The University of Iowa Libraries

The Booster Women´s Club was organized in Fort Madison in 1947 as the Booster Girls. The group was formed after a pleasant afternoon spent playing Po-Ke-No. All of the members of the organization were young African-American women. The club began as a forum for the women to enjoy each other´s company and play cards. The organization had, by 1965, broadened from card playing to fundraising and supporting local charities. The women provided financial support for widows, churches, children with disabilities and activities at the Iowa State Penitentiary. By the mid-1980s, the name of the club changed from Booster Girls to the Booster Women´s Club to reflect the maturity of the membership. A number of the club members played an important role in the community as activists and leaders. The annual highlight of club activities was the Christmas party and gift exchange. After its Fifty-first Anniversary in 1998, the group disbanded because there was insufficient interest in the community to maintain a minimum membership.

The Booster Women's Club (Fort Madison, Iowa) records date from 1947 to 1998 and measure 2.5 linear inches. They consist primarily of the organization's record and dues books as well as a number of newspaper clippings about club meetings. Many of the newspaper clippings are undated, but they range from the 1940s to the 1990s. The record books contain minutes of meetings and accounts of the various club activities. In the record book from 1947-1998, there is a narrative documenting the history of the club. There are also a number of letters, notes and funeral programs of deceased members.

Access: The records are open for research.

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

Acquisition: The records (donor no. 441) were donated by Marjorie Marsh in 1999.

Preferred Citation: Booster Women's Club (Fort Madison, 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.

Corporate Names:
Booster Women's Club (Fort Madison, Iowa)

Dates:
20th century

Topics:
Women in charitable work
Clubs
Women in community organization
African American women
Women
Girls

Geographic Names:
Fort Madison (Iowa)

Genre/Form of Materials:
Administrative records
Archives

Browse:
African American Women in Iowa