The association was established in Brisbane in April 1950 as the Women's Historical Association. Its headquarters were at the heritage-listed Newstead House. In 1957 it was renamed the Queensland Women's Historical Association. From 1960 to 1983 the association placed plaques to commemorate historic sites associated with Queensland's history. In 1966, Newstead House was to be converted into a museum so the association required new headquarters. At the same time, a nearby historic house Miegunyah in Bowen Hill was about to be demolished. Through a public appeal, the association raised the funds for a deposit to buy Miegunyah to restore it to its former glory.
Current activities
The association continue to restore and maintain Miegunyah, which is open to the public as a museum and a venue for talks, exhibitions and social events. The association maintains a library and archive and publishes books.
Plaques
Some of the plaques placed by the association include:
the Cactoblastis Memorial beside Myall Creek, Dalby commemorating the introduction of the Cactoblastis insect that helped eradicate the highly invasive prickly pear from Queensland farmland
Collection policy
In the absence of a well-definedcollection policy, over the years the association acquired via donations a number of items in its collection that did not fit its primary mission to collect and preserve women's history, often to save precious artifacts which might otherwise have been lost in the absence of other collecting organisations. Following the establishment of a collection policy and a review of the collection in 2016, it was decided some original items should be donated to more appropriate collections. In 1964, Roma Browne, granddaughter of the first Queensland Governor, George Bowen, donated a silver spade to the association. Bowen had used this spade to turn the first sod of the Queensland Northern Railway at Rockhampton on 27 September 1865 and had been presented with the spade as a souvenir of the occasion. In 2018, the association donated it to the State Library of Queensland. Also in 1964, Mrs Vernon Alford donated a parian ware vase to the association. It is believed to be a favourite wedding present of Mrs Louis Hope of Ormiston House. In 2018, it was donated to the Ormiston House Museum.
