The Aurora Reading Club

of Pittsburgh

Organized in 1894

"Lifting as we climb"

Founding Members

The Aurora Reading Club of Pittsburgh has a rich history spanning over 130 years. We are the oldest African American Women's club in Western Pennsylvania. Our members come together to share their love of literature and engage in thoughtful discussions. Our approach to study is decided by a majority vote of our members, allowing for a diverse range of perspectives and opinions. We are dedicated to promoting literacy and education in our community.

The club was founded in 1894 by Rachel Lovett Jones along with Frances Golden, Anna Posey, Virginia Woodson Proctor, Hannah Grinage Lovett, and Cora Virginia Hill Washington.

In the early years, members traveled to each other's homes by horse and buggy to meet, sometimes staying overnight because of the duration of the journeys. The ladies presented papers they had written on various subjects. Frequently, guest speakers were invited to make presentations. Members adopted causes and supported them raising funds and donating goods. They spread goodwill by visiting the infirmed and knitting sweaters for enlisted soldiers.

Children playing on sidewalk and in street by Nate’s Market at intersection of Wandless Street and Wylie Avenue, Hill District. Photographer Charles "Teenie" Harris

The idea for a reading club originated with Rachel Lovett Jones who invited the other five to her home at 5 Wandless Street in the Hill District to share her ideas and to develop a platform for her dream. Mrs. Jones was a Pittsburgher by birth and married William A. Jones. Having experienced the death of their young daughter, she devoted her life to one of service to women and girls in the community. She was described as a lady of small stature but sturdy in her visions about civic matters. Musically talented, she possessed a magnetic personality with matching energy level, all qualities that contributed to her vitality and leadership. She was organizer and first president of the Home for Working Girls located on Francis Street. This was a shelter and bridge for young women coming in to the city in search of domestic or personal service jobs as typically available to Negro women at the turn of the century. Mrs. Jones was a charter member of the Home for Aged and Infirmed Colored Women, which became Lemington Home. She served on numerous agency boards and was an active member of Bethel A.M.E. Church and choir. Thelma Lovette Morris, a current member, represents the fourth generation of the Lovett family in Aurora.

Mrs. Frances Golden came to Pittsburgh as a young person. She was reared by and employed by a white family, privately educated and tutored. She was married to Dr. John Paul Golden, the first Negro surgeon eligible to practice in Pittsburgh (1888). A resident of Old Allegheny, she, too, was active in Bethel A.M.E. Church and assumed leadership as a board member of the Home for Aged and Infirmed Colored Women. The Goldens moved to South Carolina for a time because of Dr. Golden’s research, but they returned to Pittsburgh in 1917. She continued to be active in civic matters until her death in 1953. Her family also has continued to provide leadership through- out Aurora’s history including current member Pamela Woodson Golden who represents the fourth generation of the Woodson, Proctor, and Golden families in Aurora.

Mrs. J. Alfred Wilner third from left describing painting to Aurora Reading Club members from left: Carolyn Lovett, Frances Primas, (Mrs. Wilner), Lillian Brown, and Ethel Golden, in Pittsburgh Center for Art Photographer Charles "Teenie" Harris

Mrs. Anna Posey originally from Athens, Ohio, was reported to be the first Negro teacher in a white school in Ohio. Married to the famous and wealthy businessman, Cumberland Posey, she was an artist, a painter of China who shared her skills with young people in the Pittsburgh community. She helped to broaden Aurora’s connections beyond Pittsburgh by representing Aurora at the National Federation of Negro Women’s Club and was appointed head of the Art Division of that organization. Active in Warren Methodist Church, she also organized the Harmony Club of Homestead where the family resided. She, too, was one of the organizers of the Home for Working Girls on Francis Street.

Mrs. Virginia Woodson Proctor was a nave Pittsburgher. Because of inadequate schools for Negroes, her father, co-founder of Wilberforce University, taught her at home. Later, she attended Avery College (originally founded in 1849 for Negro teachers and the first college for Negroes in Allegheny County) and majored in sewing. Married to Jacob Proctor, a barber, they both founded successful businesses in Pittsburgh. Her skills in the art of making hairpieces were unique, and she became the first Negro woman to own a business in downtown Pittsburgh. A lifelong member of Bethel A.M.E. Church, she was active as well in other civic organizations as time permitted given her thriving business and childrearing commitments. The Woodson family is large and throughout Aurora’s history many members have been direct descendants or related by marriage to Mrs. Proctor.

Mrs. Hannah Grinage Lovett was born in Jeﬀreytown, near Imperial, PA, where she and her birth family were active members in the oldest Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania. She was married to John J. Love, pioneer businessman of Mansfield (later called Carnegie) where they continued to be active leaders in both religious and civic organizations until the death of her husband. As a widow, Mrs. Lovett moved to Pittsburgh and established herself as a loyal member of Grace Presbyterian Church and its organizations. Well known for her commitments to the sick and the poor, she volunteered her services to the Home for Aged and Infirmed Colored Women, the Davis Home for Children and the Coleman Home. She was the first President of Aurora Reading Club, lending her vitality and inspirational leadership to Aurora in the early days. Mrs. Lovett was the sister-in-law of Rachel Lovett Jones. Thelma Lovette Morris, a current member, represents the fourth generation of the Lovett family in Aurora.

The sixth charter member, Mrs. Cora V. Hill Washington was married to the late Frank Washington on June 15, 1876. Their occupations as janitors pinpoint the closed doors at that me to most Negroes in occupations other than those in domestic or personal service. Records show that they lived on Miller Street and were the parents of one daughter, Mrs. Cora Hill Lee, who was also an Aurora member. She was an active member of Bethel A.M.E. Church and served as a board member of the Home for Aged and Infirmed Colored Women, now the Lemington Home. According to Aurora’s records, Mrs. Washington was the first of Aurora’s charter members to die. Perhaps her death so early in the history of the Club reinforced the importance of legacy building and continuity of the Club’s experiences of friendship, literary study and civic involvement.