The Anchorage Woman’s Club (AWC) is a

woman's club Woman's Club or Women's Club may refer to: *List of women's clubs Woman's club movement in the United States *Woman's club movement in the United States ** **General Federation of Women's Clubs The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), f ...

founded in 1915. It was instrumental in organizing the construction of the first schoolhouse in

Anchorage Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...

History

Mrs. Fredrick Mears and other women organized the Anchorage Woman’s Club in 1915 with the specific goal of establishing a school for the children of the workers building the

Alaska Railroad The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad that operates freight and passenger trains in the state of Alaska. The railroad's mainline runs between Seward, Alaska, Seward on the southern coast and Fairbanks, Alaska, Fairbanks, near the center of ...

. The women were successful in building the Pioneer School House, the first schoolhouse in Anchorage. The AWC is a member of the

General Federation of Women’s Clubs The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of approximately 2,300 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Community Serv ...

. It is community service organization with programs in Arts, Conservation, Education, Home Life, International Outreach, and Public Issues.

Activities

In 1964 the AWC worked to preserve the Pioneer School House after it survived an earthquake. The building was moved eleven blocks and set on a cinder block foundation. The AWC continues to manage the Pioneer School House, now owned by the city of Anchorage listed on the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. It is facilitating renovations following the structure's centennial in 2015.

References

External links

Anchorage Woman's Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anchorage Woman's Club Organizations established in 1915 Women's clubs in the United States History of women in Alaska 1915 establishments in Alaska Anchorage, Alaska