Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: Side One: Pioneer women from distant urban areas were lonely and isolated in the pines and palmettos of South Florida. On February 14, 1912, six of them met at Eleanor Jordan’s home and founded the Coco Plum Thimble Club. "Mother" Jordan became the first president. Membership grew so rapidly that within a year a clubhouse was needed. Mary Dorn, the club’s second president, found five acres owned by the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) available for $150. The club had only $100 from events and 50-cent annual dues. Dorn wrote to James Ingraham at FEC, offering $100 and suggesting that a public building on the site would be an asset for Larkins. He replied, “The land will be yours.” With no money left for construction, the club issued scrip in $5 denominations, redeemable when the club had the funds. A simple frame clubhouse with wide porches was built on the Larkins Wagon Trail. In 1916, the club incorporated as the Woman’s Club of Larkins. In 1926, George Merrick’s Coral Gables Corporation was expanding and paid $100,000 for four of the five acres. Under the presidency of Carrie Ravlin, the present Mediterranean Revival clubhouse, designed by Howard & Early, was built in 1926 by the Knight Construction Company for $75,000. Side Two: For more than 100 years, the club has served as a community center and has been affiliated with larger associations, the Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs and the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. In 1926, the club’s name changed to Coco Plum Woman’s Club. Originally formed for social purposes, the club quickly adopted literary, scientific, and philanthropic goals. In 1915, Pollyanna was the start of a free library, ending in 1969 with 16,000 volumes that enriched the lives of mostly students, but also many adults. Starting in 1945, the club housed a kindergarten that ran for 26 years. During the summer of 1948, the club’s “Book Wagon” operated as the first traveling library in Florida. In the 1950s, the club was recognized for its community service three years in a row as one of the top 250 Honor Roll Clubs in the United States. The “Round the Clock” Civil Defense Program, held on September 16, 1957, brought county, state, and national recognition. The clubhouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. The mayor presented the club with a Key to the City of Coral Gables and a Proclamation in 2012, acknowledging a century of service and the women who brought the club to life.