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2024 is a joyous year for the Suffolk Book Club, as members are celebrating 125 years of gathering together to share books and discuss literary topics.

The club celebrated its milestone with a lively tea party at The Dawson House on Wednesday, Sept. 18 filled with delicious sweets and plenty of members dressed to the nines for the occasion. Suffolk Book Club Upcoming President Toni Reynolds briefly discussed the history of the club. Reynolds noted the club was organized in 1899 with the purpose to provide a “regular and congenial gathering of educated Suffolk women.”

“Our first meeting was held at the Suffolk Christian Church parsonage and there were several charter members that would be familiar names to Suffolkians, like Ms. Anna Mary Riddick of Riddick’s Folly and some of the other well known names in the community, like the Dardens, Mrs. Herbert Darden, or Mrs. Wilbur Kilby,” Reynolds said. “And today, even the book club sometimes has a legacy of families of several generations, second and third generation members. So I think that’s a very interesting thing.”

Reynolds says that the club is limited to 30 women. With the various issues of 1899, such as women not being able to vote, she noted that women were having more leisure time and access to books.

“So, I think it’s very telling that they wanted to get together to discuss what was going on in the world and also, to share their books with each other,” Reynolds said.

Compared to back then where the club would have “ice courses, salad courses and dessert courses,” the club has become more relaxed reflecting societal changes. While back then members used to pass books among themselves, Reynolds says the club has more of an emphasis on a specific theme with accompanying programs with last year being art.

“And this year, we’re talking about world travel,” she said. “So each of our programs will have something to do with world travel, and the book that we select will have something to do with world travel.”

Suffolk Book Club Member Barbara West, who has been a member since 1969, talked about what made her join. West, who was newly married and a new teacher at Suffolk High School, says that she was invited to the club by her fellow school employees.

“And so, I got to know a lot of the people in Suffolk, ladies, that I probably wouldn’t have come in contact with so much,” West said. “Like the teachers, the people at school, I did. But, the others who were in here, and a lot of them had been in a long time. And so, it was great because you were in the middle of all different age brackets. And of course as a newbie and, you know, 23-years-old, you’re kind of keeping your mouth shut and following along!”

West says that the club has remained the same throughout the years with socials, programs and more.

“All these years, it has not changed. We still do the programs the same way, everybody has to buy a book and then we have programs for each meeting and we don’t read the same book,” she said. “You list what book you got and people can borrow it if they want to if you’re done. But nothing’s really changed.”

West talked about the friends she made along the way in the years since, noting being members with some ladies since the 1980s.

“You keep these relationships going and all the generations along the way, and I think that’s probably what I’ve enjoyed the most,” she said. “… Everybody’s always just, it’s a friendly time. It’s just a very friendly time and as you’re with these people over the years, you get to know their children and it’s kind of a little core place to be to be with folks over and over again that you know. And so, it’s been a really great experience.”