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2015 Newsletters

The Woman's Club of Starke, formerly known as the

Mother's Club, was founded in the late 19th century and held

its meetings in the Bradford County High School. Their purpose 

was to assist the Bradford County High School. Only mothers

were accepted as active members with teachers as honorary

members. One of their earliest projects was furnishing a room

in the school or a library and a study for the principal. They also

provided students with books and clothing and hired a janitor 

to do maintenance. In 1913, the Mother's Club reorganized and

changed its name to the Woman's Club of Starke. One year later,

after the school was moved to a different site, the Women's Club

began using the school building as its headquarters. In 1917,

with the approach of World War I, the building was turned over 

to the Red Cross. Club women made hospital blankets, Christmas

kits for troops and shipped clothing to allies. In 1921, the 

Board of Education gave the school building to Woman's Club at 

which time it was  remodeled. Some of the lumber from the

original structure was used in the new construction. The new 

The Women's Club in 1924 after renovations were completed.

History

Starke's first public school in 1891, Bradford County Highschool, where the Mother's Club held its meetings.

craftsman/bungalow building opened on November 3, 1922. Projects undertaken in the 1920's by the Woman's Club included a drive to remove cows from the streets, development of a city park and municipal suffrage. The Bradford County Library used portions of the building and in 1936 was the first county library in Florda allowed to borrow books from the State Library in Tallahassee. Throughout World War II, the United Service Organization (USO) used the building as a clubhouse where the Army YMCA entertained soldiers who were stationed at nearby Camp Blanding. Opening in April 1941 they provided minstrels, radio programs, quiz games, card games, dances and vaudeville shows for the soldiers. Throughout its history, the Clubhouse has continued to serve as the community's primary facility for social and cultural events. on April 18, 1997, the Clubhouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and continues to serve as the Woman's Club of Starke headquarters.

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