Series I: Organizational Records

This collection contains the minutes, reports, correspondence, financial documents, scrapbooks, and ephemera relating to the activities of the Woman's Eastern Shore Society of Maryland (WESS). This collection spans the years 1926-1986.

The bulk of the records is made up of voluminous minutes and meeting reports. The WESS board met regularly throughout the year (with a few months off in summer), with county chapter representatives and committee heads submitting activity reports. The WESS's filing methods have been preserved in processing. In the early years, minutes were recorded in books and reports filed separately. Starting in 1976, however, minutes and reports were held together in three-ring binders. Some binders were dismantled due to poor condition and their contents filed in boxes. Annual meetings were held and reports were filed separately for the years 1933-1974.

The scrapbooks (Series IV) created by the specific county chapters are the second largest body of records generated by the WESS. These scrapbooks contain mostly news clippings about the Eastern Shore, but ephemera is present as well. No preservation copying or dismantling has been done. Some loose items are present within books.