The Avon Park Woman’s Club
The Avon Park Woman’s Club was organized following the 1913 municipal incorporation of Avon Park to coordinate civic improvement, public education support, library services, and community beautification on the Lake Wales Ridge.[maxwell-1976]
Founding and the Public Library
The club was organized in 1913 under the leadership of Mrs. William M. Reck, who relocated from Rock Island, Illinois, with her husband, builder William M. Reck.[maxwell-1976]
- Library Sponsorship: Recognizing the absence of a municipal library, the Woman’s Club initiated book drives and maintained the town’s first lending collection in temporary quarters, later hiring Lois Wood as the first paid librarian.[maxwell-1976][hlc-web]
- Civic Beautification: The club partnered with the Avon Park Chamber of Commerce in 1923 to support the landscape design and planting of the Mile Long Mall with jacaranda trees and tropical ornamentals.[maxwell-1976]
- PTA and School Support: Members collaborated with the local Parent-Teacher Association to equip the Avon Park High School auditorium and provide hot lunches for school children during the Great Depression.
Hosting the 1933 State Federation Convention
From 14 to 17 March 1933, the Avon Park Woman’s Club served as the host organization for the 39th Annual Statewide Convention of the Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs (FFWC).[brooksville-1933-03-23]
- Venues: Delegations from across Florida were lodged at the Hotel Jacaranda and convened general sessions at the Avon Park High School auditorium.
- Statewide Policy Impact: During the Avon Park sessions, the convention adopted landmark policy resolutions, including Resolution No. 14, which demanded that the Florida Legislature prioritize state revenue distributions to maintain public schools facing closure over the State Road Department’s $14,000,000 highway construction budget.[brooksville-1933-03-23]
Postwar Expansion and Permanent Facilities
Following World War II, the civic work of the Woman’s Club was continued by second-generation leaders, notably Winifred Reck Todd (Mrs. Edward G. Todd), who organized the public campaign to erect the freestanding Avon Park Public Library facility at 100 North Museum Avenue on Lake Verona.[maxwell-1976]
References
- maxwell-1976 — Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell. The First Hundred Years of Avon Park, Florida. 1976. the-first-hundred-years-of-avon-park_leoma-bradshaw-maxwell_1976.md
- hlc-web — Heartland Library Cooperative. Heartland Library Cooperative: Avon Park Public Library. 2026. https://myhlc.org/
- brooksville-1933-03-23 — The Brooksville Journal (Brooksville, Fla.). Editorial page, The Brooksville Journal, 23 March 1933, page 2, reporting Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs convention at Avon Park. 23 March 1933. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn95047246/1933-03-23/ed-1/?sp=2
Related
- Finding: The 1933 Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs Convention at Avon Park
- Entity: The Avon Park Public Library
- Entity: Hotel Jacaranda
- Report: Lodges and Clubs of Avon Park
- Report: Public Buildings and Civic Facilities
Where this comes from
- Evidence
- corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
- Review
- unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
- Rights
- society
Sources
- Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell, The First Hundred Years of Avon Park, Florida (Held at the Avon Park Historical Society Depot Museum, Avon Park, Florida) (1976) · book
- Heartland Library Cooperative, Heartland Library Cooperative: Avon Park Public Library (2026)
- The Brooksville Journal (Brooksville, Fla.), Editorial page, The Brooksville Journal, 23 March 1933, page 2, reporting Florida Federation of Women's Clubs convention at Avon Park (1933)
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