Founded in Austin, Texas, in 1929, the Austin Woman’s Club (AWC) provides a location for community organizations to meet; hosts weekly artistic, literary, and civic meetings for club members; and supports a scholarship program for women to attend the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, the AWC maintains the North-Evans Chateau, also known as Bellevue Place, built in 1874 by Harvey and Catherine North. Although William P. Gaines purchased the home in 1884, it returned to Catherine’s possession following several legal issues. In 1892, Major Ira H. Evans bought the property, and the year after his death, the AWC purchased the North-Evans Chateau as their headquarters and a gathering place for local women’s groups.
Source:
Austin Woman’s Club. Accessed March 14, 2011.
Comprised of legal documents, a survey map, correspondence, receipt, and newspaper clippings, the Austin Woman’s Club (AWC) Records, 1856-1895, 1928, 1964, 1970, document the history of the organization and its members. The collection chronicles the ownership history of the North-Evans Chateau and land among Catherine A. North, William P. Gaines, Ira H. Evans, and Hobart Y. Evans from 1856 through 1928. Additionally, three photocopies of newspaper clippings, 1964, 1970, describe the AWC’s charter member Emilie Wheelock Howson, its groundskeeper Marcus Almaraz, and local artist Edna Collins.
This collection is open for research use.
Austin Woman’s Club Records, 1856-1892, 1928, 1964, 1970, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
This collection contains unprocessed materials.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s “History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project,” 2009-2011.