History of Womans Club Building shows passion of a dedicated group

Staff Reports

Downtown Rockmart is filled with historic structures, including the Woman’s Club Building, located on N. Marble St.

Plans are to give it a fresh coat of paint and other upgrades during the fall, according to Manager Jeff Ellis.

The building is currently used as a meeting site for groups, such as the Kiwanis Club and is available for other events.

Curtis Lewis was mayor when the City accepted ownership of the property. He accepted the property deed from Sue Weaver, president and Lillian Sherman, treasurer.

The building and grounds are seeped in Rockmart’s history and work of the late Leonora F. Mintz, who was instrumental in getting the building listed on the National Register Historic Places.

Mrs. Mintz authored an article about the history of the structure and how it was organized, including those published in The Rockmart Journal. She was known as the community’s historian while a member of the Woman’s Club.

Her articles indicate that, in 1906, 13 Rockmart women organized the Reading Club. On June 16, 1913, it became an affiliate of the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs and was named the Rockmart Woman’s Club.

Mrs. B. T. Morgan was the first president. Mrs. Morgan was a sister of Mrs. Everett, first president of the Reading Club. Both were daughters of Rev. and Mrs. E. W. Ballenger, first president of the Rockmart Piedmont Institute.

After the Woman’s Club members found an

of available lot on Sciple Street, plans were made for the construction of a log cabin, a popular style of that era.

At that time, the group learned three choice lots were available with one facing N. Marble St.

Plans were discarded to build a log cabin and W. Roy Reece was hired as the architect for a new building. Reese had assisted his father in building the Rockmart City Hall in 1921.

In September 1922, the official opening of the 1,320 square foot clubhouse was held. The structure had a foundation of native rock with a columned porch and furnishings presented by O. T. Flournoy, president of Southern States Cement Company (later Marquette Cement).

To pay off the $5,000 debt, the club members held fundraising activities.