MS 275 - Findlay Garden Club Collection
MLA Citation
“MS 275 - Findlay Garden Club Collection.” Finding Aids. BGSU University Libraries, 20 Mar. 2014, lib.bgsu.edu/finding_aids/items/show/1398. Accessed 17 June 2025.
Tags
| Title | MS 275 - Findlay Garden Club Collection |
|---|---|
| Introduction | The records of the Findlay Garden Club of Findlay, Ohio (1934-1982) were donated to the Center for Archival Collections, Bowling Green State University, on November 30, 1982. The collection was transferred by Ann Bowers, Curator of Manuscripts, Center for Archival Collections, with the cooperation of the Findlay Garden Club, Mrs. Walter Light, President. The records of this organization consist of minutes, attendance and guest books, and scrapbooks. Literary and property rights have been dedicated to the public. The collection was processed and the register written by Lee N. McLaird, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections in January 2007. |
| Agency History | The Findlay Garden Club organized at its first meeting on January 17, 1934, with the goal of encouraging gardening, local beautification, and conservation. The club is a member of Region II of the Ohio Association of Garden Clubs. From the first year, the club has been active in educational programs and community beautification projects. Beginning in 1936, the club has sponsored an annual flower show. Programs feature topics on plant and garden care. Beautification projects are selected at public sites around the city of Findlay, with the club purchasing and installing plantings at libraries, museums, and the downtown area. |
| Scope and Content | The activities of the Findlay Garden Club are recorded in detail through the minutes, which cover a period of some twenty-five years, from 1934-1962. Minutes include the date, time, and place of each meeting, club activities and program. Treasurer's reports are summarized here. The minutes are supplemented by notes of the social chair and club correspondence, dating from the 1970s. Membership can be documented in part by attendance and guest registers and occasional rosters. An excellent source of information about club activities is the series of scrapbooks prepared from the 1960s to 1970s, documenting beautification projects and competitions sponsored by the club members. Complete garden plans, lists of plantings, newsclippings, correspondence, and photographs record each project, sometimes requiring more than one scrapbook volume to document. There are only scattered examples of other club records in the collection. The annual Flower Show is documented from 1936-1944 through the judge's book, which records the names of members, their entries, and classification. A series of club and event programs beginning in the late 1940s, covering to the mid-1960s gives greater detail on the educational topics of meetings and on the type of public programming the club participated in. A small number of certificates, newsclippings, and photographs complete the collection. |
| Series Description | PROCEEDINGS MINUTES 1936-1962 Arranged chronologically Includes date, time, and place of meeting, business conducted and program presented. Attendance and financial records may also be included. MEMBERSHIP RECORDS 1946-1970s Arranged chronologically Attendance registers listing member name and date of meeting attendance; one volume guest register, listing meeting date and name of guest; also includes lists of member names CORRESPONDENCE CORRESPONDENCE 1962-1979 (scattered dates) Arranged chronologically Includes business correspondence of the club SUBJECT/CASE FILES NOTES Ca. 1970-1979 Arranged chronologically Notes by social secretary and other members about event meetings and general business meetings; may include written tributes to members FLOWER SHOW JUDGE'S BOOK 1936-1944 Arranged chronologically Lists entrant name, entry, section and class for several years of flower shows SCRAPBOOKS AND SCRAPBOOK MATERIAL SCRAPBOOKS 1962-1979 (scattered dates) Arranged chronologically Includes newspaper clippings, photographs, garden plans, printed material and miscellaneous items documenting club projects and activities PRINTED MATERIAL CERTIFICATES 1960s-1970s No arrangement Membership and award certificates presented to the club PROGRAMS 1940s-1970s Arranged chronologically Includes annual program booklets of the club as well as event programs sponsored by the club or attended by members BOOKLETS 1964, 1969 No arrangement Includes "The Role of the Garden Club in Community Beautification" and a list of clubs and organizations in Findlay. PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS 1964-1969 No arrangement Black and white and color photographs of club projects, including planters in downtown Findlay. |
| Inventory | Box 1 Folder
Box 2 Folders
Box 3 Folders
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