Finding aid for the Rowfant Club Records, Series II

History of the Rowfant Club

The Rowfant Club was founded on February 29, 1892 by a group of Cleveland, Ohio, book lovers and book collectors. The Club's purposes are to study the technical aspects of bookmaking and collecting as well as the literary side of books, and occasionally to publish for its members fine quality, limited editions of books of special interest. The Club was named for Rowfant, the Sussex County estate of Frederick Locker-Lampson (1821-1895), English poet and book collector whose library was highly esteemed by bibliophiles. The name "Gopher Club" also had been suggested and, by way of compromise, the groundhog was adopted as the Club's symbol and February second, Groundhog Day or Candlemas, selected as the date of the annual meeting. A full account of the Rowfant Club's founding appears in Russell H. Anderson's The Rowfant Club: A History, published by the club in 1955.

Membership, confined to men with literary and collecting interests, is by invitation only and limited to 150 resident and 55 non-resident members. Occasionally, a man who is outstanding for his contributions to the bibliophile world, but ineligible for regular membership, is elected to honorary membership in the Rowfant Club. Upon being elected, each man is assigned a membership number. Soon after his election, a member is required to present ot the Club a candlestick engraved with his name. The candles are shelved in the refectory, used as place markers at meals, and lighted as a part of the annual meeting ceremony. The candle of a deceased member is hooded at the annual meeting when his eulogy is read, and then moved to the library.

A rented room on the second floor of the Case Block, the site presently occupied by the Old Federal Building on Public Square (1988), served as the first club house. In 1893, the Rowfant Club moved its headquarters to a second floor suite at 255 Erie Street, now East Ninth Street. The present club house (1988) at 3028 Prospect Avenue (formerly 766 Prospect Avenue) has been the home of the Rowfant Club since 1895. Rowfant Hall, an addition to the house, was built in 1907 to serve as a meeting and exhibition hall. The Rowfant Club house on Prospect Avenue, also known as the George Merwin House, has the distinction of being one of the oldest inhabited houses in Cleveland, and in 1973 it was entered in the National Register of Historic Places.

Rowfant Club, begun as an informal organization, in 1895 became the Rowfant Club Co., a stock corporation. Rowfant Club Co. stock was sold at twenty-five dollars per share to Club members, each of whom was required to purchase one share. Annual dividends of five percent were paid in the form of credit toward dues. Members were encouraged to acquire up to twelve additional shares in order for the Club to raise money for payments on its new house. A few members, through purchase of shares from the estates of deceased members, eventually became inordinately powerful. Club rules were subsequently changed to allow each member, regardless of the number of shares he owned, only one vote a the stockholders' meetings. In 1929, the stockholders voted to reorganize as the Rowfant Club, a non-profit corporation, and ownership of all stock was transferred to the Club itself. Today the Club is financed through annual dues, contributions from members, and through special funds whose principal is invested and the interest used for general operating expenses and the purchase of books.

Interest in binding and publishing led a group of Rowfanters to establish the Rowfant Bindery Co. in 1909, and to sell stock to Rowfant Club members. Located in the Caxton Building in Cleveland, its purpose was to produce finely bound volumes for Rowfant Club members and other interested individuals. Lack of business forced the bindery to close in 1913, but it is remembered still for its high quality work.

Supervised by its Publication Committee, the Rowfant Club periodically issues limited editions of special interest books. The Club's publications, sold through subscription to members, occasionally are made available to selected libraries and institutions. Noted for their quality and fine workmanship, Rowfant books have won several wards and are sought after by collectors. Annually, since 1897, the Club has published a Yearbook which has evolved from a reprint of the President's address to a detailed account of the annual meeting, including the annual committee reports, eulogies, and committee and membership lists. Paper bound printed copies of speeches given at meetings and catalogues of Rowfant sponsored exhibits are printed occasionally and offered through subscription to members; such items are known as "Rowfantia." In addition, the Publication Committee oversees the production of non-printed items such as limited editions of candlesticks and medals. Selected items from the Publications Committee's excess stock are offered for sale at the Club's annual auction, providing members the opportunity to acquire a complete set of Rowfant books.

The Rowfant Club is governed by elected officers and a fifteen-man Council of Fellowes elected for staggered three-year terms by the resident members at each Candlemas meeting. The Council of Fellowes meets monthly to discuss Club business and determine policy Regular meetings are scheduled from October through May on Wednesday evenings at 8:00 o'clock, with the exception of the first Wednesday of each month which is set aside for the Fellowes' meetings. Prior to 1942, weekly meetings were held on Saturday evenings at 8:30 o'clock; and from 1942 to October 1973 on Friday evenings. The Friday Lunch Club and Saturday Lunch Club, informal groups open to all Rowfanters, meet weekly from October through May for discussion and lunch.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Rowfant Club

Scope and Content

The Rowfant Club Records, Series II, 1852-1988 and undated, consist of committee reports, Fellowes' meeting reports, correspondence, articles, scrapbooks, meeting notices, financial records, tax records, insurance records, copyright information, resolutions, drafts of various Rowfant publications, publication lists, and various member files. The collection also includes non-correspondence relating to Rowfant auctions, Bronze candlesticks, Rowfant book holdings, and the Friday lunch club.

This collection will be of use to those interested in book collecting and bookmaking, members and participants in this organization, and mens' clubs in general. Those studying the history of Cleveland, Ohio, and men's groups there in the late nineteenth century and twentieth century will find this collection useful.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should also consult MS 3571 Rowfant Club Records; MS 5221 Rowfant Club Records, Series III; and PG 90 Rowfant Club Photographs.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4255 Rowfant Club Records, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

The Rowfant Club, 1973 through 1986.

Processing Information

Processed by James M. Lewis in 1988.

Detailed Description of The Collection