Sam Monroe, president of the Port Arthur Historical Society, said he could remember as a child women in the community holding events at The Department Club on Lakeshore Drive near Lamar State College-Port Arthur.

“Women in the community meet there. The city operates it. Meetings and receptions are held there,” he said.

Monroe said the college receives scholarships from the federate women’s clubs. They have also preserved The Pompeian Villa and helped start the Port Arthur Museum, which evolved into the Museum of the Gulf Coast.

The text for the 1981 Texas Historical marker reads as follows:

The Federated Women’s Clubs of Port Arthur is a league of 16 individual clubs which represent a variety of interests and public service projects. Together, through the organization, they combine their efforts for the betterment of the community. The Federation developed from the Women’s Self-improvement Club, which was organized with nine charter members in February 1898 at the home of Mrs. W. D. Park. It was originally a literary club, but social services were soon added.

In 1910 members interested in music started the Symphony Club. The following year they were joined by the Reading Club in the formation of a department club.

In 1914 the Young Women’s Culture Club and the Women’s Self-Improvement Club joined the organization. Meetings were held in homes until 1915, when the club moved to the Elks’ Theater building.

After a 1923 fire destroyed clubrooms and furnishings, members began planning for a separate clubhouse at this site, which was completed the following year. Renamed in 1977, the Federated Women’s Clubs of Port Arthur has made significant contributions to the city through sponsorship of such programs as civic activities, scholarships, and historic preservation.

David Ball: 409-721-242