Biography

The Modern Idea Club of Thurman, Iowa, which is located in Fremont County in southwest Iowa, was organized on September 23, 1899 with twelve charter members. Its purpose was to bring women together to socialize and promote self-improvement. The records of the first three years were lost in a fire in 1902. Club programs were temporarily dropped in 1917-1918 so that members could give more time to the Red Cross during World War I. In 1922, the group was federated into the General Federation of Women's Clubs.

In 1936, the Modern Idea Club opened a library in Thurman, a town of four hundred people. It was housed in several places around town before eventually settling in 1951 into a former laundry about seven feet wide and twelve feet long, making it perhaps the smallest library in Iowa. Operating costs were met by the club. The club ceased to exist around 1998.

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