“A Woman’s Club”

A poem titled “A Woman’s Club” appeared in the Sandusky Register on August 13, 1899. Written by Sarah Palmer, and originally appearing in the periodical Club Woman, the poem was said then to have been the best club poem ever written. The first twelve lines are:

What is a woman’s club? A meeting ground
For those of purpose great and broad and strong.
Whose aim is toward the stars: who ever long
To make the patient, listening world resound
With sweeter music, purer, nobler tones.
A place where kindly, helpful words are said
And kindlier deeds are done; where hearts are fed:
Where wealth of brain and poverty atones
And hand grasps hand, and souls find touch with soul.
Where victors in the race for fame power
Look backward even in their triumph hour,
To beckon others toward the shining goal.

Women in Sandusky and Erie County have met together informally as well as in clubs and organizations for many years. Hewson Peeke wrote about local women’s clubs in Chapter 23 of his book, A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio. During the Civil War, the Ladies Aid Society of Grace Church sent food to soldiers in need. The Ladies’ Library Association of Sandusky worked diligently to raise funds for the building of a public library in Sandusky.

Members of the Benevolent Society of the First Congregational Church of Sandusky are participating in a quilting bee in the late nineteenth century in the image below.

Here is a photograph of Mrs. Charles Emrich’s Reading Club:

The Pythian Sisters decorated a car with a patriotic theme in an unidentified parade:

Five Red Cross volunteers are pictured at the corner of Wayne and Jefferson Streets during World War One.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to view historic photographs and documents relating to women’s organizations in Sandusky and Erie County. Included in the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center are records from the Erie County Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Martha Pitkin Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, Art Study Club, the Nineteenth Century Club, Business Women’s Club, United Ladies Sewing Circle, College Women’s Club, and the Catholic Women’s Study Club, and others.

Pythian Sisters

While we do not have details about the place or people associated with the Pythian Sisters riding in the float in the picture above, it is estimated that the picture was taken between 1910 and 1925. The streets are made of brick, and a horse drawn vehicle can be seen on the left side of the picture. It could have been for a patriotic parade during the First World War. 

The Pythian Sisters are an auxiliary group connected with the fraternal organization known as the Knights of Pythias. The mission of the Pythian Sisters is:

To bring together women of diverse backgrounds and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow through the principles of Purity, Love, Equality, and Fidelity.

Local Sandusky newspapers, available on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, covered the activities of the Pythian Sisters on the Society Page. The ladies had dances and card parties, and raised money for charitable organizations. An article in the November 23, 1922 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that the “Sandusky Pythian Sisters’ degree team is one of the best in the state.” The degree team of the Pythian Sisters participated in ritualistic ceremonies associated with the Pythian Sisters.  In 1923, the Pythian Sisters held a fund raising activity with the proceeds going to the Sophie Huntington Home for Aged Pythian Sisters in Medina, Ohio. On October 27, 1931, the tenth annual convention of District No. 15, Pythian Sisters, was held in Sandusky. Over 300 people attended the convention. During the evening hours, the Sandusky Lodge, Knights of Pythias met with the Pythian Sisters. A play entitled “A Lesson in Friendship” was presented, along with musical selections.


Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn more about the past activities of the Club and Organizations of Sandusky and Erie County.