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GWC History

In 2009, we celebrated our 100th anniversary as a club. In North Carolina alone, there are more than 100 woman's clubs that belong to a federation with over 3,000 members. The Greensboro Woman’s Club was organized in 1909 with 157 charter members dedicated to promote “community betterment and cultural improvement."  Listed below are a few other notable dates in our history:

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1917 - The club was instrumental in establishing the Greensboro Chapter of the American Red Cross.

 

1921 - Membership had grown to 358 women and the club was able to purchase the Weir-Jordan House for use as a meeting place.

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1922 - We sponsored the first curb market in Greensboro.

 

1930 - The club organized the Junior Woman's Club of Greensboro, providing younger women the opportunity to volunteer in our community.

 

1939 - Our club helped form the Guilford County Cancer Society.

 

1940s - Club members worked hard in projects to benefit the Red Cross, Cancer Society, and the March of Dimes due to the polio epidemic.

 

1951 - GWC organized the Guilford County Fine Arts Association which by 1956 had grown to become a county-wide project apart from GWC.

 

1963 - GWC sponsored the Greensboro Seniorettes, a teenage service club at Grimsley High School.

 

1984 - The Weir-Jordan House, owned by the Club since 1921, was admitted into the National Register of Historic Places.

 

2001 - A "night department" was formed with the purpose of allowing those who work during the day the opportunity to be members.  This resulted in an immediate increase in women interested in the club's volunteer opportunities.

 

2003 - The day club and "night department" merged, and meetings were held only at night.

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2009 - The Greensboro Woman’s Club began the celebration of its Centennial with a brunch in May and a program meeting in October with state president, Beverly Lassiter, present.

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2010 - Club membership had tripled from 2001 with 45 members.

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2011 - The club established a presence on social media by creating a Facebook page.

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2012 – We closed the year with 58 members and received a $10,000 grant that was used to pour a new sidewalk and to replace the HVAC in the house.

 

2013 – The Weir-Jordan House was rewired, going from original “knob and tube” wiring to that which meets current electrical standards.

 

2014 – The club began organizing the membership into project committees corresponding to GFWC Community Service Programs (Arts, Conservation, Education, Home Life, International Outreach, Public Issues). In the Weir-Jordan House, we restored the upstairs bathroom, repainted the entire first floor, and replaced all window treatments.

 

2015 – The GWC received a grant that allowed us to paint the front exterior of the Weir-Jordan House. A section of the Greensboro Arboretum was named for Robin Ward, a GWC member who died tragically.

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2016 – Membership continued to grow in each provisional class. The year-end roster count was  63.

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2017 - We held a highly successful Murder Mystery Night fundraiser with funds earned going to conservation efforts.

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2018 - Conservation efforts and partnering with Eagle Scout Lee Strader resulted in a new brick sidewalk to the most-used entrance at the Weir-Jordan House. 

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2019 - As a leading non-profit organization, GWC was recognized as an inaugural honoree in the Ruth Wicker Tribute to Women, a permanent interactive exhibit at Barber Park in Greensboro. Later in the year we celebrated our 110th anniversary as a Federated Womans Club. Membership reached the maximum allowed in our by-laws - Eighty women! 

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2022 - Completed a "Raise the Roof" campaign and held a Kentucky Derby Party, raising all funds necessary to replace the entire roof on the Weir-Jordan House.

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