P.E.O. Records (Chapters N and BW)

P.E.O. is an international women’s organization. P.E.O. stands for Philanthropic Educational Organization. The original meaning of the letters, as established by the P.E.O. Founders, is reserved for members only. Seven college girls founded the original P.E.O. Sisterhood on January 21, 1869, in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. The P.E.O. was to support young women looking for an education and began an education fund in April of 1920. Twelve Spearfish, South Dakota women petitioned to join the P.E.O. Sisterhood and were officially recognized as Chapter N on October 1st, 1919. The first president was Mrs. Bernice Woodburn. At that time membership was limited to twenty members, but the limit increased through the course of the chapter’s development. In 1966, with the support of Chapter N, a new chapter called Chapter BW was formed. Chapter BW’s first president was Gwen Mead.