Skip to main content
COLLECTION Identifier: MC 209

Records of the College Club, 1890-1969

Overview

Minutes, committee records, annual meeting reports, etc., of the College Club, established in 1890 to provide a place for social meetings of college women in Boston.

Dates

  • Creation: 1890-1969

Language of Materials

Materials in English.

Access Restrictions:

Access. Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright. Copyright in the records created by the College Club is held by the President and Fellows of Harvard College for the Schlesinger Library. Copyright in other papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.

Copying. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.

Extent

3 linear feet ((3 cartons) plus electronic records)

Collection contains minutes; records of the board of directors, board of managers, house committee, and executive committee; annual meeting reports; newsletters; bulletins; directories; speeches; and histories comprise this collection. The College Club's web site is being captured periodically as part of Harvard University Library's Web Archive Collection service (WAX); searchable archived versions of the web site will be available through this finding aid in 2010.

HISTORY

The College Club held its first meeting on December 15, 1890. An outgrowth of the Boston Branch of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae, the Club was incorporated on May 4, 1895, with the purpose of "establishing and maintaining a place for social meetings of college women." Meetings had been held in one room of 76 Marlborough Street for three years (1890-1893). After several moves to larger quarters the College Club bought its own house, at 40 Commonwealth Avenue, in 1905, and later purchased the neighboring houses (numbers 38, 42, and 44). This Clubhouse provided rooms for transient college women as well as a center for social functions. The many distinguished guest lecturers at Club meetings included Oliver Wendell Holmes, Alice Longfellow, Vida Scudder, Lucy Stone, Mark Twain, and Frances Willard. In 1955, the charter's statement of purpose was amended to read: "continuing and advancing the education of college women in public affairs, literature and the arts and of providing an opportunity for their participation in civic activities generally, and for the further purpose of providing a meeting place where its members may pursue the objectives of the Club through lectures, forums, discussions and meetings."

For detailed histories of the College Club, see Volume 29, the Anniversaries Book.

Since 1969, three of the houses have been sold; the Clubhouse is now located at 44 Commonwealth Avenue.

Physical Location

Collection stored off site: researchers must request access 36 hours before use.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Accession numbers: 74-250 75-382

The records of the College Club were deposited with the Schlesinger Library in September 1974 by the College Club and in November 1975 by Mrs. Hollis Gerrish.

CONTAINER LIST

  1. Carton 1: 1v-9v, 1 folder
  2. Carton 2: 10v-17v
  3. Carton 3: 18v-30v

Processing Information

Processed: January 1975, February 1976

By: Karen Van Deloo, Laurie A. Cadigan

Title
College Club (Boston, Mass.). Records of the College Club, 1890-1969: A Finding Aid
Author
Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
Language of description
eng
EAD ID
sch00517

Repository Details

Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository

The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.

Contact:
3 James St.
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
617-495-8540