61 cubic feet, 1485 folders, 4994 photographs, 13 microfilm rolls
The YWCA collection covers the organization's activities from its inception in 1904 to the late 1970s. The constitution and bylaws, along with revisions and complete financial records are included. The St. Louis YWCA was divided into several branches, including a segregated club for black girls, and each of these groups is represented in the records, which include documentation on programs, summer camps, and clubs maintained by the various branches. The collection also includes a record of programs for which the YWCA shared responsibility with similar organizations, such as the USO, American Red Cross, and the YMCA.
This collection can be requested to view at State Historical Society of Missouri research centers. Appointments are strongly encouraged to ensure that requested materials are available at the time of your visit. Make an appointment using the research request form.
The State Historical Society of Missouri collects materials documenting all aspects of Missouri history. Some of our paper and digital collections as well as older finding aids may include harmful or outdated language and could be considered offensive. SHSMO does not censor its collections, but we endeavor to be accurate and inclusive in how we describe them.
We are committed to revising and updating our descriptive language; however, with thousands of finding aids, this is ongoing and will take time. When processing new collections, we will occasionally re-use language provided by creators and former owners of the collection because it provides important context about the materials or appears in the formal names of organizations or titles of materials in the collection. In all finding aids, archivists work to contextualize the contents of manuscript collections.