Crisp County GaArchives History .....HOME DEMONSTRATION CLUB February 21, 1955 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Clyde Watson clyde.nell@gmail.com January 30, 2010, 10:19 am HOME DEMONSTRATION CLUBS BEGAN OPERATION IN 1927 The Home Demonstration Clubs as organized groups in Crisp County began in 1927. The Bay Spring Club under the direction of Miss Ruby Holbrook, H. D. Agent 1925-1930 and soon after coming to the County, Miss Mary D. McAfee, the Home Demonstration Agent organized the Adkins club in 1930-1935. She also organized the Zion Hill, Bridges, Arabi, and Tremont clubs while she was Agent. Many people remember her operating the canning plant during the depression. Miss Molene Chandler, D. D. Agent 1935-1940 organized Mt. Carmel, Ebenezer and Wenona Home Demonstration Clubs during her period of service. She organized the H. D. Council which is an over-all organization of all the clubs. The present H. D. Agent, Mrs. Luamae M. Perry, followed Miss Chandler in July 1940. All of these clubs continued until Bay Spring discontinued in 1943 because so many women were working due to the man power shortage of wartime. Incidentally, the Bay Spring Club equipped and operated the first school lunch program in Crisp County. The few members left in this club united with the neighboring Mt. Carmel H. D. Club. The Zion Hill Club gradually moved over into the Midway community and changed its name to Midway as three fourths of its members were from this community. Penia and Hatley communities organized Home Demonstration Clubs about 10 years ago. The Pateville and the Clements Communities had a social women's organization in each of these communities. They changed over to Home Demonstration Clubs in 1943. Today we have twelve very active Home Demonstration Clubs who are meeting together monthly for the purpose of improving their homes, their communities and their relationships with their neighbors. The Home Demonstration Agent, employed prior to those named in connection with H, D, Club organization were: Mrs. Jack Johnson from 1916 to 1920 and Miss Ida Bell from 1920 to 1925. Each of these Agents worked with the women around the rural schools in groups or individually. In looking over some reports of Miss Bell and Miss Holbook, we find groups meeting for handicrafts, food preservation, clothing construction, and beautifying their home or gardening. Much attention was given to dairying and poultry. Many of the 4-H members and their families learned to can tomatoes and vegetables in tin and by the pressure cooker method under these early H. D. Agents. Many of these early groups finally developed into Home Demonstration Clubs of MAry D. McAfee's tenure. Many of the Charter members of these clubs are active members today. Ages of club members vary from 18 to eighty as women have learned that you never get old until you cease to learn. We learn new and better ways from each other as well as from the Home Demonstration Agents whose duty it is to bring the latest information of the Land Grant Colleges the Experiment Station and the Research Labratories of the State and Nation. All of these groups have worked for the improvement of their school and churches. The County School Lunch Program was born in the Adkins Community, when they wanted to know what they could spend the twenty-five dollars they had just made. The Agent suggested that they keep it and add some more as they could work for something big maybe a lunch room at school. They became very enthusiastic and enlisted other clubs to work for this goal. In six [6] months they had lunch rooms operating at West Crisp and East Crisp and three [3] years later at Arabi. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/crisp/history/other/homedemo770gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 4.1 Kb