November Club

• The November Club was the first women's club in Andover. It was formed in 1889 after Miss Elizabeth Handy called a meeting of 15 "well-educated, enterprising, and socially elite women" in November 1888 to discuss her idea to start a women's club.

• The club first met at 126 Main St., but, after 20 more women joined, moved to Abbot Hall.

• In February 1892 they dedicated a new clubhouse on Love Lane, now called Locke Street.

• The November Club raised money for local charities, the war efforts, and to build their Locke Street clubhouse. They give dance lessons to young people, and had guest speakers.

• By 1985 membership had fallen and the clubhouse was sold to the Unitarian Universalist Church. The money was given to Memorial Hall Library to furnish a November Club reading room.

See

• Town Had First Clubhouse "for Ladies Wholly" by Karen Wakeling, Andover Historical Society. Andover Townsman January 19, 2012. p.8.

• November Club Yearbooks, 1907-1967 in Andover Room at Memorial Hall Library

--Leslie 19:00, July 18, 2012 (EDT)

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