By Stephen Smoot
This spring, West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner and the Harrison County Chamber of Commerce honored over 100 years of the Progressive Women’s Association’s work in Harrison County.
Over that hundred years, as the roles of women and their place in society have changes, the PWA have worked to find ways to best support women specifically, but also the community in general.
For the first several decades of the organization, the Progressive Women’s Association served as a place for ladies to come together, socialize, and create friendship and support networks. In those days, many families followed traditions of men working to support the household through employment while women’s efforts focused on raising children and keeping the home.
As PWA Board Member Lexie Mayfield, who also serves as Mayor of Lumberport, shared, many PWA activities provided semi-formal and formal settings to enjoy each others company. “We had Christmas tea with perfect little cakes,” she recalled. “We had membership luncheons every year,” Mayfield added.
Members could also enjoy regular get togethers to play cards, drink tea, and eat what all described as “the most delicious little cucumber sandwiches.”
In the days where traditional families followed traditional ways, this served a healthy purpose for housewives and other women. They could share their joys, but also their challenges. They could seek friendships, but also find support when needed. The PWA helped to prevent family responsibilities from becoming all consuming by providing a place where a woman’s voice not only mattered, but predominated during a time when those types of forums were few and far between.
Starting in the 1970s, however, increasing numbers of women left full time housework and entered the professional workforce. “The role of women has changed,” noted PWA Treasurer Rosalyn Queen, who also helped to organize many of the regular events held by the organization. She added “almost every woman is working. There’s no time to play cards, have tea during the day with others.”
Family obligations such as kids participating in extracurricular activities also pull women away from participation.
“We started here with a little house,” explained Queen, who went on to say that “ a former member passed, left us with a little house.” That lady’s membership dated back to the early years of the PWA and the bequest was one of love and also to help promote the legacy and mission of the PWA.
Over time, she said “it became too small for membership and programming.”
The need for an expanded facility came as the mission of the PWA expanded. It grew from roots as mostly a social club into a community service organization with efforts and goals not unlike the Lions Club, Rotary, or Ruritan.
Like those organizations, PWA developed youth organizations to give children a sense of community and how they might contribute to it. Young women found leadership opportunities not always available in other organizations for a time.
“Every school had Y Teen programming,” remembered Queen. Members came into the organization in seventh grade. As older members mentored, new ones went through a playful initiation process. “You might have had to wear two different colored shoes or something like that,” Queen smiled in remembrance, but added that she didn’t think kids would go for that today.
“But were were excited to do that!” she remembered fondly. While a little silliness initiated a member, once involved “we did a lot of things in the community.”
Thirteen-year member Elinda Carson said “I’ve been in love with it since the first time I walked through the doors. She explained “We were the YWCA.” As a local partner with the Young Women’s Christian Association, the PWA acquired an event center in downtown Clarksburg where they hold special functions and also rent to others.
Carson, who serves as Executive Director, explained that they broke from the YWCA about 14 or 15 years ago. She said that the YWCA desired a higher membership fee, but “we only charge $25” and “we were doing our own programs” anyway.
Betty Waddy joined a decade ago and now serves as organization president. “We’re definitely a community service organization. We work alongside other organizations in the county.” The PWA organizes a number of programs, sponsors events, and also leads the way in recognizing and honoring the contributions of exceptional women.
With community needs always expanding, the PWA worked to help. Carson described how the organization started a food pantry. As she spoke with those who relied on it, she noticed that some would come more frequently. Carson stated that when she inquired, some would share that they shared some of the food with their pets because they could not afford to buy food for their dog or cat.
PWA then started a “pet pantry.” Carson proudly shared “we’re the first and only one here. We started it in 2019. It operates mostly from donations.”
Another program provides box lunches for those receiving cancer treatments at United Health Center.
Mayfield shared “I love what I do. The impact is just unbelievable.”
Like every good community service organization, PWA has faced increasing struggles to maintain membership and seeks to shape its functions and programming to help build for the future. “We don’t give up,” said Mayfield, who then said “we always work to get new members all the time.”
Queen also described the process of adaptation, saying “it’s hard” and adding “we can’t figure out what women want to do” and that “women just don’t have the time now.”
Every PWA member, however, continues to promote the value of the organization while continuing to bring in newcomers to the organization.
All the while, the roles of women and expectations of them continue to change. Through sometimes rapid social changes, the PWA continues to offer an organization that honors and supports women while also providing a way in which to give back, join a community, and enjoy both mentorship and friendship.
The PWA’s core mission, regardless of social changes, will always be to strengthen both women and also the community-at-large.