1928 - The Groveland Women's Club
The Lake David Park property was donated by Mr. Beach and titled on May 15, 1911 (Recorded in Plat Book 2, Pages 7-8). It has been continually maintained and utilized as a park by the City of Groveland. Public records indicate that both municipal property appraisers and county appraisers have at all times, since 1923, recognized the park as exempt public property.
The Groveland Women's Club was organized in 1928 by Mrs. C.C. Van Hoesen and her daughter, Mrs. W. H. Hunter. Mrs. A. M. Davis served as first president. Although a library association was not started until 1928, the City supported a library of 300 volumes, housed at City Hall earlier than 1928.
The Women's Club has maintained and been proprietor of the City's Library. The Club has had 35 Presidents during the past 72 years, with many serving more than one term. A few have served 5 to 6 years, including our historian emeritus, Cyleta Austin.
This building waqs constructed in the early thirties through a W.P.A government works project administration funding program. This was the same funding used to construct the area's first hospital in Clermont in 1938.
Minutes from the June 11, 1934, town council meeting show that a motion was made to hang doors on the Community Building at the park. Indicating 1934 as the year construction.
In the early years the building was known as the Community Building and was just that, used for all community events, picnics, birthday parties, weddings, reunions, etc.
The American Legion was the first club house here, organized by Lacy Thomas whose house is located across the street from the Tennis Courts.
Mr. Julian Rowe, who supplied much of this information, was a charter member of the American Legion.
Over the years this building has been known as the club house of Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Brownies, Garden Club, Jaycees, Junior Women's Club, and of course the Women's Club.
During the 1960s, Marian, and Bob Baysinger chaperoned tenn dances in this building known to teenagers as "The Teenway". It was a place to go on Saturday nights. They had an old juke box, a few games and sold snacks.
The Junior and Senior Women's Clubs were frequent visitors of this building with many fund-raisers such as fashion shows, beauty pageants, and Barbeques, along with chicken, fish, and spaghetti dinners.
The family of Miriam Thomas (President 1933-34) at her death in the early 1970s, willed $1,000 toward the project of remodeling this building. This money, plus proceeds from many fund raisers was used to rennovate a very rustic building, complete with open rafters in the ceiling, wooden floors, an open back proch, a very inadequate kitchen, no fans and no air conditioning.
Valerie Stephens (President 1973-78) actred as sub-contractor for the project. Every president who has proceeded Valerie has worked long, hard hours to improve and maintain this building.
Our primary project for the club is manning the city library. Volunteers work diligently to keep the library open and we will forever be indebted to Marian Baysinger and Hope Sowards for being wonderful librarians.
In 1996, we were priviledged to have many women from Mascotte join our club therefore we changed our name to The Groveland-Mascotte Women's Club. Our building is rented quite frequently for the same events as when it was first built in the 1930s.
Marie Padgett December 19, 2001
[Contributors: Marie Padgett]