The Naperville Woman’s Club started with what you might call a novel idea. It sprang from a literary society for prominent Naperville women in the late 1800’s.
Literary Beginnings
“It was a literary club, because when it was founded in 1897, the Greater Federation of Woman’s Clubs, which we are a member of, that was part of what their platform was: getting women to educate themselves to be more involved in literature and history,” said Naperville Woman’s Club historian Melody Coleman.
Hand in History
The first members got involved in the history of Naperville right away, helping support city founders in the creation of important focal points in the community.
“As a result of that, the Naperville Woman’s Club, as many woman’s clubs did, got really involved in the building of Nichols Library. In fact, one of our presidents, Mrs. Nichols’ husband, gave a $10,000 bequest to the Nichols Library, and the Woman’s Club was responsible for the cornerstone of the Nichols Library,” Coleman said.
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