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Eurodelphian Literary Society records

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MSP 124

Scope and Contents

The Eurodelphian Literary Society records documents the activities and membership of both the local and national chapters of the society.  Included in the collection are meeting minutes, pledge registers, constitutions, and notes on ceremonies and rituals.  These materials give insight into the weekly happenings of the society as well as less frequent ceremonies.  Unfortunately, the collection has no content from the earliest years of the society’s existence.  This collection might be useful to researchers interested in women’s history, Purdue history, literary societies, extracurricular activities of female students, 19th and 20th century material culture, and the impact of Dean Shoemaker.  Types of materials include: records books, printed material, constitutions, and ephemera.

Dates

  • 1920 - 1932

Creator

Language of Materials

Collection material is in English.

Access Information

Collection is open for research.

Copyright and Use Information

Copyright held by Purdue University.

Historical Information

The Eurodelphian Literary Society was started at Purdue in 1917 as a local women’s society dedicated to literary discussion and debate.  Shortly after, the members of the society learned of a second Eurodelphian Society at Kansas State University and contacted them about the prospect of creating a national version of the group.  The two local chapters were successful in doing so and became the first national literary society to be established for women in 1919.  The Purdue chapter of the national society was named the Beta chapter.  The Beta chapter constitution found in this collection indicates that there were at least six chapters of the national society.  The club maintained strict academic requirements for admission, including an “A” average in all English classes, and a “B” average for all other classes.  The Eurodelphians found strong support from Dean Carolyn Shoemaker, who instituted the annual award of the Eurodelphian medal to a senior member of outstanding achievement.  Shoemaker also helped inspire the merger between the Eurodelphians and the Philaletheans to form a more unified and stronger society in the face of declining memberships.  The new society retained the name of the Philaletheans and lasted until 1936, when it appears that honoraries took the place of literary societies due to decreased interest and membership (likely due to the expanded availability of women’s activities at Purdue).

Extent

0.363 Cubic Feet (One letter-size full-width manuscript box)

Abstract

Collection includes record books documenting the activities, meetings, and members of the Eurodelphian Literary Society, as well as documents relating to their rituals and the national chapter.

Arrangement Note

The Eurodelphian Literary Society records is arranged into two series.
  1. Local and National documents
  2. Ledgers

Custodial History

The records were created by the Eurodelphian Literary Society and subsequently housed in the searchable stacks of the Purdue Libraries before being transferred to Purdue Archives and Special Collections.

Acquisition Information

Transferred from the Purdue Libraries searchable stacks, date unknown.

Processing Information

All materials have been housed in polyester sleeves, acid-free folders, and acid-free boxes.  All newsprint has been photocopied and in most cases original newspaper clippings have been discarded. Some clippings containing images of people or color graphics, or front pages of newspapers, have been preserved for display purposes, with photocopies made available for research.  Metal fasteners have been removed whenever possible to do so without threatening the integrity of the artifacts.
Title
Eurodelphian Literary Society records
Status
Completed
Author
Virginia Pleasant
Date
2019-08-01
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Edition statement
Second edition. First edition completed on April 10, 2015.

Repository Details

Part of the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
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