DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Twentieth Century Club of Weatherford, Texas. Now, February 8, 1900 — that's a date worth rememberin'. The new century hadn't even caught its breath yet, and already twenty-nine women in Weatherford had decided they weren't going to wait around to see what it would bring.
They were going to shape it. That very day, they organized the Twentieth Century Club. And before that year was out, they'd affiliated with the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs, plantin' their flag in something bigger than themselves.
For the first several years, the club met in members' private homes. No fanfare, no fixed address — just purpose movin' from parlor to parlor. They were workin' in four areas: world affairs, fine arts, home science, and green thumb.
That's a wide net to cast, and they cast it deliberately. By 1916, the club was ready for a home of its own. They purchased property at the northeast corner of South Main and East Lee Streets in Weatherford, earmarked for a proper clubhouse.
But then the world had other plans. World War I came along and delayed construction. The club waited.
And when the modest structure was finally completed in 1923, it offered a meeting room, a kitchen, and a restroom. Nothing extravagant — but it was theirs. They weren't done buildin', though.
In 1941, a library went in, and an enlarged meeting room with a raised stage. That same year, a cross-gabled addition on the west elevation doubled the size of the facility. What had started as a rectangular plan frame building with paired windows had grown into something that could hold a community.
And hold a community it did. During World War II, the clubhouse became home to a USO club for troops stationed at nearby Fort Wolters. Soldiers far from home found a little bit of welcome in that building on South Main and East Lee.
Over the decades, the club kept reaching outward. In 1966, they spearheaded a restoration and beautification project at Holland Lake. They've offered local scholarships.
They've provided books and school supplies to Weatherford Independent School District. They've supported Meals on Wheels, and Dental Health for Parker County. Fledgling church congregations have been invited to meet at the facility.
Political forums, weddings, anniversaries, recitals — the clubhouse has held them all. Twenty-nine women on a February morning at the turn of a century, deciding to get to work. More than a hundred years later, the work is still going.
That's not a footnote — that's a throughline.
What the marker says
ON FEBRUARY 8, 1900, A GROUP OF TWENTY-NINE WEATHERFORD WOMEN ORGANIZED THE TWENTIETH CENTURY CLUB. THE CLUB WAS FEDERATED AS AN AFFILIATE OF THE TEXAS FEDERATION OF WOMEN’S CLUBS LATER THAT YEAR. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, THE CLUB’S MEMBERSHIP HAS BETTERED THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE FOUR AREAS OF WORLD AFFAIRS, FINE ARTS, HOME SCIENCE, AND GREEN THUMB. FOR THE FIRST SEVERAL YEARS OF THE CLUB’S EXISTENCE, THE GROUP MET IN MEMBERS’ PRIVATE HOMES. IN 1916, PROPERTY AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF SOUTH MAIN AND EAST LEE STREETS WAS PURCHASED FOR THE BUILDING OF A CLUBHOUSE. ALTHOUGH WORLD WAR I DELAYED CONSTRUCTION, THE MODEST STRUCTURE WAS COMPLETED IN 1923 AND PROVIDED A MEETING ROOM, KITCHEN AND RESTROOM. A LIBRARY AND AN ENLARGED MEETING ROOM WITH A RAISED STAGE WERE COMPLETED IN 1941. DURING WORLD WAR II, THE CLUB HOSTED A USO CLUB FOR TROOPS FROM NEARBY FORT WOLTERS. COMMUNITY OUTREACH HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY CLUB’S ACTIVITIES SINCE ITS FORMATION. IN 1966, THE CLUB SPEARHEADED THE RESTORATION AND BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT AT HOLLAND LAKE. THE GROUP OFFERS LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS, PROVIDES BOOKS AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES TO WEATHERFORD INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND SUPPORTS SEVERAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS MEALS ON WHEELS AND DENTAL HEALTH FOR PARKER COUNTY. THE CLUBHOUSE HAS BEEN THE SITE OF POLITICAL FORUMS, WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARIES AND RECITALS. FLEDGLING CHURCH CONGREGATIONS HAVE ALSO BEEN INVITED TO MEET AT THE FACILITY. ORIGINALLY A RECTANGULAR PLAN FRAME BUILDING WITH PAIRED WINDOWS, A CROSS-GABLED ADDITION ON THE WEST ELEVATION IN 1941 DOUBLED THE SIZE OF THE FACILITY.