Woman’s Eastern Shore Society of Maryland records

The Woman's Eastern Shore Society (WESS) was founded in Baltimore in 1926 by a group of women who were born on Maryland's Eastern Shore or who had family connections in that region. The group's first president was Miss Anne Rothwell Stewart (died 1930). Although WESS's goal was “social fellowship among the members and preservation of traditions and a way of life so dear,”; the organization also focused on public service and philanthropic efforts.

By the end of its first year in existence, WESS had 137 members. WESS, still in existence, is organized into chapters based on the counties of the Eastern Shore, and membership in 1994 reached over two hundred. Activities are organized by the club as a whole and also by individual chapters.

Social events include the Annual Banquets, which have been held at Baltimore hotels such as Emerson, Lord Baltimore, and Belvedere. Meetings, “History luncheons,” plays, and pageants have also been organized. The club has published cookbooks as well. WESS created a scholarship fund that supports young Eastern Shore women with their college educations.