State College Woman's Club

- Documenting the Role of Women in Local History -

In 1894, Fanny Atherton's love of learning and dedication to community well being merged in her interest to establish a Woman's Literary Club for State College. She wanted to improve the lives of State College women by providing them with an outlet for intellectual expression. The first pamphlet of the Woman's Literary Club lists discussions for the upcoming year, 1894: the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, Mary and Martha Washington, letters of Colonial women, and the Amendments of the Constitution. Women and education appear as the primary topics of discussion in the early years of the club, but the group also discussed the lives of women around the world.

Though gatherings were not exclusively held at the Atherton home, most meetings were. The group met for two hours on the first and third Tuesday of each month, and the members discussed politics, religion, and equal rights. With no electricity to provide lighting, no cars for transportation, and the demands of the family and household, attending meetings posed a challenge for most members.

Active members were required to pay an annual fee of $1. Non-active members were required to pay $5. There was also a $.05 penalty imposed for tardiness. Active members were expected to volunteer their time in addition to paying membership dues. Absences from two consecutive meetings resulted in expulsion from the group. For meetings of the State College Woman's Literary Club, each active member read assigned readings, and she was expected to make a presentation on a topic outside the readings at least once a year.

At the gatherings of the club, the members presented papers and hosted guest speakers on literary and historical topics. Atherton herself created many of the programs for the meetings. The club facilitated the establishment of the Home Economics department at Penn State in 1906. Atherton served as president of the club from 1894 until ill health increasingly took her away from active participation in 1906. The members appointed her as their honorary president. In 1910, the Woman's Literary Club became the State College Woman's Club.