Repository Guide
Special Collections and Archives
Women Activists of Virginia History Collection
James Branch Cabell Library
Virginia Commonwealth University
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American Civil Liberties Union - The Southern Women's Rights Project
The Southern Women's Rights Project (SWRP) located in Richmond is affiliated with the American Civil Liberties Union. The project deals with issues of special concern for women including abortion, employment discrimination, ERA, education discrimination, prisoner's rights, children's rights, sexual harassment, and spouse abuse. The collection includes correspondence with various chapters of the ACLU in the southern states, documents regarding state legislation, periodicals, pamphlets, and newspaper clippings.
Mary Holt Woolfolk Carlton Papers
Mary Holt Woolfolk Carlton, a graduate of Richmond Professional Institute (now Virginia Commonwealth University), was the founder of the Richmond chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). The papers document Carlton's activities in the 1970s advocating women's rights in Virginia.
Adéle Goodman Clark (1882-1983) was an artist, teacher, and social activist. A leader in the suffrage movement in Virginia and later a key player in the state and national League of Women Voters, Clark's papers document a number of reform initiatives advocating voting rights for women. Clark's involvement in the art community is also noted in the papers.
The bulk of the collection consists of bulletins, correspondence, committee and financial memoranda, convention material, notes, reports, photographs, publications and related ephemera of the suffrage movement, local and regional politics, and her art activities.
The collection contains Hellmuth's personal files documenting the activities of several groups involved in the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The papers include minutes, publications, speeches, correspondence, reports, calendars, clippings, and multiple files of ephemera. The bulk of the materials date between 1976 and 1980. Organizations included in the collection include NOW, ERA Yes!, Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council (VERARC), Virginia Council for Social Welfare, and several religious denominations.
Nora Houston Papers
Nora Houston was an artist, teacher, and suffrage activist. She was a close friend of Adéle Clark, a leader of the suffrage movement in Virginia. This collection consists of eleven photographic prints of paintings by Houston as well as as a term paper on her life and and work.See the Adéle Clark Papers (M 9).Mary Tyler Cheek McClenahan Papers
Mary Tyler Cheek McClenahan (1917- 2005) was a Richmond community leader, activist, and philanthropist. She has been described as the "conscience of Richmond" for her contributions to the Richmond community in the areas of racial harmony, housing, education, women's health care, the arts, Richmond revitalization, and historic preservation.The bulk of the collection dates from the late 1970's through the early 1990's and focuses on McClenahan's involvement in a number of Richmond's major civic organizations. These include Planned Parenthood, the Richmond Better Housing Coalition, Richmond-On-The-James, Richmond Renaissance, and the Richmond Urban Forum. McClenahan's involvement in education, the arts, and politics in Richmond and Virginia, along with her work as an active member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is also documented.
Zelda K. Nordlinger Papers
One of the founders of the Richmond chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). The papers document Nordlinger's activities in the 1970's advocating women's rights in Virginia. The collection contains publications, correspondence, and ephemera. Of particular interest is Nordlinger's collection of buttons from the 1970's and 1980's featuring popular feminist slogans.Just Government League of Maryland Collection
Two broadsides circa 1920 quoting political figures in support of women's suffrage.League of Women Voters of the Richmond Area Archives
The collection includes minutes, correspondence, annual reports, newsletters, newspaper clippings (most dating from the 1950s), various publications and other materials. The materials date from the early 1920s until the present and spans the history of the organization. See also the Adéle Clark PapersNational League of Women Voters Ephemera Collection
Materials collected by Roberta Wellford pertaining to Women's Suffrage. See also the Adéle Clark Papers and the Women's Suffrage Collection.Richmond YWCA Archives
Established in 1887, the Richmond YWCA is the oldest YWCA in the southern United States. The collection contains general files, committee minutes, scrapbooks, photographs, and case studies. The materials date from 1893 to 1980 and document the Richmond YWCA's active role in improving labor practices for women and children, promoting health and fitness, and in fostering racial equality. Materials from the local Richmond Phyllis Wheatly Branch for black women are also included in the collection.Roanoke Valley YWCA Archives
The collection includes minutes, reports, newsletters, records of the organizations multiple activities, photographs and clippings. There are a few files containing material on the WPA Writers Program.Women's Suffrage Printed Emphemera Collection, 1860-1917
This collection includes women's suffrage ephemera items, primarily from organizations on the east coast. See also the Adéle Clark Papers.
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