This year the YWCA celebrates 100 years of serving women of Venango County. While 100 years ago there were many social clubs for women, there were few for younger women and girls, that provided opportunities for programs and projects.
The Federation of Women’s Clubs in Oil City believed that ought to change and in 1923 Mrs. E.C. Beatty, federation president, asked Myra Chickering of Oil City to travel to New York City. Her mission was to visit the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) national headquarters to inquire about establishing a YWCA in Oil City.
Myra met with Mabel Krall of the national YW and arranged for her to visit Oil City. Once here, the Federation hired Miss Krall to “organize a strong girls organization” in the city. The Federation chose the existing but tentative Hi-Tri Girls Reserves organization in Oil City to be the forerunner for a YW.
A meeting was set up on June 11, 1923 at the Oil City YMCA building on Seneca Street. A total of 131 girls showed up for the presentation.
On June 23, a second meeting was held to formally vote to launch a YWCA in Oil City. Headlines in The Oil City Derrick newspaper the following day noted: “YWCA organized here with 480 charter members.”
A board of directors was elected and a budget was proposed to hire a secretary and find a meeting space. Committees were formed to find available rooming places for young women in Oil City and to organize an employment agency to help young women find jobs. A community campaign was launched to raise the $8,000 budget for the new YWCA program. The response was generous and quick, helped in large part by the vigorous advertising from local businesses advocating for the new women’s organization. On December 24,1924, the new OC YWCA received its national charter.
The first site for the new organization was a small meeting room above a West First Street store. Early records show the store was Jerko’s ice cream shop, now the site of the YMCA facility.
The current location, the Maxwell home, was donated to the YWCA in 1939.
The YWCA over the years has upgraded and expanded its facilities. In 1951, the organization built a $90,000 annex that included a gym, recreation room, storage area and kitchen. The club bought a two-story frame home next door on Central Avenue and razed to provide more property for future expansion. The latest project was in 1989 when the YW raised $750,000 to add a new wing on to the building.
Over the years the YW has offered a variety of team sports, including volleyball, basketball, softball and pickle ball.
Today, the Oil City YWCA continues its broad community outreach with the summer playground program which is in its 46th year, an annual antique show, Sweet Treats holiday event, rental of space to community organizations, teen and tot events, annual spaghetti dinner, adult education programs, numerous clubs, exercise and yoga sessions and an expansive physical fitness program. There are about 500 active members.
Current Executive Director Jennifer Friedhaber shares that the current staff of 14 employees has over 232 years of combined service. She attributes the long tenures of several employees to their dedication to members.
Health and fitness remain a high priority, for physical wellness but also for the friendships and relationship built through the programs.
As the YWCA marks its 100th anniversary, it remains dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
The YWCA has been hosting the annual Oil Heritage Festival spaghetti dinner for many years. YWCA staff and volunteers begin preparing for the dinner months in advance of the July event, making meatballs, cakes and fixings for the 350-400 attendees.
Congratulations to the Oil City YWCA on their 100th anniversary!
Information for this article was taken from the Hidden Heritage series, published in February 2024. Additional Hidden Heritage articles can be found at: oilregionlibraries.org/hidden-heritage
This article was published in the Venango Chamber’s July 2024 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.