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Saturday Club
1901
06 21 ANNUAL PICNIC
Thursday, June 13th, was an ideal day, and the ladies
of the Saturday Club chose that time to hold their annual picnic at Concordia
Island for the pleasant gathering. Each member was privileged to invite a guest,
and as there are thirty members, quite a goodly company was assembled. Shortly after six o’clock the gentlemen who
were favored with invitations wended their way to the “Island” and in company
with their lady friends partook of the substantial and dainty viands which had
been liberally provided, the ladies proving that if they have literary taste,
they also know how to cater to the appetite.
All united in saying they had passed a pleasant afternoon, and some of
the younger members lingered “yet a little later” captured by the quiet beauty
of the time and place.
11 22 PAPER READ BY MISS MARY CHADWICK
The meeting of the Saturday Club last Tuesday
afternoon at the Young American club rooms in North First Street, was one of
the most interesting in its history. An
entertaining paper on Dean Swist was read by Miss Mary Chadwick, and the
balance of the day’s program was done away with to listen to an address by
Doctor Edward Johnson. Ireland’s history
has been receiving the attention of the club members this season, and they determined
to ask Dr. E. Johnson to address them on the subject. The Doctor kindly consented, and on the above
occasion gave them an interesting account of Ireland’s history from the time
St. Patrick visited Ireland to Daniel O’Connell’s time. On all subjects Dr. Johnson is a very
interesting talker, but on the subject of Ireland, he
excels, and no one ever tires of listening to him when he speaks on Irish
history.
1908
10 09 Shakespearean reader C. E. W. Griffith
secured for meeting WG
1909
02 26 Miss Maude MacPherson, Saturday Club were hostesses at reception tendered to retiring librarian WG
1910
01
21 OFFICERS ELECTED
The following officers were elected to
serve during the coming year: President,
Miss Edna M. Chadwick; Vice President, Miss Elsa Baumann; Secretary, Miss
Stella Hertel, Treasurer, Miss Jennie Needham.
The play “Julius Caesar” by Shakespeare is now being read and studied in
the club. WG
02
25 Washington’s
Birthday Observed WG
1911
04
20 The last regular meeting of the Saturday
Club for the season of 1910 and 1911 was held the
afternoon of Tuesday, April 18th. The
program for the season has been pleasing and instructive and the average
attendance during the year has been exceptionally large. Thursday, April 27th, has been set aside as
Library Day and the members have arranged for a card party to be given at
Masonic Temple the afternoon of that day.
Quite a general invitation has been extended to the ladies of Watertown
to attend this party, the proceeds of which will be given to the public
library. The ladies hope for a general
attendance. The small sum of twenty five cents will be charged. WG
05
04 About one hundred and twenty guests
responded to the invitations issued by the members of the Saturday Club for a
card party given in Masonic Temple assembly room Thursday afternoon, April
27th, the proceeds of which were to be given to the public library. Bridge and duplicate whist [a form of whist
in which the hands are preserved as dealt and played again by other players],
five hundred and cinch were played, and for those who did not care for cards,
other games were provided. Frappe [similar to sherbet] and wafers were served and when the
guests said their adieus there were many expressions of pleasure over the very
enjoyable afternoon they had spent.
ELSON
PRINT. The
Saturday Club held a special business meeting in the magazine room of the
public library Tuesday afternoon, May 2. Reports were received from the committee
having the card party in charge and it was found that $25.00 could be turned
over to the library board. From the club
treasury the sum of $10 was given to the fund being raised for Mr. Gibson, the
blind man whom some of our charitably disposed people are trying to start in
business. It was also possible for the
club to purchase one of the Elson pictures which were on exhibition in the
library last week, Stratford-on-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace. They expect to have the picture framed and
later hung in the club room of the library.
[This citation prompted a search of the storage area of Watertown Public Library and the finding
of this large-size print] WG
1912
-- -- Armistice celebration participant WDT
02 22 COLONIAL PARTY
On this season’s program of the Saturday Club, February 20th is named as Colonial Day, and the members celebrated in a befitting manner the natal day of our first president.
As the hour for the meeting drew near, ladies with powdered hair done in pompadour, puffs and curls, with quaint old-fashioned gowns and some with black patches on their faces, might have been seen wending their way toward the public library.
The south room was appropriately decorated with the “Stars and Stripes,” cherry trees and pictures of Washington; candelabra and single candlesticks with red candles were dis posed about the room and the electric lights were toned down with red shades; the whole effect was very pretty.
Many and varied were the exclamations as modern wraps were cast aside and some demure figure stepped out clad in garb handed down from Grandmother’s time.
After the meeting had been called to order by the president, Miss Elsa Baumann, the members responded to roll call by giving some of Washington’s “Rules of Conduct.”
Little red hatchets were presented each lady, and upon investigation a list of questions was disclosed and they were to find the answers; this created quite a little merriment, Miss Edna Chadwick read Lowell’s “Ode to Washington,” one of the most beautiful poems in the English language. Some pictures of Washington, his home at Mt. Vernon and the surrounding country were shown with the radiopticon and then tea and light refreshments were served from a prettily decorated tea table, Mrs. O. A. Skinner and Miss Jennie Needham presiding.
As the ladies dispersed to their homes they carried with them memories of a very pleasant afternoon.
In the evening a committee of five members of the Saturday Club entertained eighteen of the girls who are employed at the Beals & Torrey shoe factory in the south room of the library. The W. D. Sproesser Co. loaned one of their celebrated Victor machines and fine records. Miss Elsie Sproesser was in charge and some fine music was given and greatly enjoyed. Some games had been arranged which proved entertaining and later an appetizing lunch was served. The evening was much enjoyed by all. WG
04 11 "WHAT HAPPENED TO JONES"
A treat
is in store for the theatre-going public of Watertown in the
near future when the Saturday Club will present "What Happened to
Jones" for the benefit of the public library. "What Happened to Jones" is the
jolliest sort of a farce, clean and sparkling all the
way through. A professor of anatomy is
lured to a prize fight and the police make a raid on the "mill." The professor escapes to his home, followed
by Jones, a traveling salesman, who sells hymn books when he can, and playing
cards when he cannot. The police are on
the trail, so Jones disguises himself by putting on a bishop's garb, and a lot
of funny complications ensue. The other
fun-makers are aided not a little by an escaped lunatic.
This celebrated farce has been a success for years on the professional stage, and the Saturday Club is offering it to our theatre goers by paying a royalty for this one performance. The best amateur talent will fill the thirteen character parts, and rehearsals are under way under the direction of Miss Edna M. Chadwick. The date of producing the same will be announced in these columns later. WG
1915
04 22 SATURDAY CLUB MEETING
The
Saturday Club held the last regular meeting of the season
the afternoon of April 20th. Each member
was privileged to bring a guest and the reading room of the public library was
well filled by an interesting audience.
The program was commemorative of “Bird and Arbor Day” and consisted of a
talk on “Our Garden at the Library” given by Mrs. Eli Fischer, who has done so
much to beautify the yard back of the library building.
The
latest gift to the library consists of three bird houses, two of which were
made by the boys of the manual training class of the high school and the little
wren house was made by Clarence Gloger of the grammar grade. They were put in place by Mr. Eli Fischer and
the Saturday Club. The houses were
dedicated to the use of the birds in a neat address given by Miss Lutkemeyer.
After the
reading the ladies adjourned to the yard to inspect the houses, the flowers,
the elm tree, which was planted a year ago, the shrubbery and the well-kept
lawn.
Returning
to the reading room, the program was continued by the reading of Eugene Fields’
beautiful selection “The Oak and the Ivy” by Miss Edna Chadwick. Miss Herrmann told of the “Birds Seen in My
Garden” their habits, their songs and many other interesting things connected
with our feathered friends. They showed
pictures of nearly all the birds commonly seen here. It was told in a delightful manner.
The program completed, the
club adjourned until the first of next October. WG
1929
04 22 MARKER ERECTED AT FIRST KINDERGARTEN SITE
The Saturday Club erected a memorial marker to designate
the historical significance of the building.
1933
-- -- TIMOTHY JOHNSON
MARKER ERECTED
Saturday Club erected a marker last year to designate the place where
Timothy Johnson, Watertown's first white settler, built his cabin in 1836. 6
1936
-- -- 1936 CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
Ladies of the Saturday Club dressed in old fashioned
gowns to celebrate the 1936 Centennial.
Mrs. Edgar Miller, Mrs. Charles E. Kading, Miss Gladys
Mollart, Mrs. W.S. Waite, Mrs. A.G. Kotchian, Mrs. A.P. Hinkes, Mrs. Elmer
Kiessling, Miss Ella Wilder, Mrs. S.E. Holmes (Timothy Johnson's
granddaughter), and Mrs. Elmer Buegler.
c.1938
-- -- MRS. VICTOR (JANE) WIGGENHORN, PRESIDENT
DONATION OF HISTORICAL MARKER ATTACHED TO PIONEER BARN
1969
05 01 SATURDAY
CLUB GUESTS
Senior
girls of High School and NWC prep
Lucy Schliewe, Rita Polensky, Miss Carol Lane (Shell Oil, featured speaker), Shelby Meschke, Kathy Kaus
05 01 NURSING
SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED / same date
Awarded
to Miss Jean Neis
Miss
Eileen Scott (high school guidance director), Miss Neis, Mrs. William Neis,
Mrs. Clarence Bergmann, scholarship chair
07 17 DRESS COLLECTION OF OCTAGON HOUSE ON
DISPLAY
A committee from the Saturday Club, local branch of the Wisconsin Federation of Women's Clubs, has placed models gowned in dresses from the Octagon House collection in display windows at both Fischer's and Kline's during the current week. There will be other window displays from time to time with the cooperation of local merchants as a feature of the 30th year of operation of the Octagon House by the Watertown Historical Society.
The committee from the Saturday Club functions as a cooperative unit with the Historical Society as part of the Saturday Club's community improvement program.
Mrs. Arnold Buchholz is chairman.
10 67 SATURDAY
CLUB HONOR
Long time
members of the Saturday club were honored at October
meeting. Receiving recognition were Mrs.
O. H. Moen, 47-year member; Miss Gladys Mollart, 50-year member; Mrs. L. H.
Nowack, president; Miss Stella Hertel, a member 61 years.
Retired Watertown High School history teacher Myra MacInnis has been chosen by the clergy roundtable to have her name given to the Main Street bridge in the annual Name the Bridge contest today as part of the River Days celebration. MacInnis taught history for 48 years at Watertown High School. She was nominated by the Saturday Club for her “integrity, character, humor, and love of people.” The club, affiliated with the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, also stressed her continued interest in community affairs, pointing out her activity in the Saturday Club as well as other organizations. WDT
2022
05 19 CLUB NOMINATED NEW OFFICERS
The Saturday Club met at Lindberg’s on the River. The club nominated new officers. It was moved and seconded to retain the current officials. Molly Christianson volunteered to be vice president. Brian Kanz presented information about the Educational Foundation of Watertown.
Several years ago, Ray Kubly, a former school board member, saw the need of teachers who could use some financial help. The organization has been able to give grants to various educators enhancing the classroom experience. High school graduates who have finished a college experience have been the main focus for raising interest and money. The organization has a stable endowment, of which earnings are used for projects. However, more money is needed, so they do fund raising events. Jig Jog, a community race and the Glenn’s Market stand are a couple of them.
As Saturday Club has been giving scholarships to special needs students over the years and resources are limited, another educational need is being considered by the club. The club members voted to donate $1,000 to the Education Foundation of Watertown.
History of Watertown, Wisconsin