The Fortnightly Club was organized in Hancock in November 1937 and is still in existence. It seems to bear no obvious relation to a Home Fortnightly Club founded in Calumet in 1902 (see constitution and annual programs at F574.C2 H6). The Fortnightly Club was organized in 1937 by Rev. Fred Clark of the First Congregation Church of Hancock and its early decades of activity reflect its design as a religious study group for young married couples, particularly those with young children. Early versions of the Club’s constitution describe a group “organized to encourage sociability among the young married people of the district, to improve our knowledge in certain fields of learning and to demonstrate the practical aspect of religious experience.” These early constitutions also include articles specifying a group of no more than 30 “young married people”, two-thirds of whom must have membership in the church, and allowing for the expulsion of members living “contrary to the standards of Christian living generally accepted by society.” In these early years Rev. Clark presented talks on religious subjects alternating with other speakers and social meetings. Meetings were held every two weeks (hence the name) at the church or in members’ homes, and announcements were printed in the church bulletin as well as the Saturday church update in the Houghton Daily Mining Gazette.

By the late 1950’s, the group’s religious orientation began to fade. The revised constitution of 1959 ended public announcements of Club meetings and changed the membership articles deleting the words “young” and requiring only half of the active members to be “affiliated” with the Congregational Church. By 1972, “Christian living” language was dropped, meetings were no longer held at the church and future meetings were announced by the Club president or the host couple. A document prepared for the Club’s fiftieth anniversary celebration in 1987 indicated that many members were faculty of Michigan Technological University, though lawyers, doctors and Isle Royale rangers had been members in an effort to keep the group from becoming a MTU faculty organization.

With the constitution of 1990, meetings were set at the first and third Wednesday of each month and active membership drawn “primarily” from married couples. Total Club membership has never exceeded thirty members. The educational part of the Club’s meetings have included, talks, lectures, panel discussions, book reviews, slides, movies, and discussions concerning directed study. The Club has continued its traditional Christmas parties, white elephant gift exchanges, and annual spring picnics, though other activities, like Twelfth Night dinners and Guest Meetings, have fallen into disuse.

The Fortnightly Club Collection charts the evolution of one Copper Country social organization through a number of incarnations. Throughout its history, however, the Club’s stated goals to encourage sociability and improve knowledge have continued. The collection provides insight to Club members, to local community activities, and to their perspectives on the contemporary issues of the times.