About
Southport Woman’s Club was founded in 1909. It’s main purpose was to assist the community through volunteerism.
We are a community service based, nonprofit, philanthropic organization of women volunteers.
The GFWC-Southport Woman’s Club is a service-based, non-profit, philanthropic organization of women volunteers working together to improve our communities through various programs and fund-raising activities. We promote education and literacy, encourage civic engagement, introduce domestic and international cultural awareness, support conservation of our environment, and foster health and wellness. We strive to address issues that affect our communities.
There is something for everyone!
GFWC-SWC is part of a national and statewide charitable organization in which we have been continuously active since October 6, 1909. We represent a network of women with a broad spectrum of life experiences, working on common interests that support the needs of our communities and foster goodwill. Our members attend monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of the month at 1 P.M., September through May, usually in Murrow Hall of Trinity United Methodist Church in downtown Southport. If you are looking for an opportunity for new friendships, fun, and the fulfillment that comes from volunteering, please join us!
Jesse Taylor
(Illustrative Likeness)
Founder Southport Woman’s Club
Jessie Taylor was a remarkable woman who made significant contributions to her community. Her legacy lives on through her contributions to the community and her dedication to public service.
Southport Woman’s Club
Becoming a GFWC member means joining a local GFWC club, where more than 60,000 members are actively engaged in volunteer community service in approximately 3,200 existing clubs across the globe.
GFWC members, from ages 12 to 102, live in cities, suburbs, and rural communities around the globe. They are professional women, students, stay-at-home moms, and retirees, united by a shared commitment to volunteer community service.
Jesse Stevens Taylor (1879-1961)
Jessie Margaret Stevens was born in Chicago in 1879, the youngest child of Enoch Bunker Stevens and Elizabeth Mary Huguenot Larminie. Her early years were spent in Chicago, where her family lived on the south side. Her father was a successful businessman and a highly regarded member of the Chicago Board of Trade.
In 1888, Jessie’s father visited Smithville (which would later become Southport) and became interested in developing a prosperous port with railroad links to the rich coal fields in Kentucky and Tennessee, connecting to Chicago’s commodity market. The family relocated to Southport, where Jessie completed her education.
In 1909, at the age of 30, Jessie Stevens married Charles Edward Taylor, a Southport attorney and newspaper publisher.
Charles Taylor had been prominent in the community, having founded the town’s second newspaper, the Southport Standard, in 1897. Jessie was an active leader in the community. She played a key role in founding the Southport Woman’s Club in 1909 and served as its president five times.
She also helped establish the Southport Library in 1909 and served on its board of trustees for five decades (1909–1959).
From 1905 to 1955, Jessie worked as a weather bureau observer in Southport. She recorded weather data and posted warnings to alert mariners and townspeople about dangerous conditions.
Her dedication to the weather bureau earned her recognition from the United States Department of Commerce in 1955, receiving both the 50-year government service medal and a meritorious service award. In 1954, her prompt action in displaying signal flags and lights warned of the approach of Hurricane Hazel, saving lives. She was 76 years old at the time.
Jessie Taylor supported causes and programs for the betterment of Southport throughout her life. She passed away at the age of 82 in 1961 and was interred in the old Smithville burying ground. The United States Army honored her memory by placing a monument in a large coquina rock at the corner of Davis and Bay Streets on the Army garrison, Fort Johnston.
SWC Gallery
Historical images from Southport Woman’s Club activities and fundraising events.
