Founded in 1913, the Chico Art Club for women was a social and service oriented club focused on women and the arts. Mrs. Margaret March founded the club and early members included prominent Chico citizens such as Annie Bidwell. In 1933 the club building was finished. It is used as a community gathering place and is rented out for various public and private events. Many of the clubs early records were lost in a fire in 1950 when a 10 year old boy broke into the clubhouse and set fire to club property. The building suffered $6000 worth of damage and members had to meet in other locations while the building was refurbished. In 1961, the Chico Art Club officially changed its name to the Chico Women’s Club to more clearly define the club’s purpose. Though once a part of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) and the California Federation of Women’s Clubs (CFWC), Chico Women’s Club is now independent from any larger groups. During the 1990’s the club saw dwindling membership and almost disbanded, it was during this time that membership in the larger Women’s Club organizations ceased. Though the club still focuses on women in the arts they also contribute to many community and global improvement projects. Over the years the Chico Women’s Club has hand a major hand in the development of Annie’s Glenn, Caper Acres and preservation efforts at the Bidwell Mansion. The club also made use copies of the Bidwell Papers, available at Special Collections CUS, Chico. More recently club members have been involved in projects such as a TimeBank and Micro-financing.