Scrapbook page showing ephemera from a 1955 Mathatasian Club fundraiser

The E.O.T (Every Other Thursday) Book Club was organized in
September 1915 with sixteen charter members: Maud Allison, Mrs. Beavens, Ida
Bryant, Mrs. Burnett, Mrs. Caldwell, C.E. Deaver, Flora Duckworth, Kathleen
Ervin, A.E. Hampton, N. Forsythe, Ora Jones, Mrs. Margan, E.H. Norwood, Mrs.
Macfie, E.H. Trowbridge, and Julia Trowbridge. The group met to trade books and
had a theme that changed each year. On April 12, 1917, the name was changed to
the Mathatasian Book Club. Julia Trowbridge selected the name because it meant
“learner.” The club joined the N.C. Federation of Women’s Clubs on October 20,
1921.

Cover of 1955 scrapbook

In addition to their intellectual pursuits, at times the
club also acted as a charitable organization through efforts such as
fundraising for veterans and their families and polio prevention. One early
fundraising effort was to publish a cookbook with a small collection of recipes
in 1939, making this the earliest published local cookbook in Transylvania
County. The photo included in this article is an image of a scrapbook page from
1991. This retrospective scrapbook showcases the fundraising efforts of the
club in 1955 when money was raised to aid a family of Czechoslovakian refugees
living in France. The Mathatasian Club of Brevard is still active today and
continues to discuss their annual theme and exchange books.

Cover of 1939 cookbook

The minutes from 1916 to the present, collected club
scrapbooks, and the 1939 cookbook are archived
in the Rowell Bosse North
Carolina Room at the Transylvania County Library. Scrapbooks from the past club
years are also digitized and part of the online collection, which can be
accessed on Digital NC.

Photographs
and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina
Room, Transylvania County Library. Visit the NC Room during regular library
hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional
photographs. This article was written by Laura Gardner, Local History
Librarian. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact [email protected]
or 828-884-1820.