Woman's Department Club in 1920 and was incorporated in 1922. 

Directors meetings were held in the Y.W.C.A. building and Club meetings were held in Churches and hotels. Mrs. U. W. Cox, because of the service rendered to the Council, was elected honorary President and Mrs. Edward J. Turner served as the first President. Activities included planting three hundred trees as a war memorial on 25th street, a choral society of fifty singers was formed, assistance was given to the League of Women Voters and the Club became a member of the Indiana Federation of Clubs. 

By 1924 there was a membership of 1,000 since this was the limit set by the constitution. Originally there were six Departments and then a French Department was created and also a World Affairs Department and a Home Department. 

By 1924 the first bulletin was published, first as two pages in a local newspaper with space not used for Club announcements being sold to advertisers with profit going into the treasury.

Meetings and programs were held at several locations including The Terre Haute House, YWCA, Tuller Hotel, Deming Hotel, Indiana State Normal, Emeline Fairbanks Library and the Hippodrome Theater among other places. The Charles Minshall Mansion on Cherry Street was leased and used as a Clubhouse for several years.

From 1931 until 2022 the WDC occupied the historic building at 507 S. Sixth Street. 

The Collect

Keep us, O God, from pettiness; let us be large in thought, in word, in deed.

Let us be done with fault finding and leave off self-seeking.

May we put away all pretense and meet each other face to face, without self-pity and without prejudice.

May we never be hasty in judgment and always generous.

Teach us to put into action our better impulses, straightforward and unafraid.

Let us take time for all things, make us grow calm, serene and gentle.

Grant that we may realize that it is the little things that create differences; that in the big things of life we are as one.

And may we strive to touch and to know the great common woman's heart of us all; and, O Lord God, let us not forget to be kind.

Woman’s Department Club Past Presidents

Mrs. Edward J. Turner (1920-22)

Mrs. S. Macy Cowgill (1922-24)

Mrs. U.O. Cox (Honorary President)

Mrs. Carl D. Fischer (1924-26)

Mrs. W. G. Clark (1926-28)

Mrs. B. B. White (1928-30)

Mrs. Horace E. Tune (1930-32)

Mrs. Arthur Cunningham (1932-34)

Mrs. James C. Stimson (1934-36)

Mrs. John R. Gillum (1936-38)

Mrs. Albert A. Faurot (1938-40)

Mrs. Malcolm A. Steele (1940-42)

Mrs. Gilbert W. Gambill (1942-44)

Mrs. Bonnie Farwell (1944-46)

Mrs. Harvey Clark (1946-48)

Mrs. Chas. N. Combs (1948-50)

Mrs. E. S. English (1950-52)

Mrs. Raymond B. Townsley (1952-54)

Mrs. Herbert N. Mace (1954-56)

Mrs. Curtis A. Swanagan (1956-58)

Mrs. Claude Williams (1958-60)

Mrs. Ben Jenkins (1960-62)

Mrs. C. Eib Tingley (1962-64)

Mrs. John D. Ennis (1964-66)

Mrs. George C.Carroll (1966-68)

Mrs. Charles M. Hayes (1968-70)

Mrs. Granville C. Lowe (1970-72)

Miss Helen E. Mahley (1972-74)

Mrs. Hugh D. Spurgin (1974-76)

Mrs. Roy Simonson (1976-78)

Mrs. Granville Lowe (1978-80)

Mrs. William J. Giffel (1980-82)

Mrs. John W. Beatty (1982-84)

Mrs. George I. Petit (1984-86)

Mrs. John F. Turner (1986-88)

Mrs. Mary L.Moscan (1988-90)

Mrs. L. H. Turner (1990-92)

Mrs. Quentin R. Jeffries (1992-94)

Mrs. Ronald K. Smith (1994-95)

Mrs. Ora Dyer Jr. (1995-96)

Mrs. James Williams (1996-98)

Mrs. R. K. Pell-Smith (1998-00)

Mrs. L. H. Turner (2000-02)

Mrs. Ed Groves (2002-04)

Mrs. Donald Tooloose (2004-06)

Mrs. David Mitchell (2006-08)

Mrs. Ed Groves (2008-10)

Mrs. Donald Eyster (2010-12)

Mrs. Quentin R. Jeffries (2012-14)

Mrs. Ed Groves (2014-16)

Mrs. James M. Myers (2016-18)

Dr. Millie Vaughn (2018 -2022)