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Junior League of Philadelphia records

Notifications

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Call Number:
3717
Repository:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Extent:
11.4 linear feet (; 29 boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], Junior League of Philadelphia records (Collection 3717), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Date:
1955-1998 (bulk) and 1912-2009 (inclusive)
Creator:
Junior League of Philadelphia, Inc.
Abstract:
The Junior League of Philadelphia, Inc. founded 1912, is an organization of women devoted to volunteerism and community improvement. It was initially established to help create settlement houses in Philadelphia. However, over time, the group became involved with a large number of causes, from war relief to children's care, and today continues its legacy of city-wide community involvement. The Junior League celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012 and remains highly active in the Philadelphia community. The Junior League of Philadelphia records constitute the institutional records of this organization. The collection dates from 1912 to 2009, with bulk dates of 1955 to 1998, and contains board and committee meeting minutes, newsletters, member directories, and annual reports. These materials provide an excellent depiction of the governance of the organization as well as member lists and highlighted events and activities.

The Junior League of Philadelphia was founded in 1912 by a group of women from several well-to-do area families, including Constance E. Biddle, Gertrude Ely, and Sarah Lowery. The organization was one of seven Junior Leagues existing in the country at the time, with the original founded in 1901 in New York City. From the outset, the League became involved with charitable efforts to aid children, the poor, and the sick, and volunteered time and money to hospitals and charity organizations. During World War I, the League focused its activities on war relief, hosting fundraising events and volunteering as nursing aides at area hospitals. With the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, the League offered education and training to women voting for the first time. In 1924, the League became the caretakers of Sweetbriar Mansion in Fairmount Park, raising money to restore the old home which would serve as their headquarters for the next twelve years. Throughout the Great Depression, the League concentrated its efforts on unemployment and homeless relief, including the distribution of clothes and food, in addition to becoming chief benefactor of the Children’s Heart Hospital. The League headquarters relocated to the Warwick Hotel in 1937. During World War II, the League’s attention again shifted to war relief and hospital volunteering, which included a surgical dressing group that rolled bandages for the Red Cross, a League advisory group in the Civilian Defense Office, and a War Bond Committee that raised money to purchase a hospital plane and penicillin. Local social work also continued throughout the war. In 1945, the League established the Children’s Outgrown Shop which would evolve into the current Junior League Thrift Store, selling used clothing at affordable prices. The 1950s saw the establishment of the annual Follies, a performance event which provided funding to the Children’s Hospital. In 1965, the League moved its headquarters to the Free Quaker Meeting House, which it would occupy until 1997. In 1976, the League members volunteered their time to several Bicentennial initiatives throughout the city and published their first of three cookbooks. The Junior League of Philadelphia continues to operate as of 2014, promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community. The League’s current initiative, Apple a Day Healthy Living, focuses on improving the health and wellness of adults and children in the Philadelphia region by increasing access to fresh produce.

The Junior League of Philadelphia records constitute the institutional records of the Junior League of Philadelphia, Inc., a women’s volunteer and charity organization that is part of a larger international network of Junior League organizations. Founded in 1912, the League focuses its efforts on promoting volunteerism through training, developing the potential of women, and improving the community. The collection dates from 1912-2009, with bulk dates of 1955-1998. The materials in this collection document the governance of the organization through board and committee minutes and administrative correspondence as well as highlighting the League’s activities and events through annual reports and newsletters.

The collection documents well the activities of a women’s organization in the field of volunteerism. It contains nearly a century’s worth of administrative papers from the organization. This collection is particularly rich in documenting the governance of the organization, in addition to providing a general overview of its activities and initiatives throughout the years. Although a few individual members are mentioned in the board and committee minutes or in newsletters, the collection generally lacks information on the members themselves. The materials in this collection may be of interest to social historians of women’s and volunteer organizations as well as those interested in elite social networks as several upper class women were among the League’s members.

Series I. Administrative

Subseries I.a. Minutes

Subseries I.b. Annual reports

Series II. Member materials

Gift of the Junior League of Philadelphia, 2013.

Accession number 2013.089.

Organization
Subject
Occupation

Publisher
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Finding Aid Author
Finding aid prepared by Megan Evans.
Finding Aid Date
; 2015.
Sponsor
Processing made possible by a generous donation from Maxine and Howard Lewis.
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Collection Inventory

Scope and Contents note

Series I. Administrative includes board and committee minutes, correspondence, financial information, strategic plans, by-laws, time lines and history fact sheets, and annual reports. This series provides a concise, if not in-depth, overview of the many activities of the League over nearly a century of their existence. Events, initiatives, and those involved are mentioned and briefly described as a matter of administrative procedure. This series best reveals the governance of the organization through the board minutes, correspondence, and annual reports. The series is divided into two subseries: Ia. Minutes and Ib. Annual reports.

Early organizational letters to Constance E. Biddle, 1912.
Box 1 Folder 1
History outlines and fact sheets, 1962, 1975, 1979.
Box 1 Folder 2
Scope and Contents note

Subseries Ia. Minutes includes the minutes of the Board of Managers (later the Board of Directors) as well as that of several committees such as Membership, Council, and Executive. The subseries also contains a limited amount of correspondence, consisting mostly of board member memoranda, as well as some financial documents such as budgets and tax forms. Also included are a number of strategic plan and by-laws drafts. The materials are arranged chronologically according to their original order.

Minute book of the Board of Managers (photocopy), 1912-1916.
Box 1 Folder 3
Board of Managers meeting minutes, 1916 April-1919 June.
Box 1 Folder 4
Officers and Board of Managers meeting minutes, 1920 June-1924 May.
Box 1 Folder 5
Board of Managers meeting minutes, 1924 October-1927 May.
Box 1 Folder 6
Board of Managers meeting minutes, 1927 October-1931 June.
Box 1 Folder 7
Board of Managers and Annual meeting minutes, 1931 October-1933 June.
Box 1 Folder 8
Board of Managers and Annual meeting minutes, 1933 September-1935 May.
Box 1 Folder 9
Board of Managers and Special meeting minutes, 1935 June-1938 April.
Box 1 Folder 10
Board of Managers and Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1938 May-1941 May.
Box 2 Folder 1
Annual Meeting, Board of Managers, and Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1941 May-1943 June.
Box 2 Folder 2
Board of Managers and Annual meeting minutes, 1943 August-1945 June.
Box 2 Folder 3
Board of Managers meeting minutes, 1945 June-1947 April.
Box 2 Folder 4
Board of Managers, Executive Committee, and Annual meeting minutes, 1947 May-1950 March.
Box 2 Folder 5
Board of Managers meeting minutes, 1950 April-1952 March.
Box 2 Folder 6
Board of Managers, Executive Committee, Election, and Main Line and Chestnut Geographical meeting minutes, 1952 April-1954 March.
Box 3 Folder 1
Board of Managers, Executive Committee, and Election meeting minutes, 1954 April-1955 June.
Box 3 Folder 2
Board of Managers, Executive Committee, and Election meeting minutes, 1955 September-1956 March.
Box 3 Folder 3
Board of Managers and Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1956 April-1957 March.
Box 3 Folder 4
Board of Managers and Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1957 March-1959 May.
Box 5 Folder 5
Board of Managers and Executive Committee meeting minutes (1 of 2), 1959 April-1960 April.
Box 3 Folder 6
Board of Managers and Executive Committee meeting minutes (2 of 2), 1960 May-1961 March.
Box 4 Folder 1
Board of Managers, Executive Committee, Membership, Election, and Annual meeting minutes, 1961 April-1962 March.
Box 4 Folder 2
Board of Managers, Executive Committee, and Membership meeting minutes, 1962 April-1963 June.
Box 4 Folder 3
Board of Managers and Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1963 September-1964 June.
Box 4 Folder 4
Board of Managers, Executive Committee, and Membership meeting minutes, 1964 September-1965 July.
Box 4 Folder 5
Board of Managers, Executive Committee, and Membership meeting minutes, 1965 September-1966 June.
Box 4 Folder 6
Board of Managers, Membership, and Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1966 September-1967 September.
Box 5 Folder 1
Assorted committees and Board of Managers meeting minutes, 1967 May-1968 April.
Box 5 Folder 2
Assorted committees and Board of Managers meeting minutes, 1967 July-1968 January.
Box 5 Folder 3
Board of Managers meeting minutes, 1967 September-1968 June.
Box 5 Folder 4
Board of Managers, Executive Committee, and Membership meeting minutes, 1968 September-1969 June.
Box 5 Folder 5
Board of Managers meeting minutes, memoranda, and related materials, 1968.
Box 5 Folder 6
Sustaining Members Board and Board of Managers meeting minutes, memoranda, and related materials, 1968-1969.
Box 6 Folder 1
Executive Committee, Membership, and Board of Managers meeting minutes, 1969 July-1970 June.
Box 6 Folder 2
Board of Managers and Sustaining Members Board meeting minutes and related materials, 1969-1970.
Box 6 Folder 3
Board of Managers meeting minutes and related materials, 1969-1970.
Box 6 Folder 4
Board of Managers, Council, and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1970 September-1971 June.
Box 6 Folder 5
Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1970-1980.
Box 7 Folder 1
Board of Managers and Council meeting minutes and related materials, 1971 June-1972 May.
Box 7 Folder 2
Board of Managers meeting minutes, 1971 September-1972 April.
Box 7 Folder 3
Board of Managers, Council, and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1971 September-1972 June.
Box 7 Folder 4
Board of Managers meeting minutes, memoranda, and related materials (1 of 2), 1971.
Box 7 Folder 5
Board of Managers and Council meeting minutes, memoranda, "Hotline" newsletters, and other materials (2 of 2), 1970-1971.
Box 8 Folder 1
Board of Managers, Council, and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1972 September-1973 June.
Box 8 Folder 2
Board of Managers, Council, and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1973 September-1974 June.
Box 8 Folder 3
Board of Managers, Council, and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1974 September-1975 June.
Box 8 Folder 4
Board of Managers, Council, and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1975 September-1976 June.
Box 8 Folder 5
Board of Managers, Executive Committee, Council, and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1976 July-1977 June.
Box 8 Folder 6
Board of Managers, Council, Executive Committee, and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1977 September-1978 June.
Box 9 Folder 1
Board of Managers, Executive Committee, and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1978 July-1979 May.
Box 9 Folder 2
Board of Managers, Council, Executive Committee, and Membership meeting minutes and related materials (1 of 2), 1979 May-1980 January.
Box 9 Folder 3
Board of Managers, Council, Executive Committee, and Membership meeting minutes and related materials (2 of 2), 1980 January-May.
Box 9 Folder 4
Board of Managers, Executive Committee, Council, and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1980 May-1981 May.
Box 9 Folder 5
Membership and Annual Dinner meeting minutes and related materials, 1980-1986.
Box 9 Folder 6
Board of Managers, Council, Executive Committee, and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1981 May-1982 May.
Box 10 Folder 1
Board of Managers, Council, Membership, and Executive Committee meeting minutes and related materials, 1982 April-1983 May.
Box 10 Folder 2
Board of Managers, Membership, and Annual Dinner meeting minutes and related materials, 1983 June-1984 May.
Box 10 Folder 3
Board of Managers and Membership meeting minutes, memoranda, and other related materials, 1984 April-December.
Box 10 Folder 4
Board of Managers and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1985 January-May.
Box 10 Folder 5
Board of Directors and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1985 June-1986 May.
Box 11 Folder 1
Board of Directors meeting minutes, 1986 June-1987 February.
Box 11 Folder 2
Board of Directors meeting minutes, memoranda, budgets, reports, and other materials (1 of 2), 1988 January-May.
Box 11 Folder 3
Board of Directors meeting minutes, memoranda, bugets, reports, and other materials (2 of 2), 1987 January-1987 December.
Box 11 Folder 4
Board of Directors meeting minutes, committtee reports, memoranda, and other materials, 1988 May-1988 October.
Box 11 Folder 5
Board of Directors meeting minutes and memoranda, 1988 November-1989 April.
Box 11 Folder 6
Board of Directors meeting minutes, memoranda, and other related materials, 1989 June-September.
Box 12 Folder 1
Board of Directors meeting minutes, memoranda, and other related materials, 1990 January-June.
Box 12 Folder 2
Board of Directors and Membership meeting minutes and related materials, 1990 June-1991 April.
Box 12 Folder 3
Board of Directors meeting minutes, memoranda, and other related materials, 1991 April-September.
Box 12 Folder 4
Board of Directors meeting minutes, memoranda, and other related materials (1 of 2), 1991 October-1992 March.
Box 12 Folder 5
Board of Directors meeting minutes, memoranda, and other related materials, 1992 March-December.
Box 12 Folder 6
Board of Directors meeting minutes, memoranda, and other related materials, 1993 February-May.
Box 13 Folder 1
Board of Directors meeting minutes, memoranda, and other related materials, 1993 February-1994 May.
Box 13 Folder 2
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials, 1994 November-1995 January.
Box 13 Folder 3
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials, 1995 February-May.
Box 13 Folder 4
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials, 1995 May-October.
Box 13 Folder 5
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials including tax return (1 of 2), 1995-1996 May.
Box 13 Folder 6
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials (2 of 2), 1995-1996 May.
Box 14 Folder 1
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials including strategic plan, 1996 June-November.
Box 14 Folder 2
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials, 1997 January-April.
Box 14 Folder 3
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials, 1997 June-December.
Box 14 Folder 4
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials, 1998 January-May.
Box 14 Folder 5
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials, 1998 May-November.
Box 14 Folder 6
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials, 1999 January-May.
Box 15 Folder 1
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials including by-laws, 1999.
Box 15 Folder 2
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials including employee handbook, 1999-2000.
Box 15 Folder 3
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials, 2000.
Box 15 Folder 4
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials, 2000-2001.
Box 15 Folder 5
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials (1 of 4), 2002.
Box 15 Folder 6
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials (2 of 4), 2001-2002.
Box 16 Folder 1
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related materials (3 of 4), 2001.
Box 16 Folder 2
Board of Directors meeting minutes (4 of 4), 2001.
Box 16 Folder 3
Board of Directors meeting minutes, correspondence, and other related materials, 2003 June-August.
Box 16 Folder 4
Board of Directors meeting minutes, correspondence, and other related materials, 2003 September-November.
Box 16 Folder 5
Board of Directors meeting minutes, 2008 December-2009 January.
Box 16 Folder 6
Scope and Contents note

Subseries Ib. Annual reports includes both bound and unbound reports, some drafts, and proofs. The materials in this subseries provide information on the League’s various initiatives through committee reports as well as membership lists and directories, financial information, policies, guidelines, procedures, and events descriptions. Several reports also contain hand-written notes and edits. This subseries provides a general overview of the League’s activities from internal governance to community initiatives. The subseries is arranged by format and then chronologically.

Bound annual reports, 1927-1953.
Box 17
Bound annual reports, 1953-1966.
Box 18
Bound annual reports, 1966-1971.
Box 19
Bound annual reports, 1971-1975.
Box 20
Bound annual reports, 1976-1981.
Box 21
Bound annual reports, 1983-1989, 2001-2004.
Box 22
77th Annual report and proof, circa 1989.
Box 16 Folder 7
80th Annual report, circa 1992.
Box 16 Folder 8
81st Annual report, circa 1993.
Box 16 Folder 9
82nd Annual report, circa 1994.
Box 23 Folder 1
83rd Annual report, circa 1995.
Box 23 Folder 2
84th Annual report, circa 1996.
Box 23 Folder 3
84th Annual report drafts, circa 1996.
Box 23 Folder 4
1997-1998 Annual report, circa 1998.
Box 23 Folder 5

Scope and Contents note

Series II. Member materials contains newsletters, magazines, and member directories, as well as some brochures and other promotional materials. The newsletters, which were published monthly and are most complete from 1960 to 1997, contain greater details about various committee activities, initiatives, and events. These materials provide more in-depth detail about event planning and day-to-day activities of the League. Some League members and officers are also mentioned in articles. Additionally, these newsletters and magazines reveal one source of the League’s funding since local businesses paid for advertising placement. The series is arranged chronologically.

Information handbooks, constitution, and by-laws, circa 1927, 1943, 1946, 1959.
Box 23 Folder 6
Newsletters, 1943-1949.
Box 23 Folder 7
"Contact" newsletters, 1949 November-December.
Box 23 Folder 8
"Contact" newsletters, 1950-1955.
Box 24 Folder 1
"Follies of 1951" event program, circa 1951.
Box 24 Folder 2
"Contact" newsletters, 1956-1959.
Box 24 Folder 3
"Contact" newsletters, 1960-1961.
Box 24 Folder 4
"Contact" newsletters, 1962.
Box 24 Folder 5
50th Anniversay Ball event program and pamphlets, circa 1962.
Box 25 Folder 1
"Contact" newsletters, 1963.
Box 25 Folder 2
"Contact" newsletters, 1964-1965.
Box 25 Folder 3
"Contact" newsletters, 1966-1967.
Box 25 Folder 4
"Contact" newsletters, 1968.
Box 25 Folder 5
"Contact" newsletter, 1969-1970.
Box 26 Folder 1
Calendar, brochures, mailers, and other materials, 1969, 1972, 1980, 1988, undated.
Box 26 Folder 2
"Contact" and "Hotline" newsletters, 1969-1972.
Box 26 Folder 3
"Hotline" newsletters and Junior League magazines, 1971-1972.
Box 26 Folder 4
"Hotline" newsletters, 1973-1976.
Box 26 Folder 5
"Hotline" newsletters, 1977-1979.
Box 26 Folder 6
"Hotline" newsletters and "Impact" magazine, 1980-1981.
Box 27 Folder 1
Membership directories, 1980, 1982, 1997, 1998.
Box 27 Folder 2
"Hotline" newsletters, 1982-1985.
Box 27 Folder 3
"Hotline" and "Newsflash" newsletters, 1986-1987.
Box 27 Folder 4
"Hotline" newsletters, 1988-1989.
Box 27 Folder 5
"Hotline" newsletters, 1990-1991.
Box 28 Folder 1
"Hotline" newsletters, 1992-1993.
Box 28 Folder 2
"Hotline" newsletters, 1994.
Box 28 Folder 3
"Hotline" newsletters, 1995.
Box 28 Folder 4
"Hotline" newsletters, 1996.
Box 28 Folder 5
"Hotline" newsletters, 1997-1998.
Box 29 Folder 1
"Hotline" newsletters, 1999-2000.
Box 29 Folder 2
"Hotline" newsletters, 2001-2002.
Box 29 Folder 3
"Hotline newsletters, 2003-2004.
Box 29 Folder 4
"Hotline" newsletters, 2005-2007.
Box 29 Folder 5

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