News

NEWS RELEASE

October 27, 2015

The Santa Maria Public Library is pleased to announce a selection of Minerva Club digitized photographs, now available through the Library’s website at www.cityofsantamaria.org.

Some of the images include photos of early Santa Maria women such as its first librarians, Minnie Stearns and Dorothea Nelson, as well as many more well-known women in the community including Minerva Thornburg, the club’s namesake. Directly link to the images at http://www.luna.blackgold.org/luna/servlet/blackgold~6~6.

The Minerva Club is one of the oldest continuously-operating women's clubs in California, having been founded in 1894 by 25 pioneer women. In 1906 it incorporated as the Minerva Library Club, and with funding from the Carnegie Foundation, built and opened Santa Maria’s first public library in 1909.

The Minerva Club images have been added to the Black Gold Cooperative Library System “Luna” database of local history resources, thanks to a partnership with the Santa Maria Public Library.

The Santa Maria Public Library is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Friday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The library is closed on Sunday.

Questions may be directed to the Library’s reference services desk at 925-0994 ext. 827.

Department:                              Public Library

Contact Person:                        Joyce Fischer, Librarian I

Telephone Number:                 (805) 925-0994 ext. 331

E-mail Address:                        libraryreference@cityofsantamaria.org