A Bit of Vashon Women’s History

In 1911 eight women who lived in the little town of Burton began meeting every other Tuesday to read books and discuss current events. They called themselves the "Two to Four Club," since those were the hours of their meetings. It wasn’t long before their husbands began calling them the "Two by Four Club."

Undaunted by this masculine display of humor, the women continued to meet, and in 1914 they adopted by-laws and began planning for a library in Burton. Transportation across the island was difficult at that time and the Club continued to be made up of Burton women, and the library to serve the Burton community.

The small lending library was established in that year. At first the shelves were filled with books that the Club members collected and donated. Members set the hours and took turns tending the new library. Books were lent for a penny a day and the money was used to pay utilities and buy new books. The women found other sources for books to expand the library, including asking the Annie Wright Seminary in Tacoma for books that would otherwise be discarded.

The Club grew to about 20 to 24 members, and as roads and transportation improved, this included members from other parts of the Island and the library’s area expanded to serve the entire Island.

In 1933 the Club changed its name to Vashon Island Woman’s Club and joined the National Federation of Women’s Clubs.

During World War II the Women’s Club joined with other Vashon Island organizations instrumental in raising $6,000.00 to build a new library in Vashon. In 1944 King County began to pay for a librarian and to supply books to the Burton Library. When the Vashon Memorial Library was built just after World War II the first librarian was Marjorie Stanley who was the President of the Woman’s Club in 1944-45. (The original library building is now the Senior Center because the community retained title to the building even as King County supplied the books and paid expenses.)

The Burton Library continued to function as a lending library supported by the Vashon Woman’s Club until sometime in the 1950’s.

A few years ago it became apparent that the King County Library no longer needed the support of the VWC, and its focus changed to supporting the libraries in the Vashon Schools. That support for the school libraries continues to this time.

In 2011 the Vashon Woman’s Club celebrated its centennial year. No longer affiliated with the National Federation of Women’s Clubs, it is now named the Vashon Women’s Club and continues as a social club, still meeting on Tuesdays. The women of the VWC are proud to continue the ambitions of the original members and have every intention of serving Island readers for another one hundred years.