Club History

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 The Lansing Woman’s Club was founded under the guidance of Mrs. Harriet A. Tenney, Mrs. Frances (John) Bagley, and Mrs. Lucinda Hill Stone. Twenty-five women comprised this inaugural group, which elected Mrs. Harriet A. Tenney (Michigan State Librarian 1869-1891) the Club’s first president. Members divided themselves into four groups to study Art and Literature, Science, History, and Education. Meetings were held at the home of Mrs. Celia Longyear.

For many years the Lansing Woman’s Club rented meeting space from the Lansing Library and Literary Association, who organized and managed the city’s first member-supported library. Not surprisingly, the two groups claimed several common members. 

The Lansing Woman’s Club broke ground for their very own clubhouse, to be located on West Ottawa Street. James Appleyard, a local contractor and architect, designed and constructed the building. His wife, Augusta Appleyard, was an active LWC member. 

The Lansing Woman’s Club formally dedicated and opened their new clubhouse at 118 W. Ottawa Street. A description of the event ran in the local newspaper. Mrs. Harriet A. Tenney read a history of The Club’s Beginnings written for the occasion. 

The Michigan State Federation of Women’s Clubs held their first state convention in the capital city, hosted by the Lansing Woman’s Club. Irma Jones, a founding member, served as the Federation’s second president. 

The Lansing Woman’s Club added a third floor to their clubhouse. Upon its completion, the Club rented the bottom two floors to tenants. The third floor housed their clubroom.

The Lansing Woman’s Club celebrated its 50th birthday with a year-long jubilee including special musical performances. The year ended with a celebratory luncheon attended by Mrs. Irma Jones, a founding member then in her 80s. 

Louis Untermeyer—American poet, anthologist, critic, and editor of more than 100 books—visited and addressed the Lansing Woman’s Club. Untermeyer returned for a second lecture in 1948. An anthologist whose collections introduced students to contemporary American poetry, he served as a consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1961.

E. M. Delafield, a prolific English author best known for writing the largely autobiographical Diary of a Provincial Lady, spoke to LWC.

Prominent Michigan architect Alden B. Dow of Midland addressed LWC. During his career Dow designed dozens of private homes, commercial, and public buildings in the style that came to be called Michigan Modern. He received the Frank Lloyd Wright Creativity Award in 1982.  

Poet, writer, editor, and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Sandburg lectured before LWC. Best known today for his biography of Abraham Lincoln, Sandburg was considered “a major figure in contemporary literature” during his lifetime.

Members of the Lansing Woman’s Club reenacted their very first meeting to commemorate the group’s seventy-fifth anniversary. Actresses wore historical costumes and portrayed the first twelve women who met to consider forming a study club in the capital city in 1874.

After the city fire marshal declared the third floor meeting room unsafe, the Lansing Woman’s Club met in rented quarters, including the old YWCA.

After much discussion about their future, the Club voted to purchased a house at 624 W. Ottawa Street and convert it into a new clubhouse.

In 1972 the Lansing Woman’s Club made the difficult decision to sell their former clubhouse at 118 W. Ottawa Street. The building was purchased by local business owners, under whose stewardship it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. 

The Lansing Woman’s Club celebrated its centennial. A series of historical programs were presented including “Circa 1874” by Lorry Everhardus, “Early Times 1874-1910” by Virginia Dunn, “The Middle Years 1910-1940” by Harriet Piatt, “Modern Times 1940-1974” by Cathy Bissinger, and “A Century of Seed Thoughts” by Mary Jane Wilson.

Celebrated young-adult fiction author Madeleine L’Engle visited and spoke to LWC. Best known as the author of A Wrinkle in Time, her works reflect her Christian faith and strong interest in science. L’Engle won the Newberry Medal, the National Humanities Medal, and the American Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Award. 

A catastrophic fire seriously damaged the Clubhouse at 624 W. Ottawa in 1996. Members rallied to save their archives and furnishings. 

The current LWC clubhouse was restored in 1997.