Deets Room

Mrs. L.C. Deets (186-1953) was the house secretary for the Des Moines Women’s Club and lived in Hoyt Sherman Place from 1921-1948. In 1919, she was elected to her position for a salary of $75 per month. On May 19, 1920, she was re-elected and given a salary of $100 per month. “Nelly” was married to Lincoln Clarence Deets in 1890 and was widowed in 1918. What was once a bedroom and nursery, her living quarters are now designated as the Deets Room in her honor.
Mrs. Deets was an important figure in the Women’s Club and made sure all programs and activities ran smoothly. She was an organizer and problem solver. In a 1947 tribute to Mrs. L.C. Deets, the past presidents of the Women’s Club wrote that her “first interest above all the things was the welfare of the club” and that she had brought “a rare dignity and understanding seldom found.” Mrs. Deets was said to be on duty day and night.