About Indianapolis Woman’s Club

The Indianapolis Woman’s Club (IWC), founded in 1875, is one of the oldest women’s organizations of its kind in the United States. Members meet twice a month on Fridays from October through May to present original papers on a variety of topics, followed by stimulating discussion.

IWC was founded in February 1875 when a small group of women who yearned for an intellectual outlet gathered in a home on the near northside of Indianapolis. The object of the club, as stated in its Constitution, was to encourage the liberal interchange of thought through papers and discussion. Among the club’s founders were reformer and suffragist May Wright Sewall and fellow suffragist and abolitionist Laura Giddings Julian, wife of U.S. Rep. George Washington Julian, the first member of Congress to introduce a resolution to allow women the right to vote.

Since its inception, IWC members have written and presented papers to fellow members and their guests. Today, the club's more than 120 members foster their passions for research, creativity and intellectual discourse through the traditions established more than 150 years ago. The women meet at the historic Propylaeum to listen to two members present their papers, followed by discussion—in the same room where the group has met for more than 100 years. The papers feature a near-limitless array of original work, including historical research, non-fiction and fiction. New members are considered through an invitation and application process.