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Preferred Citation

[item identification], Beverly Hills Women's Club Collection, MS298, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia.

Biographical / Historical

The Beverly Hills Women's Club grew out of a small group of women who met regularly starting in 1944 to knit and sew for the Red Cross. The club consisted of women in their late 20's or early 30's, with young children, seeking to get together for recreation and friendship. While the informal club began at Florence Dempsey's on South Overlook Dr., the club became official in 1945, with a constitution and a slate of officers selected, with Mrs. Raymond (Florence) Pfeiffer as president, and 40 charter members. The meetings were bimonthly, no dues were collected, but an offering was taken up for expenses and the rest given to the Red Cross. Because of overwhelming popularity, membership was limited to 75, and a boundary set to Beverly Hills. In 1955, due to an interest in the garden section of the club, membership was extended to persons outside of Beverly Hills. The Garden section eventually split off in 1955, and became a sister club. However, interest was still so great, that by 1962, meetings needed to be held in public auditoriums (e.g. Westminster Presbyterian Church, the Pepco Building, the No. 3 Firehouse, the Woodward and Lothrop Building, and Trinity Methodist Church).       The club served not only as an outlet, but as a civic organization. The club sponsored beautification projects, advocated for road safety, raised money for playgrounds, and began a Christmas decoration contest that attracted national attention. In addition to its civic work, the club sponsored programs and groups dedicated to special interests, such as: bridge, antiques, needlework, books, etc.

Content Description

The collection consists of account books, yearbooks, organizational laws, correspondence, news clippings, history, scrapbooks, financial reports, meeting minutes, and photos. It has been organized into the following series: financial material, yearbooks, club communications, press, meeting minutes, and photographs.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Alexandria (Va.) -- Social life and customs
• Beverly Hills Women's Club
• Women civic leaders.