Archives West Finding Aid

The Laramie Woman's Club (LWC) was formed on 13 September 1898 for the purpose of cultural and civic betterment. More than 125 women attended the organizational meeting and Mrs. Melville C. Brown was elected as the group's first president. The Club's committees included the arts, music, conservation, education, home life, public affairs, community improvement and international affairs. One of the early leaders of the organization and long-time president was Mary Godat Bellamy, superintendent of Albany County Public Schools who was also Wyoming's first woman state legislator. The LWC was a member of the Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs, which was formed in 1904 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and the General Federation of Women's Clubs, a national organization for women's clubs. In 1934 the LWC began collecting materials for a historical museum, which was often referred to as the public or city museum. The artifacts were moved into the Laramie city hall in 1941 and in 1943 the LWC helped to form the Albany County Historical Society (ACHS), on the 75th anniversary of the founding of Laramie, Wyoming. The Society took over the management of the museum materials, and in 1951 the museum collections were moved to the Albany County Courthouse, but they were asked to vacate their space in 1958 and materials were returned to donors or put into storage. In 1966 the ACHS helped to form the Laramie Plains Museum Association (LPMA), which moved into the Ivinson Mansion in 1973 after being housed at the Roach house, 1420 Grand Avenue, Laramie. The materials collected by the LWC formed the nucleus of the collections for the LPMA.