Wendell's Group
One of the two earliest women's clubs in the United States, founded in Boston in May 1868.
The New England Women's Club (est. May 1868) of Boston, Massachusetts, was one of the two earliest women's clubs in the United States, having been founded a couple of months after Sorosis in New York City. Harriet Hanson Robinson, founder of the National Woman Suffrage Association of Massachusetts, and suffragist Caroline Severance worked with Julia Ward Howe to organize the club. In 1868, 'club rooms were first secured in ... the rear of the popular Tremont House.' On May 30, 1868, the first meeting to introduce the New England Woman's Club to the public was held in Chickering Hall. The club incorporated in 1887; Sarah H. Bradford, Ednah Dow Littlehale Cheney, Lucy Goddard, Abby W. May, L. M. Peabody, Harriet M. Pittman, Harriet Winslow Sewall, and Kate Gannett Wells served as signatories.
Lore & Background
The club was organized by Harriet Hanson Robinson, Caroline Severance, and Julia Ward Howe. By 1893, some 340 members belonged to the club. Publisher and activist Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin was the first African-American woman to join the organization, when she joined in the mid-1890s. Although the club was run by and for women, men were allowed to join. A few men had attended the initial meeting, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Freeman Clarke, Octavius Brooks Frothingham, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, and Amos Bronson Alcott. Of these, Emerson, Clarke, and Higginson all became members. The goal of the club was to 'provide a suitable place of meeting in Boston for the convenience of its members, and to promote social enjoyment and general improvement.' Committees oversaw club activities with regard to 'Art and Literature,' 'Discussions,' 'Education,' and 'Work.' 'Monday Teas' were held every week. In its first year, club members set about organizing a horticultural school.
Reader's Guide
The club was founded in May 1868 in Boston, Massachusetts, and was one of the two earliest women's clubs in the U.S. Key founders included Harriet Hanson Robinson, Caroline Severance, and Julia Ward Howe. The club incorporated in 1887 with eight signatories. Membership reached about 340 by 1893. Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin joined in the mid-1890s as the first African-American member. Men could join; Emerson, Clarke, and Higginson became members. The club's stated purpose was to provide a meeting place and promote social enjoyment and general improvement. Activities included committees on Art and Literature, Discussions, Education, and Work, plus weekly Monday Teas. In its first year, members organized a horticultural school. The club moved to the New Century Building around 1903, then to the Chauncy Hall Building at 585 Boylston Street in 1909, remaining there as late as 1922.
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