Celebrating Women’s History Month Since 1987

Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields.

In recognition of women’s achievements and contributions in the field of volunteerism and social services, below are brief introductions to several local women’s clubs in our community and the historic clubhouses they call home. 

Federation of Women’s Clubs

The General Federation of Women’s Clubs, founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of over 3,000 women’s clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Many of its activities and service projects are done independently by local clubs through their communities or GFWC’s national partnerships. GFWC maintains nearly 70,000 members throughout the United States and internationally. GFWC remains one of the world’s largest and oldest nonpartisan, non denominational, women’s volunteer service organizations. The GFWC headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. The Florida Chapter of Women’s Clubs includes Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, and Cocoplum. 

Coconut Grove

2985 South Bayshore Drive

The Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove was the first federated woman’s club established in the State of Florida. The organization was founded in 1891 by Flora MacFarlane. Charter members included women from the pioneering families of Coconut Grove, and included Mrs. Kirk Munroe, Mrs. Joseph Frow, Mrs. Charles Peacock, Mrs. Charles John Peacock and Mrs. Benjamin Newbold. The first meeting of the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove was called to order on February 19, 1891, with the primary purpose of improving life for members of the community. An integral part of the group’s mission was to expand education through an emphasis on literacy. In 1957, Housekeeper’s Club of Coconut Grove members officially changed the name of the organization to the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove.

The first public school building in the county, built in 1889, was the site of the group’s first meeting. Members of the Housekeepers Club of Coconut Grove raised the funds necessary to build the schoolhouse.

Founder Mary Barr Munroe, alongside other club members, worked to establish the first lending library in the City of Miami. Members were eventually able to raise the funds required to erect the very first branch of the Miami-Dade Public Library System, known as the Coconut Grove Library. The branch, completed and open for business in 1901, was built upon land donated by fellow Coconut Grove pioneer, Ralph Munroe.

In 1921, the group eventually moved into a building designed expressly for members by renowned architect Walter de Garmo. The building was constructed with materials such as oolitic limestone, concrete, stone, and stucco.  The rectangular building features a curvilinear gable roof, and wrap-around porch, with a series of recessed, semicircular arches. In 1975, the site was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places.

Coral Gables

1001 East Ponce de Leon Boulevard.

The Coral Gables Woman’s Club is an icon of civic infrastructure in Coral Gables. After organizing in 1923, club members raised $10,000 to construct this clubhouse on land donated by the city. Designed by preeminent South Florida architects H. George Fink and William Merriam, the building was completed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) using oolitic limestone (coral rock) donated from Coral Gables own quarry. It was the first WPA project in Coral Gables. The clubhouse is one of the few remaining premier examples of Great Depression-era Art Moderne style architecture in Florida. Artisans working for the WPA created relief carvings featuring fish, birds and animals. They also painted the interior murals in one of the two grand halls. One of the murals [pictured] was painted by Martha Dewing Woodward, who, according to her obituary, was “one of the nation’s leading painters.” Among her accomplishments, she organized the School of Fine Arts at University of Miami, when the eminent organization was in its infancy in 1926. The daughter of John Vanderbilt Woodward, cousin of Cornelius Vanderbilt, she studied art extensively in Paris. 

This mural, created by Dewing Woodward, was commissioned by the Federal Arts Project and completed in June 1936. The panel on which it was painted was seven feet high and twelve feet long. According to Woodward, the mural depicts the true atmosphere of the Everglade wilds, the cypress swamp, Seminole Indians and the cloud effects particular to this region.

The tall pedestal in the center of a fountain [pictured] on the lawn of the side entrance was by renowned sculptor, Robert Hume, who carved figures depicting the four seasons of a woman’s life in bas relief.

One wing served as the first permanent location of the Library of Coral Gables. The other wing served as the clubhouse for the Woman’s Club, whose members had organized the library in 1927. To advance community outreach, the club members also established the Coral Gables Children’s Dental Clinic here in 1939. The Woman’s Club took over the entire building after the library relocated in 1969. This building reflects the culture, education, growth and history of Coral Gables, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Coco Plum

1375 Sunset Drive

 The Coco Plum Woman’s Club is a historic women’s club located in Coral Gables. The club was founded on Valentine’s Day 1912 with eight members; it was named for the local cocoplum fruit. While the club was originally based in one of its members’ houses, it built its own wood-frame clubhouse in 1913 on a 5-acre tract on Sunset Road.

In 1916, the club was incorporated as the Woman’s Club of Larkins. In 1926, George Merrick’s Coral Gables Corporation was expanding and paid $100,000 for four of the five acres.  That same year, the club’s name changed to Coco Plum Woman’s Club. Originally formed for social purposes, the club quickly adopted literary, scientific, and philanthropic goals. 

The club participated in home front efforts during both World Wars; its work with the American Red Cross during World War II was well-regarded within Florida.

Its historic Mediterranean Revival clubhouse was designed by architectural firm Howard & Early. It was built by Knight Construction Co. in 1926 for $75,000. The Spanish style architecture features a tile roof, heavy wooden doors and a vaulted wooden ceiling inside. Additionally, the club boasts opulent inside decor in traditional Old World style with a ballroom and courtyard settings. 

The clubhouse is both locally designated and in 2005 it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  

*Headline Photo of Gerda Lerner [1920-2013] considered to be the founding mother of the discipline of women’s history