Woman's Temperance Publishing Association

Woman's Temperance Publishing Association

Company type	Non-profit
Industry	Publishing
Founded	1879 in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Founder	Matilda Carse
Defunct	1903
Headquarters	Illinois , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Matilda Carse, Mary Coffin Johnson, Jennie Fowler Willing, Margaret Elizabeth Winslow, Mary Willard
Products	Temperance literature, newspapers (The Signal, Our Union Signal), books, leaflets, youth publications

The Woman's Temperance Publishing Association (WTPA) functioned as a non-profit publisher dedicated to producing literature supporting the Temperance movement. It was established in 1879 in Indianapolis, Indiana during the national assembly of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), founded by Matilda Carse, an Irish-born American entrepreneur and temperance advocate.

Organized as a joint-stock enterprise based in Illinois, the WTPA limited ownership of shares solely to women affiliated with the WCTU, excluding male participation. The initial funding amounted to $5,000 and was subsequently increased to $125,000. Its governing Board consisted of seven women, among them Carse herself. The association ceased operations in 1903.

During the inaugural WCTU convention, the necessity for an official publication was acknowledged, leading Abby Fisher Leavitt from Cincinnati to suggest creating a committee to explore launching a periodical. The first edition of the Woman's Temperance Union was published the following June, under the editorship of Jennie Fowler Willing from Illinois and published by Mary Coffin Johnson of New York. At the 1876 convention in Newark, a publishing committee was formed including members such as Mary Towne Burt (New York), Jane M. Geddes (Michigan), Frances E. Willard (Illinois), Esther Pugh (Ohio), Harriet Maria Haven (Vermont), Zerelda G. Wallace (Indiana), and Caroline Brown Buell (Connecticut). Burt, Willard, and Buell constituted a quorum that renamed the publication Our Union, appointed Burt as publisher, and selected Margaret Elizabeth Winslow from Brooklyn as editor. In 1882 at the Louisville Convention, Our Union combined with the Illinois Signal to create Our Union Signal, which became the official publication of the Woman's Temperance Publication Association, serving as WCTU’s publishing arm.

The weekly periodical The Signal was launched on January 4, 1880, featuring 16 pages. Its inaugural editor was Mary Willard, mother of Frances Willard, who served as WCTU’s second president. Within a year, subscription numbers reached 3,200 and eventually expanded to over 90,000 readers. The publication employed a workforce of 135 individuals. Its guiding motto read: "Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth." In 1882, The Signal merged with Our Union, resulting in the formation of The Union Signal.

Other publications

In addition to its primary newspaper, the Woman's Temperance Publication Association issued reprints under the title "Timely Talks" and combined the "Illinois Workers' Leaflets" into "National Leaflets" designed for departmental instruction. Youth-oriented publications included The Oak and Ivy Leaf, aimed at young women, and The Young Crusader, intended for children. The association also released various books such as Childhood: Its Care and Culture, along with a quarterly Band of Hope Lesson Manual.

Notable people

• Ruby I. Gilbert (1851–1945), bookkeeper affiliated with WTPA
• Katharine Lente Stevenson (1853–1919), temperance activist, missionary, editor
• Margaret Ashmore Sudduth (1859–1957), educator, editor, advocate for temperance