Portales Woman's Club looking for help

One of eastern New Mexico's oldest community service organizations is facing a daunting challenge, according to its president, and is inviting all of us to help brainstorm a solution.

The Portales Woman's Club was organized in 1903, six years before Portales was officially incorporated as a city. Since 1932, it has met in the distinctive beige and turquoise New Mexico territorial-style building at 309 W. First St. that is emblazoned with the group's name.

"We've served the community for over 100 years," recently inducted President Sheryl Borden told me when I visited with her and two other long-time members at the facility last week. "We are now in dire straits."

Borden, June Ferguson, and Gaynelle Thomas collectively have at least a century's worth of membership years in the Portales Woman's Club.

The three of them gathered in the historic building to talk about an issue the organization has been wrestling with for a while.

For starters, they have a facility that rarely gets used, and needs major repair work to its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system - "at least $15,000 worth," the women estimate.

But what makes their situation even more unique is this:

While this club was once a significant landowner in Portales (they originally held the title to the Portales cemetery, for example), "over time previous members sold every bit of the ground except where the building is sitting," Ferguson said.

And by "every bit," she means every bit. The PWC owns only the ground directly beneath its structure, but not a foot in any direction outside of that.

So when the club voted last year to consider selling the building, well, you can see how it got challenging.

The building shares its block with Wells Fargo bank, and the bank owns all of the surrounding property, Borden said. The PWC is allowed to use the adjacent parking for its events, but not many entities are interested in buying a building that doesn't come with ownership to even its sidewalks.

Now the members are trying to come up with ideas and funds to do the long overdue HVAC repairs and - ideally - become a facility that will once again be used by many in the community.

The PWC has an interesting history. According to an article written by Ruby Mears for the book "Roosevelt County History and Heritage," "The purpose of the organization was to give women an opportunity to work together in promoting the growth of the young town of Portales in civic, educational, cultural, and social affairs."

One of its initial projects was gathering books for the first Roosevelt County lending library shortly after the turn of the last century; another was owning and overseeing the Portales Cemetery for the first four decades of its existence.

Portales Woman's Club members are front and center at every Peanut Valley Festival, where they've been the official peanut vendors since that event began. Funds raised are returned to the community in scholarships for high school seniors.

You'll find these women toting trays each year at the pioneer lunch at the Roosevelt County Fair, where they also hosted the annual flower show until recently. They are longtime supporters of the local children's homes and a host of other worthy causes.

In 1920, the organization voted to put up its own building, and spent a dozen years raising the funds to do it. When it opened in September of 1932, it quickly became a social hotspot for Portales.

Two years later, when Eastern New Mexico Junior College opened its doors, the club building buzzed with student events.

The structure was home to weekly Saturday night dances for much of its existence, and has been used over the years for birthday parties, anniversaries, rush parties, small conventions, and conferences, Borden said.

"We even had a church meet here for a while," Thomas said.

Today, with rare exception, the 1,000-square-foot building sits locked with shutters drawn except for an hour or so on the second Wednesdays of September through May when the PWC meets.

The members are reaching out in search of groups and organizations in eastern New Mexico that might be interested in renting the facility, as well as anyone who has ideas for creative fundraising ventures to help preserve this piece of Portales history.

"We love the building," Ferguson said. "We would love to save it, but we have to be able to afford it."

If you have an idea to share or you'd like to take a look inside the building, Borden would love to hear from you. Give her a call at 575-219-1893.

Betty Williamson wishes these dedicated women all the best. Reach her at:

[email protected]