Punta Gorda Woman's Club

Women's clubs formed around the country in the 1800s to provide a place where women could socialize, participate in intellectual activities, and work to improve their local communities. The first club in Florida was established in 1887 in the town of Green Cove Springs. In the coming years, a number of other clubs formed in the state, which prompted the establishment of the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs in 1895 in Green Cove Springs. Three years later, the Federation became a member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, which is a national women's organization founded in 1890.

As stated above, the Punta Gorda Woman's Club was founded in 1925 by merging three local women's organizations. Judge William Fenmore Cooper, who lived in Illinois but owned property in Punta Gorda, donated land for the club's building. The building features a curved parapet and a triple-arched entrance. Among its many activities over the years, the club collected clothes for residents after a hurricane in 1928, raised funds for a nursery, and provided entertainment for service members during World War II. In the 1930s, members also started to collect books for lending to the public. The size of the collection grew to 5,000 by 1951. A library was built in the late 1950s and the club operated it until it became part of the county's library system.

"Our Buildings." Punta Gorda Historical Society. Accessed March 15, 2021. https://www.puntagordahistory.com/about.

Taylor, Tulie W. "Punta Gorda Woman's Club." April 5, 1991. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_FL/91000382.pdf.