The Bee Ridge Woman's Club played an integral role in the growth and development of the Bee Ridge community from the early 1900s onward, providing social life, community pride, and strong support for public-interest projects. Organized in 1915 as the Get-Together-Club, it met and held social events at the Bee Ridge Hotel, owned by Mrs. Potter Palmer, whose Sarasota-Venice Company was involved in extensive farm, citrus grove, and residential development in Sarasota County. Beginning with eleven charter members, the organization became a full-fledged women’s club in 1917 after adopting a constitution and bylaws and taking the name Bee Ridge Woman's Club, then joined the General Federation of Women's Clubs in 1919. In April 1920, after a motion by Ethel MacKintosh, a committee was formed to find a suitable lot for a clubhouse, and John MacKintosh, her husband and the architect of the Bee Ridge Presbyterian Church, drew the plans; contractor Thomas H. Crisp began construction in June 1922. After the building was completed at a total cost of $1,150, the first meeting in the new clubhouse was held in October 1923 under President Mrs. John MacKintosh, with Mrs. W.S. Harris as vice president, Mrs. S.L. Flye as secretary, and Mrs. Charles Mills as treasurer. The club was incorporated in 1925, and its property nearly doubled when Mrs. W.S. Ashton donated a lot. From its beginning, the club actively supported local educational and cultural causes, especially Gillespie School, where it helped with needs ranging from Christmas candy to a new well and repairs. A club library begun in 1917 was discontinued after severe storm damage to the grounds and building in 1927, and Mrs. Harry Gocio, then president, oversaw renovation of the grounds and donated several oak and pine trees that still stand. Potluck suppers have been held on the third Thursday of each month since 1923, and in 1953 the Bee Ridge Junior Woman's Club was formed as an affiliate and was chartered in 1956.