Silver Creek Shakespeare Club records

Collection — Box: 1-3, 4+-5+

Identifier: MS 53

Staff Only

Record books (1890-1902, 1912-1913) containing the roll, lists of members and officers, and minutes of meetings; annual programs (1891-1987) containing the year's events, plays read and the constitution of the club; photographs (ca. 1904-1987); scrapbooks commemorating the 75th (1964) and 100th (1989) anniversaries of the Club; papers (ca. 1903-1970) written by members on plays and other literary topics, read on the Annual Shakespeare Nights; some clippings and correspondence concerning the club, and a history of the club compiled at the time of its 75th anniversary. Also included are memorabilia and clippings about Shakespeare collected by the Club and a set of critical editions of Shakespeare's plays by Henry N. Hudson, purchased by the Club in 1890.

Dates

1889-1990

Creator

Shakespeare Club (Silver Creek, N.Y.) (Organization)

Language of Materials

Collection material in English.

Terms of Access

Silver Creek Shakespeare Club records, 1889-1990, are open for research.

Copyright

Copyright of papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright and the University Archives before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Most papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures unless otherwise specified.

Extent

3.09 Linear Feet (3 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes)

Additional Description

Overview

Record books, 1890-1902, 1912-1913, containing lists of members and officers, and minutes of meetings; annual programs, 1891-1987, containing the year's events, plays read and the constitution of the club; photographs, circa 1904-1987; scrapbooks commemorating the 75th and 100th anniversaries of the club; papers, circa 1903-1970, written by members on plays and other literary topics, read at the annual Shakespeare nights; clippings and correspondence concerning the club, and a history of the club compiled at the time of its 75th anniversary. Also included are memorabilia and clippings about Shakespeare collected by the club and a set of critical editions of Shakespeare's plays by Henry N. Hudson, purchased by the club in 1890.

Historical Note

The Silver Creek Shakespeare Club of Silver Creek, New York, was founded by Rev. Robert Newton Stubbs in 1889. Its goal was to broaden the culture of Silver Creek, and "to give what pleasure we can get what benefit we may." After 1895, the club was made up entirely of women, many college educated, with membership limited to twenty five. They focused on interpretative readings of Shakespeare and other subjects of general literature, studying three or four plays a year. In order to join, applications had to be presented to the current President of the Club, and then submitted to an anonymous committee of three. If approved, the application was then voted on by members' written ballots; three "no's" excluding it for that year. The club met about twenty times a year, with an annual Shakespeare Night in March that included food, entertainment and papers read on historical background and characters of plays. Other holidays observed were Twelfth Night (first meeting in January), Shakespeare's Birthday, and the annual picnic on the Tuesday after July 4th. The club also aided the Red Cross, Crippled Children's Protestant Home and the Lee Library in Silver Creek. The Shakespeare club was also a social club, surviving through the stock market crash, the Depression and two World Wars. The Club is still active in Silver Creek.

Arrangement

This collection is divided by genre.

Acquisition Information

The records of the Silver Creek Shakespeare Club were donated to the University Archives, The State University of New York at Buffalo, by the Shakespeare Club in 1991.