More Kensington Stores
From Half a Century of Club Life: 1899-1949 by Anna H. Farrell
Woman's Club of Kensington
Fall 2001
(A special thank you to the Woman's Club of Kensington
for sharing this glimpse into Kensington's early years.)
They gathered at the home of Mrs. J. Harry Cunningham at
the corner of Howard and Fawcett Avenues….and there this Woman's
Club of Kensington was born….
…on the 20th of June, 1902, by a vote of the Club these
ladies ceased to be ladies and became women forever more....
…They asked the town council to order all straying
chickens to their own yards; they helped pay the salary of the school
janitor; they canvassed the town for the support of the Library and in
fact, the support of the Library has been of paramount interest to the
club throughout its history. Money has been raised in various ways for
its decoration and repair and for books on many occasions.
They gathered at the home of Mrs. J. Harry Cunningham [for
their first meeting on October 20, 1899] at the corner of Howard and Fawcett
Avenues (known to us as the old Fawcett house) and there this Woman's
Club of Kensington was born....Mrs. Cunningham remembers that for that
first meeting her mother made fresh ginger-bread for their refreshment-and
they also had some grapes....
A Constitution and Bylaws were adopted and officers elected.
President-Mrs. Hartshorn, of course. She was their leader then and as
long as she lived was the guiding spirit of the club.... Mrs. Hartshorn-a
club woman from the West who had actually voted! She knew so much! Her
austere dignity was awe inspiring, but how they followed her and how soon
they grew to love her!...And now today, fifty years later, we have a dear
daughter-in-law leading her beloved club.
....At the 3rd meeting in 1899 the assignment to one member
for the next meeting was "Current Events" and she was to cover
what had transpired in the intervening two weeks in "all quarters
of the Globe"-and that was to be just a little addition to the regular
program.
From the 5th Meeting's Program:
Parliamentary Drill by Miss Thomas
Paper on Discoveries of Columbus and Others by Miss Perry
Paper on Spanish Conquests by Mill Milliken
Paper on Settlements of New England and Virginia by Miss
Langille
The last paper was a Criticism of the previous meeting by
Mrs. Thompson.
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