Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Elizabethton Business and Professional Women’s Club this year is celebrating its 100th anniversary, which was marked Tuesday evening with a proclamation signing by Elizabethton Mayor Bill Carter. The proclamation signing was witnessed by club members as well as club president Amber Farley, who also serves as the Tennessee state president.

The club dates back to April 1935, when approximately 15 businesswomen met at the Elizabethton Chamber of Commerce, then located in the old Lynnwood Hotel, for the purpose of organizing a Business and Professional Women’s Club. Among those present at the meeting were J.B. Milles, Elizabethton Chamber president, who presided at the meeting; several members of the Johnson City B&PW Club, which served as the “mother club” of the Elizabethton organization; and Miss Mae Ross, state president, who also aided in the club’s organization.

The Elizabethton B&PW Club is the second-oldest civic organization in Elizabethton.

Mrs. L.W. Brown, local educator, was elected the first president and continued to be active in the club for a number of years. During her tenure as president, she worked out the articles of the organization, made a campaign for new members, and coordinated the program with that of the Johnson City club. The Elizabethton club had 15 charter members. Today, the club has 20 active members. However, in the mid to late 1900s, the local B&PW club enjoyed a large and active membership made up of various professionals, including nurses, teachers, a real estate agent, insurance agent, business owners, doctors and lawyers, and various other professions represented in the club membership.

Perhaps one of the club’s most notable achievements was the establishment of the Elizabethton Public Library. The idea of a library was conceived during the administration of Vina Betterly, the club’s third president. The J.Q. Adams house on Elk Avenue, at the time located three doors above the Kress building, was rented for a library. Mollie Taylor was the first librarian, and her assistants were Grace Shell and Pauline Pinson. High school students served on a volunteer basis. The library was started with a donation of $35,000 and 5,000 books.

The library was housed in temporary locations until 1949, when the club’s efforts through fundraisers resulted in a new library building, which was deeded to the city for operation of a library. For the next 42 years, the library occupied the building at 222 N. Sycamore St., while its collection of books grew from 5,000 to more than 32,000.

In 1992, when the post office moved to its present location on W. Elk Avenue, the post office building on Sycamore Street across from the former library was converted into the present-day library. Its collection of books has grown enormously, and the library, in addition to books, offers computer use, archival research, a seed library, as well as various programs for people of all ages.

Other presidents who worked to further the library cause were Grace Shell, Cora York, Edith Chisenhall, Charlene Kelly, Gretchen Hyder, Pauline Brumit, Louise Hurst, and Mary Hagler.

During the administration of Mary Shultz, the club was incorporated, and the trustees were replaced by a new board of directors composed of Marcella Brown, Mary Brumit, Nana Carden, Margaret Ellis, Ruth Scott, Martha Shull, and Ms. Shultz.

The club was instrumental in sponsoring a Girls Club and through the years has been active in the United Way, Red Cross, and many other community projects.

The current club sponsors local and statewide scholarships, conducts food collections for ARM Ministries, and provides Christmas gifts for Ivy Hall residents.

More recent presidents have included Joan Crow, Lorena Dance, Elsa Bucher, Florence Presson, Bea Gouge, Betty Kimbrell, and Margie Gouge.

During the club’s 100-year history, four members have served as state president, including Hallie Riner, Virginia Davis, Robin McKamey, and Amber Farley, the current state president, who is also the local B&PW Club president. She has served as president since 2021.

Other officers include Robin McKamey, vice president; Pam Rathburn, secretary; and Kristi DeMoss, treasurer.

The Elizabethton club remains active with projects involving civic affairs, maintaining the principles of the original constitution, and is always open to ideas for helping working women.