About Us

History of The Montclair Women's Club

In 1915, twenty-three Montclair Women met in the Parlor of the YMCA to organize a club “to develop individual efficiency, stimulate interest in current affairs, and encourage co-operation in all lines of progress.”

How It Started

The club chose as its first president Jessie Alexander Ropes, a women’s suffrage activist and firm believer in the women’s club movement. The new club joined the New Jersey Federation of Women’s Clubs (NJSFWC), part of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC). In our early days we met at the YMCA, Montclair High School, and members’ homes. Our Union Street clubhouse opened in 1929.

Club members have consistently supported our community— whether hosting programs on music, art, and literature; raising supplies for soldiers in two world wars; or promoting awareness of social concerns like food insecurity and domestic violence. We are proud of our rich heritage.

Quest Archives, 1930-1982

In the fall of 1930, The Montclair Women’s Club had settled in a new clubhouse and was embarking on an ambitious agenda of activities. One such initiative was Quest magazine, which first appeared in October of 1930. For 50 years, Quest chronicled club events and members’ views on the wider world. It published monthly each year from October-May with a summer hiatus. The final issue ran in May 1982.

In 2019, member Ann McKinstry Micou (1930-2023), an author and researcher, indexed the club’s bound copies of Quest and created a finding aid to this unique collection. We remain in her debt for this wonderful resource.

See our Quest Magazine section below for searchable .pdfs of the finding aid.

In The Press

Quest Magazine

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