Lake Shore Women’s Club Article – Sept. 5, 1970

For this blog’s Avon Lake friends, here’s an article that ran in the Journal back on September 5, 1970.

It’s the story of The Lake Shore Women’s Club, the “pioneer women's organization in Avon Lake" that was celebrating its 100th Anniversary at that time.

As the article notes, “The parent organization was founded in August 1870, when the community was farmland and sparsely settled. Homes were far apart and neighbors saw each other only occasionally. The housewives could not walk down the road to visit, or talk over the fence with a neighbor. The women spent most of their time at household duties. There were no organizations for social purposes, a need felt mostly by the women who were apt to feel the loneliness more than their husbands since their outdoor occupations and trips to the various farms gave them an opportunity to make friends.

“It was agreed by several of the women that a united effort be made to form a group to meet at set times every month to become better acquainted with each other and to do something which would benefit the village."

The group remained true to their original goals, as the 1970 article mentions the group’s recent project of renovating and furnishing the Peter Miller Homestead (which I wrote about here) into a museum.

So is the organization still around for its 150th Anniversary?

Well, in spirit, yes. As noted on the Heritage Avon Lake website, “The final meeting was held August 7, 2015, and all remaining members, as well as their assets and legacy, joined the Avon Lake Historical Society.