Ruritan National is a service club located in small towns and rural areas in the United States.

[2][3][4] Its founders, Thomas V. Downing and Jack Gwaltney, wanted to establish a civic organization for rural communities.

[4][7] Along with Downing and Gwaltney, some of the charter members were W. E Beale, L. H. Gardner, J. D. Rawles, Hugh V. White, and H. L. Worrell Sr.[4] Almost immediately, the club added chapters in nearby counties.

[4] On May 25, 1958, a nine-foot-tall granite monument was dedicated in Holland, Virginia to commemorate the founding of Ruritan National.

[4] By 1958, Ruritan National had more than 700 clubs in seventeen states, with more than 24,000 members who were a mixture of farmers and businessmen.

[2] Its diverse areas of service were reflected by its standing committees of the era:[2] On January 17, 1965, the Ruritan held its 35th national convention in Philadelphia with World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker as the keynote speaker.