Bee (Organization)

Women's sewing club in Cambridge, Mass., founded in 1861 under name Banks Brigade (honoring general who led Massachusetts forces at the outset of the Civil War); gathered weekly to knit socks, make shirts, and other supplies for local units, chiefly to be distributed by the Western Sanitary Commission; after the Civil War became primarily a social club but continued to produce clothing for a local hospital; later made clothing and bandages during the Spanish American War and World War I; continued as a social organization but donated to children's organizations during and after World War I; disbanded in 1934.

From the description of The Bee collection, 1861-1931 (bulk, 1861-1865, 1899-1924). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 154689924