Information Sheet

 

 

R         Lebanon Shakespeare Club (Lebanon, Mo.).

300                  Records, ca. 1882-1982.

                                    Twenty-three folders and four volumes.

 

 

THIS COLLECTION IS IN OFF-SITE STORAGE. AT LEAST TWO DAYS ADVANCE NOTICE IS REQUIRED FOR RESEARCH USE.

 

These are records of a women’s literary club at Lebanon, Laclede County, Missouri.  The col­lec­tion includes minute books, financial reports, attendance records, annual programs, scrap­books, pho­tographs, and miscellaneous papers.

 

The Lebanon Shakespeare Club was a women’s study club, the first of its kind to be or­gan­ized in Laclede County.  It was established in January 1882 by Mrs. Mary P. Wallace, who was said to have been inspired by Lillie Langtry’s performances of Shakespeare’s As You Like It.  In­formal meetings to study Shakespeare and his works led to weekly gatherings and formal organi­zation by the end of 1882.  Membership was limited to the maximum number the homes of its members could accommodate for meetings.  The waiting list for membership was exten­sive and invitations to join the club or attend its meetings were highly prized.  For many years its annual birthday celebration was an important event in the social and educational life of the com­munity.

 

Shakespeare was generally the theme at the weekly meetings, but members also delved into literature, history, and natural science.  The club’s greatest impact on the community was the crea­tion of a public library.  It began as a small collection of books made available to the public at various local businesses and schools.  The collection gained a permanent home in the 1930s, when the club was given the chapter house of the American Woman’s League.  The club donated the building to the city of Lebanon after a library tax was approved by voters in 1938.

 

The membership in the Shakespeare Club began to dwindle in the 1940s.  The gradual de­cline continued until 1982, when it became apparent that the demise of the club soon would be ac­complished by attrition.  The remaining members voted to disband on 23 April 1982.

 

The club’s records consist of minutes of meetings, data on membership and finances, an­nual programs, scrapbooks, and miscellaneous papers.  The records are generally more com­plete for the first half of the club’s existence.  The most complete series consists of the annual pro­grams, which list the officers, club meetings, and committee assignments for the year.  The earli­est years of the club are best recorded in the minute books and scrapbooks.  Among the materials in the scrap­books are ephemera connected with the club’s events, as well as photo­graphs of most of the earli­est members.

 

 

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