A Guide to the Records of Church Women United of Arlington, 1944-2001
A Collection in Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Collection number RG 97
Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History1015 N. Quincy Street
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 228-5966
Email: localhistory@arlingtonva.us
URL: https://library.arlingtonva.us/center-for-local-history/
© 2018 Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Heather Crocetto
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Records of Church Women United of Arlington, Collection # RG 97, Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Acquisition Information
Gift of Elizabeth Le Roy in 2005 and Josephine Starling in 2006.
Historical Information
On January 20, 1944, representatives from sixteen churches in Arlington met to discuss organizing an Arlington Council of Church Women. The name was changed in 1953 to United Church Women of Arlington and then, finally, to Church Women United (CWU) in 1968.
The national Church Women United describes itself as "a national volunteer Christian ecumenical women's movement." From its beginning in 1941 it has been an interdenominational and interracial group. The national CWU has been a significant leader in developing the churches' role within the Civil Rights movement, the peace movement, and the equal rights movement.
Early in its formation, United Church Women in Arlington advocated for integration of many facilities including hospitals, restaurants, and movie theaters. It also argued for racial equality in matters of churches, schools, housing, and the workplace. In 1952 the Arlington Council started a Child Care Center for Eastern Shore migrant workers and provided supplies and programs. Local child care centers were a few of the other projects in which CWU was a leader.
CWU's calendar revolves around an annual meeting in January, a World Day of Prayer (first Friday in March), May Fellowship Day (first Friday in May), and World Community Day (first Friday in November).
Scope and Content
The files of Church Women United consist of almost 5 linear feet and cover the time period 1944-2001. The collection is arranged into five series. Series 1 comprises the minutes of general meetings, executive committee meetings, forum meetings and other celebrations. The Annual Reports make up Series 2 and Series 3 is the subject files. A pamphlet describing their first 25 years is in the "History" file.
The collection also includes scrapbooks which constitute Series 4 . The archivist completely photocopied the scrapbooks before deconstructing them for preservation purposes. All original materials were kept, except for newspaper clippings. Clippings were photocopied with the rest of the scrapbook and originals thrown away for preservation purposes. Scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings, notices of meetings and celebrations, pamphlets and bulletins to promote local, regional, and national events, financial reports, annual reports, marketing materials to promote Church Women United (in Arlington and the larger organization), and in the later years, photographs.
A group of unfiled and unlabeled papers were placed in separate files chronologically. These constitute Series 5 , and this is the location for the files for the most recent years. When appropriate some of these papers were incorporated into the subject and meeting files. The files contain information and flyers about other meetings, the Virginia CWU as well a few of the publications of the national CWU ( Churchwoman ) and Lead Time .
Series 6, Audio-visual materials, includes one videotape of Creating a Life that appeared on Arlington Community TV, December 20, 1990.
Arrangement
The order and division of the files are essentially the same as when the files were donated to the Center for Local History. All file names are the same as labeled by the CWU with the exception of Series 5 as noted above. Most files are in chronological order, such as the minutes, annual reports and scrapbooks, and the subject files are in alphabetical order. Some files include photographs and are indicated by an asterisk (*). Though the scrapbooks in Series 4 are arranged chronologically, the photocopied scrapbooks and contents of originals after deconstruction are in separate folders. The file(s) containing the photocopied scrapbook are placed before the file(s) containing the original contents. Files are marked in the finding aid as either "Scrapbook Photocopy" or "Scrapbook Originals" to differentiate the two. It is recommended researchers consult the photocopied scrapbooks before the originals. For example, newspaper clippings are only available in the photocopied files. Originals were not kept due to preservation purposes. The photocopied scrapbooks also allow the researcher to see how the creators of the scrapbooks arranged and grouped the materials on the page.
Related Material
Records relating to church groups are RG 6, Arlington County Churches ; RG 77, Women's Aid Society, Presbyterian Church of Ballston, VA ; and RG 123, Rock Springs Congregational United Church of Christ .
Other record groups pertaining to women's organizations in Arlington County are RG 16, Arlington County Federation of Women's Clubs ; RG 17, Organized Women Voters of Arlington County ; and RG 44, The League of Women Voters .
Since Church Women United was instrumental in the establishment of a prayer room at the Arlington Hospital (now the Virginia Hospital Center) and promoting the integration of the hospital, the researcher may be interested in RG 125, Virginia Hospital Center Records and RG 48, Records of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Arlington Branch .
Index Terms
- Arlington (Va.)
- Arlington County (Va.)
- Christian women -- Religious life.
- Church Women United
- Women -- Religious life.
- Women -- United States -- Societies and clubs.
- Women in community organization
Subjects:
Significant Places Associated With the Collection
- Arlington (Va.)
- Arlington County (Va.)
Contents List
- Subseries 1: General Minutes
- Box 1
File 1: Minutes, 1944-1948
- Box 1
File 2: Minutes, 1948-1954
- Box 1
File 3: Minutes, 1955-1959
- Box 1
File 4: Minutes, 1961-1962
- Box 1
File 5: Minutes, 1963-1967
- Box 1
File 6: Minutes, 1970-1974
- Box 1
File 7: Minutes, 1975-1979
- Box 1
File 8: Minutes, 1980-1982
- Box 1
- Subseries 2: Minutes, Celebrations and Annual Meetings
- Box 1
File 1: Minutes, Celebrations and Annual Meeting, 1970-1974
- Box 1
File 2: Minutes, Celebrations and Annual Meeting, 1975-1980
- Box 2
File 3: Minutes, Celebrations and Annual Meeting, 1981-1984
- Box 2
File 4: Minutes, Celebrations and Annual Meeting, 1985-1987
- Box 2
File 5: Minutes, Celebrations and Annual Meeting, 1987-1990
- Box 2
File 6: Minutes, Celebrations and Annual Meeting, 1991-1999
- Box 1
- Subseries 3: Minutes, Executive Committee
- Box 2
File 1: Minutes, Executive Board, 1959
- Box 2
File 2: Minutes, Executive Board, 1960
- Box 2
File 3: Minutes, Executive Committee, 1965-1970
- Box 2
File 4: Minutes, Executive Committee, 1978, 1980
- Box 2
File 5: Minutes, Executive Committee, 1981
- Box 2
File 6: Minutes, Executive Committee, 1983-1987
- Box 3
File 7: Minutes, Executive Committee, 1987-1990
- Box 3
File 8: Minutes, Executive Committee, 1991-1998*
- Box 2
- Subseries 4: Minutes, Forum
- Box 3
File 1: Minutes, Forum, 1980
- Box 3
File 2: Minutes, Forum, 1981
- Box 3
File 3: Minutes, Forum, 1983-1987
- Box 3
File 4: Minutes, Forum, 1987-1990
- Box 3
File 5: Minutes, Forum, 1990-1995
- Box 3
- Box 3
File 1: Annual Reports, 1951-1965
- Box 3
File 2: Annual Reports, 1966-1971
- Box 3
File 3: Annual Reports, 1974-1977
- Box 4
File 4: Annual Reports, 1978-1983
- Box 4
File 5: Annual Reports, 1984-1987
- Box 4
File 6: Annual Reports, 1988-1991
- Box 4
File 1: Arlington Council, 1961
- Box 4
File 2: Arlington Council, 1962
- Box 4
File 3: Arlington Council, 1964
- Box 4
File 4: Arlington Council, 1975
- Box 4
File 5: Arlington Hospital Chaplaincy, 1964-1997
- Box 4
File 6: Arlington Hospital Prayer Room, 1965-1983*
- Box 4
File 7: Attendance, 1983-1990
- Box 4
File 8: By-Laws, 1968-1985
- Box 4
File 9: Christian Social Relations Committee, 1951-1959
- Box 5
File 10: Christian Social Relations Committee, 1960-1966
- Box 5
File 11: Correspondence, 1975
- Box 5
File 12: Fund for the Fifth Decade, 1981-1986
- Box 5
File 13: General Data, 1965-1987
- Box 5
File 14: History, 1944-1994
- Box 5
File 15: Life Membership File, 1974
- Box 5
File 16: Membership Lists, 1971-1973
- Box 5
File 17: Membership Lists, 1974-1975
- Box 5
File 18: Membership Pamphlets, 1951-1997
- Box 5
- Box 5
- Box 6
File 21: Programs, 1963-1995
- Box 6
File 22: Projects, 1997-1998
- Box 6
File 23: Treasurer's Report, 1950-1984
- Box 6
File 24: Treasurer's Report, 1986-1991
- Box 6
File 25: Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1990-1995
- Box 6
File 26: United Church Women, 1967
- Subseries 1: Scrapbooks and Press Clippings
* Files have photographs
- Box 6
File 1: Arlington Council of United Church Women Scrapbook Photocopy, 1944-1952: 1944-1950
- Box 6
File 2: Arlington Council of United Church Women Scrapbook Photocopy, 1944-1952: 1947-1952
- Box 6
File 3: "Arlington Council of United Church Women," Scrapbook Originals, 1944-1952 (1)
- Box 6
File 4: "Arlington Council of United Church Women," Scrapbook Originals, 1944-1952 (2)
- Box 6
File 5: Arlington Council of United Church Women Scrapbook Photocopy, 1952-1959: 1952-1955
- Box 7
File 6: Arlington Council of United Church Women Scrapbook Photocopy, 1952-1959: 1952-1955Physical Location: (Tall Document Box, see top shelf)
- Box 7
File 7: Arlington Council of United Church Women Scrapbook Photocopy, 1952-1959: 1955-1959Physical Location: (Tall Document Box, see top shelf)
- Box 7
File 8: "Arlington Council of United Church Women," Scrapbook Originals, 1952-1959 (1)Physical Location: (Tall Document Box, see top shelf)
- Box 7
File 9: "Arlington Council of United Church Women," Scrapbook Originals, 1952-1955 (2)Physical Location: (Tall Document Box, see top shelf)
- Box 7
File 10: Arlington Council of United Church Women, 1960-1962, and United Church Women of Arlington, 1963-1967 and Church Women United in Arlington, 1968 Photocopy: 1960-1965Physical Location: (Tall Document Box, see top shelf)
- Box 7
File 11: Arlington Council of United Church Women, 1960-1962, and United Church Women of Arlington, 1963-1967 and Church Women United in Arlington, 1968 Photocopy: 1965-1968*Physical Location: (Tall Document Box, see top shelf)
- Box 7
File 12: Arlington Council of United Church Women, 1960-1962, and United Church Women of Arlington, 1963-1967 and Church Women United in Arlington, 1968 Photocopy: 1969-1970*Physical Location: (Tall Document Box, see top shelf)
- Box 8
File 13: "Arlington Council of United Church Women, 1960-1962, and United Church Women of Arlington, 1963-1967 and Church Women United in Arlington, 1968," Scrapbook Originals, 1960-1970 (1)
- Box 8
File 14: "Arlington Council of United Church Women, 1960-1962, and United Church Women of Arlington, 1963-1967 and Church Women United in Arlington, 1968," Scrapbook Originals, 1960-1970 (2)
- Box 8
File 15: "Arlington Council of United Church Women, 1960-1962, and United Church Women of Arlington, 1963-1967 and Church Women United in Arlington, 1968," Scrapbook Originals, 1960-1970 (3)
- Box 8
File 16: Church Women United, 1970-1975-6 (part) Scrapbook Photocopy: 1970-1971
- Box 9
File 17: Church Women United, 1970-1975-6 (part) Scrapbook Photocopy: 1972-1976*
- Box 9
File 18: "Church Women United," Scrapbook Originials, 1972-1976*
- Box 9
File 19: Church Women United, 1976 (part)-1985 Scrapbook Photocopy: 1976-1980*
- Box 9
File 20: Church Women United, 1976 (part)-1985 Scrapbook Photocopy: 1980-1983*
- Box 9
File 21: Church Women United, 1976 (part)-1985 Scrapbook Photocopy: 1983-1985*
- Box 10
File 22: Church Women United Scrapbook Originals, 1976-1985 (1)
- Box 10
File 23: Church Women United Scrapbook Originals, 1976-1985 (2)
- Box 10
File 24: Church Women United Records, 1986-1993 Scrapbook Photocopy: 1986-1988*
- Box 10
File 25: Church Women United Records, 1986-1993 Scrapbook Photocopy: 1989-1991*
- Box 10
File 26: Church Women United Records, 1986-1993 Scrapbook Photocopy: 1991-1993*
- Box 11
File 27: "Church Women United Records," Scrapbook Originals, 1986-1993 (1)
- Box 11
File 28: "Church Women United Records," Scrapbook Originals, 1986-1993 (2)
- Box 11
File 29: Church Women United Scrapbook Photocopy, 1994
- Box 11
File 30: Church Women United Scrapbook Originals, 1994
- Box 6
- Subseries 2: Pamphlets
- Box 11
File 1: Paphlets
- Box 11