Woman's Christian Temperance Union records collected by Edna Maine Spooner (Ms.Spooner)
Brown University Library
Box ABrown University
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148
Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu
Collection Overview
| Title: | Woman's Christian Temperance Union records collected by Edna Maine Spooner |
| Date range: | 1890-1974, (bulk 1920-1950) |
| Creator: | Anti-Saloon League of Rhode Island. |
| Extent: | 3.25 Linear feet |
| Abstract: | Edna Maine Spooner, of Rhode Island, devoted much of her life's work to the cause of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. This collection, gathered by Spooner, is a rich source of materials documenting the W.C.T.U.'s efforts on both the local, state and national levels. The entire range of materials dates from 1890 to 1974, with most beginning in the 1920s and ending around the 1950s. It includes assorted materials from both the Roberts chapter of the W.C.T.U. of R.I. (based in Cranston, R.I.), and W.C.T.U. of R.I. itself, most likely collected by Spooner when she was an an active member and assumed various administrative and other leadership roles within the local and state organizations. It also includes a significant amount of materials that she collected from the National W.C.T.U--materials which document the W.C.T.U.'s broader perspective: its administrative operations; its social, political and religious agenda; its educational outreach; and its publicity endeavors. What makes this collection particularly strong is its substantive collection of booklets, brochures, and leaflets, along with a few scattered issues of periodicals and a small group of monographs, principally published by the National W.C.T.U. Publishing, the Signal Press, and other affiliate groups. This is an excellent collection of documentation for anyone interested in Women's Studies, and in the social, religious, and political history of the U.S. in the first half of the 20th century. |
| Language of materials: | English. |
| Repository: | John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts |
| Collection number: | Ms.Spooner |
