I have been trying to remember what it was like when I was just starting my first job out of high school. I was fortunate enough to get a job at the courthouse in Delaware. But the day I was hired, I didn’t have any place to live in Delaware. My parents had moved our family to a farmhouse located about 20 miles from the courthouse, so I was going to have to find a place to live where I could walk to work. I didn’t have a car, but I didn’t know how to drive anyway.
The first few days I stayed at a friend’s house. I was lucky because her home was within walking distance of the courthouse. And then I had another fortunate thing happen. The mother of another friend of mine came to me at work and said she had a place that I should move to. It was just completed as a place for women to live, called the “Woman’s City Club.” And it was just a block up North Franklin Street, north of the courthouse. How lucky could I be?
Just a week or so ago, after 70 years, I read in the Delaware Gazette that they were having an “open house” at the “Women’s City Club,” and I decided I wanted to see what it was like now. It is still a place for women to live, and a very nice place at that. In fact, it’s a great place. Beautiful, for sure.
Back in 1954, I was the first woman to move in, and my room was up on the third floor. I remember it having a very nice window and was on the right side of the hall, with a bathroom next door to it. I am reminded of one evening when I had gotten together with several of my friends who where home from college, and we went to the Strand Theatre. Then, they all said they wanted to see where I was living, so walked me home. We all went inside, and got to go to a small round room with a table and chairs in it. We all sat and talked and laughed until midnight that p.m.
That was the first room I got to see again when I went there, all these years later. And there it was, but now it’s their office.
While there this past Sunday, I was given a handout with some of the history noted in it. It noted that it “became a reality in 1954, a dream fostered by Mrs. Zuella Way. Mrs. Way was deeply committed to her community. She and fellow club members recognized a need for low-income housing for women, and a place for women to gather and participate in social activities.” And it went on to say, “Sometimes, we are the only difference between sleeping in a car or a warm bed.”
The facility houses 10 low-income women at a time and has housed thousands since its inception.
Currently, the Women’s City Club is in need of a refrigerator, freezer for the kitchen, and funds for a new HVAC system.
Tax-free donations can be made to: The Womens City Foundation; Womens City Club Delaware; 135 N. Franklin St.; Delaware, Ohio 43015.
If you are interested and want to receive further information, please email [email protected].
I am so glad I saw the notice in the Gazette that the “Women’s City Club” was having an open house this past week. And that we were able to attend. Thanks to the women who showed us around, especially Jo Ingle.
What I noticed mostly on the tour was that everything seemed larger. The beautiful front living room, the kitchen, and the bedrooms were all lighter in color and nicely carpeted. If you go in now, you will see the big picture on the north wall of the living room. It is of Mrs. Way. And when I saw it, I knew it was her and was the same picture that was there when I was living there those long 70 years ago.
All I remember from my room was that now it seemed much brighter. And that I had a small radio and listened to music all the time. It was a great place to be when I was just turning 18 years old, and out in the world on my own. My special thanks goes to the lady who took me there in the first place. Her name was Mrs. Jones. I’m sure she learned of my need of such a place to live from her daughter, Connie, who was in my class at Willis. So, now I will add my “Thanks to Connie!”
Kay E. Conklin is a retired Delaware County recorder who served four terms. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a degree in sociology and anthropology.
