The University of Iowa Libraries

The Cary Club of Marion, Iowa was founded in 1878 with six charter members. The club was named in honor of two sisters, Alice and Phoebe Cary; nineteenth century poets. The sister's motto, "Thank God for the work he lets me do. I'm glad to live in the world with you," the club adopted as their own. For a short time after its founding the club was disbanded but reorganized in 1889. The objective of the club was the intellectual improvement of its members. Discussions and programs were given at the twice monthly meetings on varied topics including book reviews, historical subjects, and current events. During 1898 and 1899 as part of its program the group wrote a story titled "Wrecked Where We Least Expect." Several of the members contributed on or more chapters to the final manuscript. The entire work was recopied in longhand by one of the members and it took up nine volumes.

The Cary Club of Marion, Iowa records date from 1883 to 1980 and measure 1.5 linear feet. The records are arranged alphabetically. The bulk of the collection consists of the record books of minutes that span form 1883 to 1980 and the nine volumes of "Wrecked Where We Least Expect--A Story by the Cary Club." The rest of the collection includes a written history of the club from 1878 to 1969, yearly program booklets from 1889 to 1976, a few newspaper clippings, one group photograph from 1959, and a bronze marker originally placed on a World War I memorial tree that later died.

Alternate Extent Statement: Photographs in Box 4

Access: The records are open for research.

Use: Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa.

Acquisition: The records (donor no. 360) were donated by the Marion Public Library in 1996.

Preferred Citation: Cary Club of Marion Iowa records, Iowa Women's Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City.

Repository:	Iowa Women's Archives
Address:	100 Main Library University of Iowa Libraries Iowa City, IA 52242
Phone:	319-335-5068
Curator:	Kären Mason
Email:	lib-women@uiowa.edu
Website:	http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa

This collection is indexed under the following subject terms.

Personal Names:
Cary, Alice, 1820-1871
Cary, Phoebe, 1824-1871

Corporate Names:
Cary Club (Marion, Iowa)

Dates:
1880-1889
1890-1899
20th century

Topics:
Clubs
Women
Intellectual life
Books and reading

Geographic Names:
Marion (Iowa)

Genre/Form of Materials:
Archives
Administrative records
Photographs

Browse:
Women's Clubs and Organizations