The River Falls Tuesday Club, River Falls, Wisconsin, was organized in 1890 by Mrs. J. 0. Emery, wife of the president of River Falls Normal School, for the purpose of studying history, literature, and art. Club members agreed to devote Tuesday afternoons to the consideration of a specific country or region.
The Club's raison d'etre was extended in 1906 by incorporating the promotion of causes which members decided were “wise and helpful.” Thus a major campaign was initiated by the Club for the creation of a public library in River Falls. The campaign was successful and the growth and development of the River Falls Public Library has been an ongoing Tuesday Club project for the past half century. The Club also began to diversify its intellectual endeavors by including a study of current events.
The passing years saw the gradual transition of the Tuesday Club from a study group to a service-oriented organization. Accordingly, the purpose of the Club was amended in 1916 to include promotion of “intellectual and social culture and to advance whatever relates to public welfare.” The specific interest of the Club at that time became public health and a program of support for the Wisconsin Anti-Tuberculosis Association was inaugurated.
Other Club projects included conducting annual Christmas Seal campaigns, collecting relief contributions, promoting Liberty Bonds, and adopting a French orphan. Among later projects were loans to college students, improvement of the city hospital facilities, establishing a Youth Center, sponsorship of the local UNICEF program, and directing a “save the elms” campaign. The Club also passed resolutions on such political and social issues as child labor, equal suffrage, and the League of Nations.
The Tuesday Club has been affiliated with the State Federation of Women's Clubs since 1898 and the General Federation of Women's Clubs since 1912.
