The collection documents the history and projects of the Juneau Garden Club, an educational, civic, and social institution focused on gardening in Juneau from 1942 through 2004. Although the club was founded in 1927, no documents from the years before World War II exist.

As stated in the 1953 handbook, the club affiliated with the Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs and adopted the following objectives: “to coordinate interest in better and more gardens, to encourage civic planning, to study in all aspects the fine art of gardening, and through association and cooperation to create and promote good fellowship among members of the Association.” The motto of the Juneau Garden Club is “Every Member is a Working Member.”

Projects accomplished over the years touched many areas of Juneau: landscaping and care of the grounds of what is now the City Museum, the triangular plot at Twelfth and Glacier, the hospital, schools, the Federal Building, the ferry terminal, the Wickersham House, hanging baskets in the downtown area, the airport, Pioneer Home and Mountainview, and for Habitat for Humanity. In addition, the club has sponsored or supported the Archibald Menzies Bog Garden near the University, Litter Bug campaigns leading to Adopt A Highway, Friends of the Flowers for summer beautification, Arbor Day tree planting, and scholarships to students in gardening, botany or horticulture. The club also lobbied for a Juneau city gardener in 1982. The members meet at least monthly to share their love of gardening and plan support for projects in Juneau and for their sponsorship of the annual plant sale in the spring to raise money. They have also presented educational programs and classes, such as flower arrangement, tours for the public, and published Gardening in Southeast Alaska (1991 and revised in 1994).

(Source: Looking Back—50 Years of Juneau Garden Club Yearbooks – March 13, 1997, by Doreen Merrell)