Clubhouse of the Federated Women's Clubs of Port Arthur
Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1923, twenty-five years after their founding, the Port Arthur Federated Women's Clubs began planning for construction of their own clubhouse. Mrs. C. L. Wignall chaired the planning committee, and her husband, local architect C. L. Wignall, designed the structure. His plans included a decorative window motif repeated in the porch balustrade. An open house on Feb. 8, 1924 celebrated the completion of the clubhouse. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1982
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
By 1923 the Federated Women's Clubs of Port Arthur had spent a quarter-century organizing before deciding to build a home of their own. Led by Mrs. C. L. Wignall and designed by her husband, a local architect who worked a decorative window motif into the porch balustrade, the clubhouse opened with an open house in February 1924. It gave the city's clubwomen a permanent base for their civic work.
Why it matters
The clubhouse embodies the women's-club movement, through which American women organized for civic improvement, culture, and reform in the era before and after suffrage.
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Related people
- · Mrs. C. L. Wignall
- · C. L. Wignall
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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