"For Ladies Wholly" is how one Boston newspaper of 1889 described the first woman's club being formed in Andover. Clubs for women were being formed in nearly every village, town and city during this time. Like their male counterparts, women also wanted a social outlet for their literary, musical and cultural exchanges.
Miss Elizabeth Handy, on Nov. 7, 1888 called a meeting of 15 "well educated, enterprising and socially elite women" to discuss her idea of starting Andover's first woman's club. It was met with great enthusiasm, and meetings were begun immediately to discuss drafting a constitution, electing officers, establishing membership rules and dues, and forming departments. The first meeting was held at 126 Main St., but after the second and third meetings attracted another 20 members, the club quickly needed a bigger place. Abbot Hall was offered by Headmistress McKeen until a more suitable place could be found.
Now called the "November Club," the members divided themselves up into "departments." The six departments drew upon the members' talents to do research and organize the club's weekly entertainment.
The ladies also reached out to their community, holding events to raise money for local charities, the war efforts and to help in their goal to build and maintain their own clubhouse. One very successful event was a bazaar held at the Town Hall, netting the club $889 of which $200 went towards an Andover free bed for one year at the Lawrence General Hospital. The Clubhouse Association netted the balance and by 1891 (with shares sold for $25 to members) the ladies were able to incorporate and buy the land they needed to build on.
Feb. 22, 1892 saw the dedication of their new clubhouse on Locke Street (then called Love Lane), the first structure in New England to be built to function as a club for women only. The hall was filled with many gifts from its members - lights, chairs, curtains and 225 pieces of china, "varied and dainty in shape" (to be the despair of future refreshment committees when they try to match the cups and saucers).
One event held in 1894 was called the "Dickens Party" and was pronounced a delightful entertainment in what was termed "this age of rush and hurry." A german (a party for dancing) was also given for the young people. Many townspeople will remember the club for the dance lessons it gave to the young, "providing a piece of civility for the children who were in their uncivilized adolescence."
Membership by 1900 was enlarged to 115 enabling the treasurer to give each department $5 with which to provide entertainment. The 25-year anniversary was celebrated by the living pictures arranged by Mr. Pierce. Bessie Goldsmith was the guest speaker at the 50th anniversary luncheon in 1939. She had many memories to share, as her mother had been a member during the club's first year, her father had been the owner of the land chosen for the site of their clubhouse and she was member and often a part of the entertainment.
Departments in the club changed over the years, one department becoming so big it broke off into its own club - the Andover Garden Club.
The November Club membership eventually dropped (from a mid-century high of 500) and in 1985 the clubhouse was sold to the Unitarian Universalist Church with proceeds going to decorate and furnish a November Club Reading Room at the Memorial Hall Library. The club stopped holding meetings in 1989 and voted itself out of existence in 1994. But Andover townspeople, for almost 100 years, had access to many plays, lectures, dances, art shows, banquets and teas thanks to a dedicated and talented group of "Ladies Wholly."
"Andover Stories" is a weekly column about interesting local people and events that was started to celebrate the Andover Historical Society's 100 anniversary in 2011.
