Pleasant Hills Garden Club
CLUB HISTORY
Early History of the Club
In May of 1940, Esther Green met with fourteen other women to discuss starting a garden club. They agreed to meet monthly at member’s homes and Esther became the first president. The dues were fifty cents a year! The highlights of the first year included tours of the member’s gardens, as well as flower arranging.
In September of 1941, the first flower show was held in the Pleasant Hill Church. To make way for the first community offering, members had to haul debris, clean and paint the room, and sew curtains. Home-made niches and orange crates were used for staging. (And we think flower shows are a lot of work today!) That same year, a Christmas luncheon was held at Bill Greens'. The program included a talk about Christmas customs in other lands; two members modeled costumes from the featured countries.
During these first years, the club was involved with the Garden Center and became affiliated with the National Farm and Garden Assoc. in 1941. The club also became active in the Pittsburgh Garden Center, donating baked goods and hard work to the Caledonia Market. Tours of nearby gardens were started.
December, 1941 brought the beginning of WWII. A whole new era began as the war effort became the country’s principle occupation. The club sponsored victory garden contests with fifty-five gardens entered and prizes of War Bonds and War Stamps awarded. Canning demonstrations became part of the early flower shows.
By 1945, the flower show was held in the firehouse and included classes for fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs. Since sugar was rationed, one of the classes was how to make jelly using honey. This same year, the point system was established to encourage members to participate in the monthly meetings. The person with the highest points earned would have their name engraved on a sterling silver trophy. If a member won it three times, they became the permanent owner of the trophy.
In spite of the difficulties encountered because of gas rationing in 1947, a group traveled to Washington D.C. of that year. The highlight of that trip was a tea at the White House with Bess Truman. That year, club members helped financially in the remodeling of the Mellon Garage, which became the new Pittsburgh Garden Center. Members also collected pennies for the "Pennies for Friendship," a fund to be sent to needy children in Europe, sponsored by the National Farm and Garden Association. By this time, the club could afford to have niches and tiers made for use in the annual flower shows. A Farmer's Market was started, as well as classes in flower arrangement and an annual Bridge Party.
Because sugar was still hard to get in 1948, members who could not make candy were asked to donate sugar for the Caledonia Market at the Garden Center. Four books were presented at one of the meetings in the hopes of beginning a club library.
The year 1949 was a busy year. Besides the Farmer's Market, the annual card party, the fall flower show, the group also held a Christmas program for the under privileged, helping girls from the Booth Home in Pittsburgh decorate for the holidays. A horticulture project where young children utilized lots in the community for growing vegetables and flowers was started. Help and supervision were given to Scout activities pertaining to Nature Study, gardening and conservation. Signs at the borough lines were also erected.
The early 1950's, with the club growing to sixty-five active members and nine associate members, brought more changes. By 1952 the Farmer's Market was such a success that only one money-making event was needed, so the annual card party was discontinued. Civic Improvement was expanded to include the arboretum and Junior-Senior High School, as well as McClellan School. In 1954, the club voted to become members of the Garden Club Federation of PA. At this time, there were two flower shows a year, a private one in the spring and one for the public in the fall. The club was busy through the latter part of the 50's with the ongoing projects as well as sponsoring an essay contest, volunteering at Mayview Hospital, and starting the practice of placing an arrangement at the library.
In the 1960’s the club became more involved on the national and state level, with members of the club on both the state and national boards. The club moved from the Community Church to the new Municipal Building.
These first twenty-five years set the pattern for the following years. Today, we are still involved in community projects, carrying on many of the same projects started in the early years. We are thankful for the hard work of former members, who set the agenda and tone of the club, which has enabled the club to prosper for over fifty years.
