The Rose Wing

A Brief History of Our Club

The ladies of the club launched into its first civic endeavor in 1906 when they introduced a District Nurse into Madison. They began Madison's Shade Tree Commission in 1907, and the club gave medals to school children for raising fruits and vegetables. They opened the first playground, at what is now Dodge Field, in 1908 and operated it until 1924 when the Borough took over.

The club's civic activism stepped up in 1912 and resulted in regular garbage collection in the Borough. That same year, the Club opened a room at the corner of Park Avenue and North Street as a recreation center. It grew until activities had to be moved to the Brittin Homestead at 36 Main Street. It then took on a settlement house cast. Social service and counseling to families and individuals emerged. An Opportunity Shop was born to assist families with clothing and household furnishings at low cost so that relief could be avoided. The first morning kindergarten, was established by the Club and later became part of the Madison Public Schools system. A "Baby Keep-Well" station, or clinic,was opened in 1913. Thursday Morning Club members took active roles in home defense and home-front support of our men and women serving in World War I and helped staff a temporary influenza hospital during the great epidemic of 1918.

Through the bequest of club member Mrs. Mary Cash Brown, who believed that "ideas, like people need homes," the club was able to build a Settlement House, the current Madison Community House, in 1924 on Cook Avenue. The site then was "a marshy grove, the home of birds and insects in summer, and of small boys ice-skating in winter." The Green Door Players, a small theatrical group so named for the Community House's front door, began in 1925. Its performance proceeds went toward support of the House.

In 1938 the Thursday Morning Club created the Madison Friends of the Public Library and in 1939, a Madison Bugle and Drum Corps.

During the war years of 1941-1945 the club's main task was in Red Cross support.

In 1957, the Settlement House became the Community House offering activities such as sewing and cooking classes, a gymnasium, arts and crafts, and a meeting place for numerous community groups. A Nursery School was established here in 1960, and the Rose Wing was added in 1966 to accommodate the many activities that the club was adding to its roster.

The club took another leap forward in 1988 when it established an adult day care center, TIMEOUT, a respite facility for caregivers to the frail elderly. This is now a branch of Family Service of Morris County.

1999 brought many exciting new activities to the House. The Thursday Morning Club purchased the adjoining properlty at 27 Cook Avenue which expanded our Nursery School playground and improved our parking lot.

In addition in June of 1999, the House became the distribution site for the National Program called "DRESS FOR SUCCESS" which provides gently used work-appropriate clothing for clients returning to the work force.

In January, 2000 the Club became the sponsor/operator of the Before and After School Child Care Program (B.A.S.C.C.). The purpose of the program is to support parents of children attending the elementary schools in the Borough by providing quality child care beyond the normal school hours with well-planned, flexible activities; consistent with school and home environment, and conducive to creative play, respectful interaction among the children and independent study..

The Thursday Morning Club, today with a membership of approximately 300, has been a member of the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs since 1900 and the General Federation of Women's Clubs since 1907. As a member of these federations the club has supported many projects and charities, including the founding of Douglass College, Preservation of the Palisades, Girls Career Institute, CARE, UNICEF and the Children's Hospital AIDS Program.

You can contact us at:

The Thursday Morning Club

P.O. Box 345

Madison, New Jersey 07940

(973) 377-0244