Virginia Dare Book Club records

The Virginia Dare Book Club was organized in Charlotte in 1893 as the "Virginia Dare Circle" to study history, arts, and literature. The group of 12 charter members held their first formal meeting on January 12, 1894 at the North Tryon Street home of Margaret Barringer, the wife of Confederate general Rufus Barringer. They elected as their officers: Mrs. Edward White, president; Mrs. Latta C. Johnston, vice president; and Mrs. A. L. Smith, secretary. The other charter members present at this meeting were Mrs. J. L. Chambers, Helen Long, Ella Dowd, Mrs. J. D. Church, Sally Young, Violet Alexander, Florrie Graham, and Janie Fox. During their first year, they chose North Carolina as their study topic and held their meetings at four o'clock in the afternnon. The second oldest book club in the city, the group renamed itself in 1941. [For more information, see Flora Huntley and Carolyn Good, A History of the Virginia Dare Book Club, 1893-1993 (Charlotte: Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, 1993).]