General Federation of Women’s Clubs

The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) is an international women’s organization. It is dedicated to community improvement. In 1906 the group’s Colorado chapter helped establish Mesa Verde National Park. Today, the GFWC continues to support overall equality reforms worldwide.

Birth of GFWC

The GFWC first focused on the women’s suffrage movement. It encouraged education and civic responsibility for young women across America.

The club’s roots stem from 1868, when the New York Press Club denied Jane Cunningham Croly access to a dinner honoring Charles Dickens because of her gender. This action motivated Croly to form a women’s association called Sorosis. The club became the center of educational advocacy for women across the country.

At the twenty-first-anniversary celebration of Sorosis in 1889, Croly invited members from more than sixty women’s clubs across the United States to attend the next National Women’s Suffrage Convention in New York City. At the same time, Emma Brainard Ryder of the New York City Sorosis Club placed an ad in a newspaper in Bombay, India. The ad invited young women of all classes and nationalities to the New York convention in 1890. On April 24, 1890, sixty-three clubs from around the world formed the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. Bombay was the first international club to join.

The federation soon grew to represent 200 groups and 20,000 women. By 1900 it had 150,000 members. In 1904 Sarah Platt-Decker became the GFWC’s fifth president and its first from Colorado.

Suffrage Movement

In 1914 Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, invited the General Federation of Women’s Clubs to participate in the women’s suffrage movement. At the time, those two organizations were the most influential women’s groups in the country. The president of the GFWC, Anna Pennybacker was a proponent of suffrage. She often stated that the highest-caliber woman must be interested in politics to fulfill her mission as a wife and mother. That June, the GFWC began advocating for suffrage. By the end of 1914, the GFWC had established seventeen state federations that all supported women’s suffrage.

In 1917 clubwomen and suffragists were imprisoned at the Occoquan Workhouse in Lorton, Virginia, for picketing the White House. They were demanding the right to vote. The General Federation of Women’s Clubs magazine kept the public updated on the inhumane treatment of the jailed women.

The GFWC played a crucial role in the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment by providing training and education for women. Members of local clubs assisted with that training. They also gave public speeches and took part in town hall meetings to push the amendment forward.

The GFWC in Colorado

The GFWC’s roots in Colorado began in 1895 when the Mountain Pine Woman’s Club received its certificate of membership. The GFWC started with simple volunteer work and public gatherings to announce its goals. It was not until the establishment of the GFWC Women’s Club of Colorado Springs in 1902 that Colorado turned into the western vanguard of the women’s movement. The state made history as the most western state ever to hold a GFWC Convention when the Denver Woman’s Club hosted the Fourth Biennial GFWC Convention in 1898. Platt-Decker, president of the Denver Woman’s Club, unified the clubwomen with her opening speech. By the end of the convention, the GFWC passed a resolution against child labor. It stated that no child younger than fourteen should be employed in hazardous conditions and that businesses must provide proper sanitation.

The GFWC’s biggest accomplishment in Colorado was its work in establishing Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County. At the state convention of the GFWC in Pueblo in 1897, members gave a speech about the need to protect the Ancestral Puebloan cultural sites near Mesa Verde. They pointed out that vandals and looters were allowed to spoil the ancient ruins. The structures and valuable artifacts within them were in danger of being lost unless the area was preserved. The clubwomen in Colorado began lobbying the federal government. In 1906 Mesa Verde National Park was established under the Antiquities Act.

Current Work

At the start of 2019, the GFWC includes twelve women’s clubs with over 300 members across Colorado. The biggest clubs were in Boulder Valley, Mountain Pine, Southwest Region, and Colorado Springs.

These four lead clubs continue to take the most hands-on action within their communities. The GFWC Boulder Valley club and Women’s Club of Colorado Springs hold food drives at local supermarkets.

The GFWC has at least one head club in all fifty states and twelve foreign countries. The federation includes 3,000 local clubs within the United States. They focus on various community projects. It supports and donates to many charitable groups. The GFWC’s Youth Literacy grants program helps schools and public libraries assist students who are below grade level in reading and writing.

At the start of 2019, GFWC Colorado decided to raise funds to replace the sign in front of the Hemenway House. The sign commemorates the group’s role in founding Mesa Verde. On September 28, 2019, clubwomen and their families traveled to Mesa Verde National Park to unveil the new sign. In addition, GFWC Colorado obtained a proclamation from Governor Jared Polis that declares September 28, 2019, as Colorado Federation of Women’s Clubs Day.

In Lorton, Virginia, the GFWC plans to build a “Turning Point Suffragist Memorial.” It will open in 2020 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment. The memorial will commemorate the women imprisoned for their nonviolent protest outside the White House in 1917.

The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) is an international women’s organization. It is dedicated to community improvement. In 1906 the group’s Colorado chapter helped establish Mesa Verde National Park. Today, the GFWC continues to support reforms worldwide.

Birth of GFWC

The GFWC first focused on the women’s suffrage movement. It encouraged education for young women across America.

The club’s roots stem from an event in 1868. That year, The New York Press Club denied Jane Cunningham Croly access to a dinner honoring Charles Dickens because she was a woman. This motivated Croly to form a women’s association called Sorosis. The club became the center of educational advocacy for women across the country.

At the twenty-first-anniversary celebration of Sorosis in 1889, Croly invited members from more than sixty women’s clubs across the United States to attend the next National Women’s Suffrage Convention in New York City. Emma Brainard Ryder of the New York City Sorosis Club placed an ad in a newspaper in Bombay, India. The ad invited young women of all classes and nationalities to the New York convention in 1890. On April 24, 1890, sixty-three clubs from around the world formed the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. Bombay was the first international club to join.

The federation grew to represent 200 groups and 20,000 women. By 1900 it had 150,000 members. In 1904 Sarah Platt-Decker became the GFWC’s fifth president and its first from Colorado.

Suffrage Movement

In 1914 Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, invited the General Federation of Women’s Clubs to participate in the women’s suffrage movement. At the time, those two organizations were the most influential women’s groups in the country. That June, the GFWC began advocating for suffrage. By the end of 1914, the GFWC had established seventeen state federations. They all supported women’s suffrage.

In 1917 clubwomen and suffragists were imprisoned at the Occoquan Workhouse in Lorton, Virginia. They had been picketing the White House. They were demanding the right to vote. The General Federation of Women’s Clubs magazine kept the public updated on the poor treatment of the jailed women.

The GFWC played a crucial role in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. It provided training and education for women. Members of local clubs assisted with that training. They gave public speeches and took part in town hall meetings to push the amendment forward.

The GFWC in Colorado

The GFWC’s roots in Colorado began in 1895. That's when the Mountain Pine Woman’s Club received its certificate of membership. The GFWC started with volunteer work and public gatherings to announce its goals.

In 1902, the GFWC Women’s Club of Colorado Springs was established. It turned Colorado into the western forefront of the women’s movement. The state made history 1898. It became the most western state to hold a GFWC Convention when the Denver Woman’s Club hosted the Fourth Biennial GFWC Convention. By the end of the convention, the GFWC passed a resolution against child labor. It stated that no child younger than fourteen should work in hazardous conditions.

The GFWC’s biggest achievement in Colorado was its work in establishing Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County. At the state convention of the GFWC in Pueblo in 1897, members gave a speech about the need to protect the Ancestral Puebloan cultural sites near Mesa Verde. They pointed out that vandals and looters were spoiling the ancient ruins. The structures and valuable artifacts would be lost unless the area was preserved. The clubwomen in Colorado began lobbying the federal government. In 1906 Mesa Verde National Park was established under the Antiquities Act.

Current Work

At the start of 2019, the GFWC includes twelve women’s clubs with over 300 members across Colorado. The biggest clubs were in Boulder Valley, Mountain Pine, Southwest Region, and Colorado Springs. These four lead clubs continue to take the most hands-on action within their communities.

The GFWC has at least one head club in all fifty states and twelve foreign countries. The federation includes 3,000 local clubs within the United States. They focus on community projects. They also donate to many charitable groups.

At the start of 2019, GFWC Colorado decided to raise funds to replace the sign in front of the Hemenway House. The sign commemorates the group’s role in founding Mesa Verde. On September 28, 2019, clubwomen and their families traveled to Mesa Verde National Park to unveil the new sign.

The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) is an international women’s organization. It is dedicated to community improvement. In 1906 the group’s Colorado chapter helped create Mesa Verde National Park. Today, the GFWC continues to support reforms worldwide.

Birth of GFWC

The GFWC first focused on the women’s suffrage movement. It encouraged education for young women across America.

The club’s roots come from an event in 1868. That year, The New York Press Club denied Jane Cunningham Croly access to a dinner honoring Charles Dickens. She could not go because she was a woman. This motivated Croly to form a women’s association called Sorosis.

Sorosis had its twenty-first-anniversary celebration in 1889. There, Croly invited women’s clubs across the United States to the 1890 National Women’s Suffrage Convention. At the same time, a member of the New York City Sorosis Club placed a newspaper ad in Bombay, India. The ad invited women from all countries to the convention. On April 24, 1890, sixty-three clubs from around the world formed the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. Bombay was the first international club to join.

The federation grew to represent 200 groups and 20,000 women. By 1900 it had 150,000 members. In 1904 Sarah Platt-Decker became the GFWC’s fifth president. She was the first from Colorado.

Suffrage Movement

In 1914 the General Federation of Women’s Clubs began advocating for suffrage. By the end of that year, the GFWC had established seventeen state federations. They all supported women’s suffrage.

In 1917 clubwomen and suffragists were jailed at the Occoquan Workhouse in Lorton, Virginia. They had been picketing the White House. They were demanding the right to vote. The General Federation of Women’s Clubs magazine reported on the poor treatment of the jailed women.

The GFWC played a crucial role in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. It provided training and education for women. Members of local clubs helped with that training. They gave public speeches and took part in town hall meetings to push the amendment forward.

The GFWC in Colorado

The GFWC’s roots in Colorado began in 1895. That's when the Mountain Pine Woman’s Club got its membership. The GFWC started with volunteer work and public gatherings to announce its goals.

In 1902, the GFWC Women’s Club of Colorado Springs was established. It turned Colorado into the western forefront of the women’s movement. The state made history 1898. It became the most western state to hold a GFWC Convention. By the end of the convention, the GFWC passed a resolution against child labor. It stated that no child younger than fourteen should work in hazardous conditions.

The GFWC’s biggest achievement in Colorado was its work in establishing Mesa Verde National Park. At the GFWC state convention in 1897, members gave speeches. They wanted to protect cultural sites near Mesa Verde. They pointed out that vandals and looters were spoiling the ancient ruins. The structures and valuable artifacts would be lost unless the area was preserved. The clubwomen in Colorado began lobbying the federal government. In 1906 Mesa Verde National Park was created.

Current Work

At the start of 2019, the GFWC included twelve women’s clubs. There were over 300 members across Colorado. The biggest clubs were in Boulder Valley, Mountain Pine, Southwest Region, and Colorado Springs. These four lead clubs continue to take the most action.

The GFWC has at least one head club in all fifty states and twelve foreign countries. This includes 3,000 local clubs within the United States. They focus on community projects. They also donate to many charitable groups.