The Corvallis Woman’s Club was founded in May of 1883. The mission of the Woman’s Club was to provide women opportunities outside of the home. The Club’s first activity was to serve coffee to Corvallis firefighters after they had doused a blaze—as an alternative to drinking beer in a tavern. The Woman’s Club heartily supported the library, providing the property on which the library was built, and steadily donated books as memorials to past members.
The original clubhouse was torn down when the library was expanded in 1989. The club also played a major role in the establishment of Central Park through lobbying the city council, who had planned to turn the spot into another parking lot. In fact, members earned a reputation among city officials for raising a ruckus—and for making things happen.