This collection holds the records of the Springfield Branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), documenting the administrative structure and philosophy of the Springfield Branch as well as its activities and relationships with other community organizations, the legislature, and the national WILPF office. In particular, the collection highlights the Branch’s efforts to support racial integration of Springfield’s schools and public facilities, and their opposition to the Vietnam War and military buildup. The collection has been divided into four series: Branch Records, Jane Addams Centennial Records, National Communications and Publications, and Research File.

Series I: Branch Records, 1954-2007, holds the administrative and financial records of the Springfield Branch and documents the branch’s members, activities, and publications. It is divided into five sub-series: Administrative and General Files, Financial Files, Member Files, Publications, and Media.

Series I, Sub-series A: Administrative and General Files, 1954-2007 contains correspondence, membership lists, committee records, newspaper clippings, photographs, flyers, press releases, meeting minutes, annual reports, event planning, and slide and notecard presentations on the history of WILPF. It documents the organizational structure, priorities, membership, correspondence with elected officials and other activist groups, and events organized and supported by the branch. Arranged alphabetically.

Series I, Sub-series B: Financial Files, 1954-1980, documents the financial and fundraising activities of the branch, and includes financial ledgers and transaction records, bank statements, records of dues payments, and tax information. Arranged alphabetically.

Series I, Sub-series C: Member Files, 1954-1991, contains folders relating to individual members, with materials including correspondence, biographical information, and newspaper clippings. Some folders contain paperwork relating to oral history interviews conducted with the members in the late 1970s. Arranged alphabetically.

Series I, Sub-series D: Publications, 1954-2006, contains bulletins and newsletters published by the Springfield Branch, which document the leadership, priorities, and activities of the branch. Arranged chronologically.

Series I, Sub-series E: Media, 1976-1977 primarily contains oral history interviews conducted with branch membership which discuss members’ lives, motivations, and participation in WILPF and other activist movements. Additional recordings document the branch’s 1977 Annual Meeting, conversations among members regarding Nixon and the Vietnam War, and an event on the bombing of Hiroshima. All recordings are on audiocassette; the majority of them have been digitized. Arranged alphabetically.

Series II: Jane Addams Centennial Records, 1959-1967, contains records created both by the Springfield and National branches relating to the 100th birthday celebration held in honor of Jane Addams. It includes correspondence, committee records, memoranda, newspaper clippings, and reports documenting the proclamation of Jane Addams month, the Centennial Celebration, the Jane Addams Folk Dance Festival, the dedication of the Jane Addams School, and the placement of the Jane Addams bust in the Illinois State Historical Society. Arranged alphabetically.

Series III: National Communications and Publications, 1934, 1957-1991, contains bulletins, annual reports, letters to members, newsletters, constitutions, committee records, speeches, and related materials produced by the National Branch. This series documents the issues that were being addressed by the national office and its dissemination of information to local branches. Arranged alphabetically.

Series IV: Research File, 1915, 1965-1991 contains materials produced by other organizations and relating to local, national, and international issues including race relations, women’s rights, the Vietnam War and resistance to it, and disarmament. Arranged alphabetically.