One hundred years ago, on July 1st, 1917, Arkansas Governor Charles Brough appointed the Women's Committee to the Council of Defense for Arkansas to help organize the state’s contributions to the war effort.
The Committee, led by Ida Frauenthal of Conway, oversaw the registration of women throughout the state in food conservation and willingness-to-serve campaigns.
Its Women-in-Employment subcommittee provided oversight for working women as they experienced wartime employment conditions. Another subcommittee offered protection for the many young women who poured into central Arkansas while the military training base at Camp Pike was constructed.
Because Arkansas’s club women were already well organized, with a communication network throughout all 75 counties, the Arkansas Women’s Committee was able to successfully fulfill its many responsibilities.
Its final report, dated December 30th, 1918, is housed in the Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock.
To learn more, visit WWIArkansas.com.
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