Durham/Middlefield Exchange Club

The following are excerpts from "The Durham Exchange Club" written by Mr. Joel Davis in October of 1977. "The Exchange Club decided very early to focus its service activities on expanding the opportunities available to children and youth. One aspect of this effort has been the Freedom Shrine, a collection of important documents from the history of the United States, reproduced like the originals, and encased in plastic for display in public buildings. Freedom Shrines have been purchased and installed in Durham High School which is now Frank Ward Strong Middle School, in Middlefield's Memorial School and in Coginchaug Regional High School for the instruction and inspiration of the children of the school district." A footnote to this, the Memorial Freedom Shrine was updated and rededicated in June of 2001. "Another aspect of the club's work has been the development of recreational facilities. The Club built the first public tennis courts in 1966-68, purchased and erected the playground equipment in 1971 and built the recreation area pavilion in 1973. The Club has provided the concrete blocks for Little League dugouts, erected lights for the tennis courts, installed horseshoe pits, built a lawn bowling area and paid for much of the cost of resurfacing the tennis courts."

The principle of community service soon became the focus of club activity, and word of the organization spread. In 1913, and Exchange Club was formed in Toledo, Ohio. Soon, there were Exchange Clubs in Cleveland, Ohio and Grand Banks, Michigan as well. Representatives of these clubs met in Toledo in August 1917, and formally incorporated The National Exchange Club as a nonprofit, educational organization.