Woman's Literary Union to celebrate 100 years of serving the community

AUBURN — An intriguing and often overlooked architectural feature of Auburn’s Foss Mansion are the pineapple-shaped ornaments. Difficult to see from the street, these carved tropical fruits were placed along balustrades over the portico and the sun room when the mansion was built between 1914 and 1917.

Legend has it that early swashbuckling sea captains would spear a pineapple on a fence post as a sign of safe return from a trading voyage. It also served as an invitation for neighbors to visit, hear stories and share food and drink.

With pineapples on the portico, it’s appropriate that leaders of the Woman’s Literary Union in Auburn have selected the fanciful fruit as part of their theme to launch their Centennial Capital Campaign to restore and maintain the Foss Mansion, which is the WLU’s home.

On Saturday, Nov. 11, members will throw open the doors from 5 to 8 p.m. and welcome guests to enjoy food, drink and entertainment. There will be house tours and guests will be invited to see the gem of Elm Street and consider taking a role in its preservation.

The Woman’s Literary Union, established in 1892 and incorporated in 1909, was formed by nine local women seeking to further the intellectual, cultural and educational advancement of its members and the community. This national women’s club movement began at the turn of the 20th century as women became more active outside the home.

As part of this groundswell of community involvement, membership of the WLU peaked in 1908 with 425 members. Its activities included a book club with speakers and a separate garden club focused on beautification. One aspect of the garden club was “planting trees all over Lewiston and Auburn,” according to club historian Denise Scammon.

Ella Foss, wife of industrialist Horatio G. Foss, was a member of the Woman’s Literary Union. During her years of service to the organization, she donated many furnishings for the club’s prior headquarters, Auburn’s Edward Little House, at Main and Vine streets. The WLU purchased that property in 1930 and raised significant amounts of money during the Depression to renovate the structure.

Then, when Foss died in 1941, she bequeathed her own home to the club. According to club President Kathy Lawrence, the gift was not without controversy. She said, “The club minutes are filled with comments about ‘spirited discussions’ regarding the acceptance of the gift.” Lawrence said some members wanted to decline the gift and “had plans for … building a 400-seat theater on the Edward Little house.”

But move they did, and, ironically, many of the furnishings Foss had donated to the Edward Little House found their way back to the Foss Mansion.

For the past 70-plus years, a small and committed group of women have maintained the landmark 9,000-square-foot home and promoted the club’s ethos of community engagement and pineapple-perfect hospitality with a variety of activities, including its annual Prom Gown Giveaway and Mother Daughter Tea.

Noted public figures have visited the house over the years, including a visit by Eleanor Roosevelt, according to Scammon.

The house is available to rent for private functions.

The $35 ticket price for the Saturday, Nov. 11, fundraiser includes appetizers and desserts from the Penley House, the Italian Bakery, the House of Bacon and Rails, plus beer from Baxter Brewing, wine and nonalcoholic beverages.

Club member and attorney Kathy Kienitz, a gifted pianist, will play songs popular throughout the history of the club to today. Guests are invited to dress in period costume.

Tickets can be purchased online at the WLU website and their Facebook page, or at the door the night of the event.

The WLU will celebrate the house’s centennial throughout 2017 and 2018.

The Foss Mansion, home to the Woman’s Literary Union in Auburn, basks in the September sun. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

Ornate pineapple carvings on the top of the portico railings at the Foss Mansion, home to the Woman’s Literary Union in Auburn. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

The grand staircase at the Foss Mansion. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

The fireplace in the dining room of the Foss Mansion. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

A George Washington bedspread made by Bates Manufacturing in 1944 covers the bed in the master bedroom of the Foss Mansion in Auburn. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

The upstairs living room at the Foss Mansion in Auburn. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

A portrait of Ella Foss is prominently displayed on the second floor at the top of the grand staircase. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

A portrait of Ella Foss on the first floor of the Auburn mansion. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

WLU President Kathy Lawrence pulls a piece of lint off a wall light on the second floor of the Foss Mansion in Auburn as members ready for their 100th Centennial Celebration Open House on Nov. 11. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

WLU President Kathy Lawrence, left, works with seamstress and WLU member Stefanie Mahr Damien to take inventory and check the condition of dresses once belonging to Ella Foss in the Auburn mansion as they ready it for a 100th Centennial Celebration Open House on Nov. 11. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)