Since its inception in 1896, the Women’s Club of Reading has given to the community in multiple ways. In their early days, they helped organize the Humane Society and created the first public playgrounds within Reading. During the First World War, members participated in the Red Cross, helped with surgical dressings, and even raised money for tobacco for the soldiers. The club opened its doors to the public in 2004 as the WCR Center for the Arts, both in an effort to save their historic building and to present unique performances and exhibitions for the community.
Shown here are a few of the club’s artifacts within our collection including: a stamp with the WCR seal, a program from March 1930, and the “Official Song of Berks County Federation of Women’s Clubs and Allied Organizations.” The cartoon depicted is from the March 22, 1930 issue of the Reading Eagle and illustrates the Reading traffic issue that the WCR describes as “literally terrible.”
Researched & Written by Erin Benz