2007.070.001

The Monday Night Club, also known as the Monday Night Club of Lawrence, and the Lawrence Monday Night Club are official names of this association. It was established on February 1, 1872 in Lawrence, Massachusetts at the home of Dr. Garland. The original members included Mssrs. Packard, Garland, Chamberlain, Munger, Park, Rollins, Russell, Brown, Whitney, and Perkins.
Officers of the club included a Chairman and a Secretary who was also the Treasurer. The Chairmen presided in alphabetical order and the Secretary/ Treasurer was elected on an annual basis. The club met on the first and third Monday of the month at a quarter before eight o' clock at a member's residence. The Club did not meet in the summer. The first half hour of the meeting was occupied by remarks from the members of the Club, with the Chairman calling upon the members in order. Each person's comments were not to exceed five minutes. At the close of the conversation an essay was to be read, not to exceed thirty minutes in length. Essays were prepared by members in alphabetical order. Following the essay was a period for further remarks and then business matters. A period of refreshment followed the business.
Members paid dues to defray the costs of the Club. New members were elected by a unanimous vote, later amended to a majority vote. More than four successive absences had to be approved or risk dismissal from the organization. Members were to sign the record book and attendance was monitored.
This specific collection includes minutes of the Monday Night Club Meetings from November 1991 to April 2000. Minutes include conversations by members, members names, location of meetings. Minutes kept by the secretary of the club or by the secretary pro-tem. This record book is accompanied by copies of the individual essays given at the meetings. The manuscripts of the essays are arranged in alphabetical order by creator's name and then chronological order.
The remaining items in the collection include copy of the program at the 125th Anniversary Dinner; Subject list of essays, 1872 - 1947; former member list ( living and deceased) as of 11/30/1999.

Records of minutes were kept by the secretary of the club and then given to Christopher Corbett, a club member, to be donated to the Lawrence History Center

Paper, typed

Inventory created by B. Brown 1 copy with collection. 1 copy in archivist's office