Research Guides: Women at Davidson: Women in the Town of Davidson

Women in the Town of Davidson

Women have been integral to the history of Davidson College and of the Town of Davidson. Archives and Special Collections is fortunate enough to retain manuscript collections of local women and the organizations they were apart of, including civic and book clubs. Listed below are relevant collections and resources related to women in the Town of Davidson.

Program cover from Booklovers' Club

Book Clubs and Civic Organization

Listed below are relevant manuscript collections related to women's social and civic organizations in the Town of Davidson. Collections are organized by manuscript number, along with a brief description of the collection's contents, and are hyperlinked to the collection's digital finding aid. For more information about these collections, including access, please email archives@davidson.edu.

Davidson College Presbyterian Church - Women of the Church Collection (DC023)
In 1880, the ladies of the Davidson College Presbyterian Church felt it their duty to form a group to help spread the "words of Eternal Life." To this end, they formed the Ladies Benevolent Society. After numerous name changes, in 1948, the group changed its name to the Women of the Church. The group is a subset of the Davidson College Presbyterian Church and works with local and national women's organizations in Christian endeavors. Materials in this collection include meeting minutes, financial reports, membership books, and scrapbooks.
Davidson Civic Club Records (DC025)
The Davidson Civic Club was organized in 1911, with the purpose to promote "A well-kept household and a place for good and pleasant living" in Davidson, North Carolina. The Club changed its name to the Davidson Civic League in 1952 and held its final meeting on June 24, 1959. The collection consists of correspondence, programs, histories, reports, memorials, a cookbook, and minutes.
Booklovers' Club of Davidson Collection (DC039)
The Booklovers' Cub was originally founded as the Women's Book Club of Davidson by Mrs. W. J. Martin in 1899. The name was changed to Booklovers' Club in 1911. The collection consists of correspondence, meeting minutes, membership lists, programs, and photographs.
Online Exhibit: Booklover's Club

Individual Women's Manuscript Collections

Listed below are relevant manuscript collections that highlight individual women in the Town of Davidson. Collections are organized by record group, along with a brief description of the collection's contents, and are hyperlinked to the collection's digital finding aid. For more information about these collections, including access, please email archives@davidson.edu.

Hattie Thompson Papers (DC0150s)
Hattie Thompson was born in Davidson, North Carolina. She was the daughter of John Nelson Thompson and Carry McGaw. She began working for Davidson College in 1914 as the assistant to the Treasurer. She was also organist at the Davidson College Presbyterian Church and gave piano lessons. The collection consists of correspondence, music notebooks, printed materials, and financial materials.
Sallie Stirewalt Paisley Collection (DC054)
Sallie Stirewalt Paisley was born in 1857 and grew up in Catawba Springs and Statesville, North Carolina. Her brother, Bynum Stirewalt, and her husband, Porter Paisley, both attended Davidson College in the late 1800s. She married in 1883 in Philanthropic Hall on Davidson's campus and later ran a boarding house on North Main Street in Davidson. The collection consists primarily of correspondence relating to her real estate and business investments from 1898 to 1934 and reflects on economic changes during World War I and the Depression. There are also letters from Davidson College students written during World War I.
Louise Withers Sloan Papers (DC098)
Miss Louise Withers Sloan (1892-1992) grew up in the town of Davidson and spent most of her life here. This collection consists of biographical information, correspondence, school work, financial records, clippings and invitations, and postcards. In our audiovisual collection, there is an oral history featuring Miss Louise Withers Sloan (Audio 4).