The Blue Stocking Club: Celebrating 100 Years of Service to the Bristol Community

THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE BRISTOL COMMUNITY

Members of the Blue Stocking Club in 1930.

May 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of Bristol’s Blue Stocking Club, a group of women whose philanthropy over the years has transformed our community – from medical clinics to children’s organizations to safety net groups to local arts and culture. With these contributions, and so much more, their commitment to making Bristol a good place to live has been tireless.

In 2013, the Blue Stocking Club raised money to support the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s educational mission, and individual members continue to support the organization and assist as museum volunteers.

To mark the Blue Stocking Club’s 100 years, we originally planned to host a physical exhibit in the museum’s Learning Center, which is named in honor of the club. However, due to COVID-19, our plans had to change, and so instead we offer this online exhibit that traces the club’s origins, their early work, and their contemporary mission.

All images, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of the Blue Stocking Club.

THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB:

ORIGINS IN BRISTOL The Blue Stocking Club is the oldest service club in Bristol. It was founded by Mrs. Mildred King and Mrs. Geneva King, inspired by a visit to Bristol by the evangelist Reverend Billy Sunday. A handwritten record of the Blue Stocking Club’s “birth” states: “The Blue Stocking Club was organized in May 1920 – at the home of Mildred King. It was Mildred’s idea that a club be organized to study the Bible and do charity work, as at that time, there were very few agencies in Bristol for that purpose. She discussed the idea with Geneva King who assisted with the charter members roll and with the plans for study and work.”

From left to right: Mrs. Mildred King, co-founder of the Blue Stocking Club; Mrs. Geneva King, co-founder of the Blue Stocking Club; Handwritten record of the Blue Stocking Club’s “birth.”

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THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB

The term “blue stocking” can be traced back to 18th-century England when it was applied, originally in a derisive tone, to a women’s group with intellectual or literary interests. It later became associated with strict Presbyterians, and the term has also been used in reference to those who are dedicated and steadfast in their purpose.

The original Blue Stocking Club was made up of 12 members, all congregants of Bristol’s First Presbyterian Church. All of the club’s members came from this church until sometime in the 1930s when it was decided to recruit new members interested in the club’s purpose, regardless of denomination.

From 1920 to the mid-1930s, the Blue Stocking Club responded to individuals and families who requested aid, joining with the Salvation Army and the Red Cross in supporting the needy in Bristol.

Portrait of Benjamin Stillingfleet by Johann Zoffany. Supposedly the 18th-century women’s literary club often enjoyed presentations by botanist Benjamin Stillingfleet, who wore cheap blue worsted stockings – a fashion faux pas to society’s elite. This led to the name being applied to this group in order to denigrate their intellectual aspirations, and it was later taken on by them in defiance of the slur.

Public domain, from the Berger Collection of the Denver Art Museum First Presbyterian Church in the 1930s. Reproduced with permission from the Bristol Historical Association

ORIGINS IN BRISTOL

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The club created an emblem and motto, and set out some basic rules for their meetings. The original sketch for the Blue Stocking Club emblem shows a woman’s hands holding a blue stocking; this eventually turned into the club’s modern logo.

The club’s motto focused on their two purposes: Bible study and charity. The forget-me-not flowers that adorned the motto were picked as the club’s flower and were later included in the modern Blue Stocking Club logo. Club meetings were held in members’ homes – still true today – and the rules included that linen napkins must be used, no longer true today!

Left: Meeting rules.

Right: Sketch of the original Blue Stocking Club emblem.

Below: Blue Stocking Club motto.

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THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB

THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB:

EARLY PHILANTHROPY AND COMMUNITY FUNDRAISING As the Blue Stocking Club came together in the early 1920s, the women of the group worked hard to help meet multiple needs in their community. For instance, in 1922 they produced the first Blue Stocking Club Cookbook, with over 1,000 copies sold to raise money for a local lending library, and in 1928 they partnered with the Elks Club to create a Santa Pal program. The club also started a “Motherhood Advice Clinic” in a local doctor’s office in 1936 – this clinic helped to educate women about health and reproduction, and later turned into a Prenatal Clinic at the Kings Mountain Hospital.

EARLY PHILANTHROPY AND COMMUNITY FUNDRAISING

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Below: Between 1939 and 1943, the Blue Stocking Club opened three “Friendship Houses” where underprivileged women could get support in their efforts to provide a better life for themselves and their children.

Above: Members contributed 50 recipes each to the first Blue Stocking Club Cookbook in 1922. A second edition with new and tried-and-true recipes was published in 1995 to commemorate the club’s 75th anniversary.

Above: This collage shows the numerous organizations in Bristol that were supported by the Blue Stocking Club in the 1960s and 1970s: senior citizens centers (top left, bottom left), a crisis center (top center), a mental health clinic (top right), the Sullivan County Home for the Aged (bottom center), and a TB clinic (bottom right).

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THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB

Blue Stocking Club members volunteered as aides in the Bristol hospital’s Outpatient Clinic and pharmacy for years.

Far left: The Twin Teen Tavern was initiated by the Blue Stocking Club in 1945. It was held in the YMCA building and provided a safe space for teens to socialize together.

Left: Another beneficiary of the Blue Stocking Club was the Mt. Home Veterans’ Hospital where club members provided wrapped presents for the patients in 1962.

EARLY PHILANTHROPY AND COMMUNITY FUNDRAISING

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THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB:

SOCIETY DAY For years, the biggest charity fundraiser held by the Blue Stocking Club was their annual “Society Day.” This event started in 1924 as “Club Day” and was originally held at Hotel Bristol. By 1927 it had turned into an all-day affair, including lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. The club members had a different set of rules for Society Day, including members being required to schedule two full days to prepare and set up, to give a contribution towards the event’s recipient, to bring their own lunch and eat in the parlor, to not be part of the fashion modeling, and to wear a solid navy blue dress or skirt and blouse with dark hose.

The Society Day fundraisers often had themes and included events like fashion shows with members of the community acting as the models. Each Society Day brought in a host of donations for the Blue Stocking Club’s chosen cause. Some Society Days even had famous guests, like Bristol’s own Tennessee Ernie Ford. The club held their last Society Day event in 1999.

Top: The 1927 Blue Stocking Club Society Day was advertised in the Bristol Herald Courier.

Above: Blue Stocking Club members in their navy blue outfits, covered up with crisp white aprons, pose at Society Day and then get to work in the kitchen, ready to serve their guests.

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THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB

Above: The 1934 Blue Stocking Club Society Day had a “Spanish Fiesta” theme.

Below: While the Blue Stocking Club members who served the guests continued to wear their “uniform” at more recent Society Days, those who stayed behind-the-scenes in the kitchen dressed for their work.

SOCIETY DAY

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Local department store H. P. King often provided the fashions on display, which changed with the times over the years – from always wearing the proper headware to bridal dresses to widelegged pants, and everything in between!

Above left: “Maggie’s Memos” in the Bristol Herald Courier recorded Tennessee Ernie Ford’s participation in the 1970 Society Day, escorting his friend down the fashion runway to great applause. Above right: At the end of each Society Day, the club passed round the blue stocking for donations from each member as an extra contribution to their beneficiary. Below: the Bristol Herald Courier did a spread on the 1991 Society Day fundraiser recipients: Girls Inc. and the Boys Club.

SOCIETY DAY

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THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB:

CONTEMPORARY CLUB ACTIVITIES As the Blue Stocking Club finished out the final decade of the 20th century and as they move forward through the 21st, they have continued to raise money for a variety of Bristol nonprofit organizations. Their longstanding Society Day eventually gave way to large fundraisers often based on arts and cultural events, which are usually held every other year. Beyond these big events, the club raises smaller amounts for specific needs in the community, donating to around 20 different organizations throughout the year. Members also give generously of their time – gathering supplies for donation, doing a variety of tasks to help nonprofits in their own fundraising efforts, volunteering “on the ground,” and so much more.

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THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB

Above: In 1999 the Blue Stocking Club hosted a fundraiser showing of the musical Anything Goes at the Paramount.

The proceeds from this event supported the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Sullivan County, Tennessee, and Washington Country, Virginia.

Right: The women of the Blue Stocking Club celebrated Café Central – part of River’s Way, a nonprofit supporting students with disabilities – with a generous donation in 2015.

In 2013 the Blue Stocking Club invited Béla Fleck to Bristol for a benefit performance to support the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Event committee members got into the spirit of the night!

CONTEMPORARY CLUB ACTIVITIES

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Left: In 2017 the Blue Stocking Club held an event for the Steele Creek Nature Center, raising funds for some of the center’s exhibits and two high-powered microscopes. Courtesy of Bristol Tennessee Parks and Recreation Department; photographer: Beth Carter Below: In 2015 the Blue Stocking Club helped Believe in Bristol with the Producers’ Party for the first annual PUSH! Film Festival in downtown Bristol.

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THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB

Above: The Coasters, Platters, and Drifters came to Bristol for the Blue Stocking Club fundraiser in 2003, performing to a sold-out crowd at the Paramount. Several club members had a good time hanging out with the musicians backstage. The funds from this event benefited the work of the Adult Day Services at the YMCA. Below: Over the past several years, club members have delivered cupcakes for Healing Hands “Sweets for the Sweet� fundraiser.

CONTEMPORARY CLUB ACTIVITIES

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Above: Club members have pulled together a variety of supplies – from food to cleaning products to sports equipment – for organizations within the community, including Faith in Action, Abuse Alternatives, Bristol Emergency Food Pantry, and the Girls and Boys Clubs.

Below: In 2011 members of the Blue Stocking Club joined other Habitat for Humanity volunteers to build houses in the community.

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THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB

Top: Several members of the Blue Stocking Club volunteer at the museum in various roles, including Barbara Smith and Mary Lynn Satterwhite, seen here presenting a recipe from the Blue Stocking Club Cookbook for Farm and Fun Time’s “Heirloom Recipe” in March 2020. © Birthplace of Country Music; photographer: Billie Wheeler.

Above left: The Blue Stocking Club donated a completely new lighting system to the Paramount in 2019. Above right: The Bristol Public Library has often been a beneficiary of the Blue Stocking Club’s efforts – from raising major funds for the new building, including the Blue Stocking Club Reading Room, to book donations to working on book shelving.

CONTEMPORARY CLUB ACTIVITIES

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THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB:

RECOGNITION Bristol has recognized the Blue Stocking Club for their service to the community – from putting their name in lights at the Paramount in 1995 to a Citizen Hall of Fame honor from the Wellmont Foundation Board of Governors in 2005 to the Bristol Mayors’ Award of Distinction in 2011. So many individuals, families, and organizations have been transformed by the civic spirit, generosity, energy, and care of the women of the Blue Stocking Club – they truly have made Bristol a better place to live!

In 2005 the Wellmont Foundation honored the Blue Stocking Club with a dinner and plaque to mark their Citizen Hall of Fame award. Opposite page, top: The Paramount celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Blue Stocking Club on their marquee in 1995.

Opposite page, bottom: Current Blue Stocking Club members.

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THE BLUE STOCKING CLUB

RECOGNITION

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