Center for Archival Collections

Introduction | Agency History | Scope and Content | Series Description | Inventory

Introduction

The records of the Delphian Society, Beta Chapter of Bowling Green, Ohio were donated and transferred to the Center for Archival Collections on February 16, 1987. The records, dating from 1923 to 1985, include minutes, attendance sheets, program yearbooks, clipping, and loose papers.

No restrictions exist on the research use of this collection and duplication is permitted for research purposes. The collection was arranged and described by Marilyn Levinson, Curator of Manuscripts in June 2004.

Agency History

The Beta Chapter of the Delphian Society was a women's literary and cultural study group organized in Bowling Green, Ohio in 1921, with the earliest surviving minutes starting in 1931. Guided by study material provided by the National Delphian Society, the local chapter conducted lessons dealing with art, literature, music, philosophy, travel, and cultural progress.

According to the club rules the membership was supposed to be maintained at twenty members, but the last full program yearbook for the Beta Delphians for the 1984-1985 year listed just 11 active members. In July 1986 a luncheon meeting was held at which it was decided to discontinue regular meetings, agreeing to gather informally a few times a year. At this time it was also decided to donate the Society minutes and other material to the Center for Archival Collections at BGSU.

Scope and Content

The Delphian Society, Beta Chapter collection is comprised largely of minutes dating from 1931 and program yearbooks starting in the late 1930s. The minutes provide a fairly thorough record of activities, often including a clipping from the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune reporting on the meetings. Loose clippings also report on topics, but most are undated. The program booklets support the details given in the minutes, adding additional information about the social structure of the meetings and the informal, friendly nature of the group.

Series Description

PROCEEDINGS

MINUTES
1931-1938, 1943-1985
Arranged chronologically
Includes account of meetings, membership attendance, and newsclippings

ATTENDENCE RECORDS
1943, 1963-1981 (scattered)
Loose tally sheets of members attending regular meetings

MEMBERSHIP RECORDS
1923
Application form of Mrs. E.L. Bishop for membership in the chapter

CORRESPONDENCE

CORRESPONDENCE - CARA BRAKE
1938-1939
Letters from a former club member, visiting her sister in McAllen, Texas

SUBJECT FILES

CHAPTER RULES
1968, 1978
Typed and mimeographed copies of club rules defining the name, objectives, dues, and operating procedures

SURVEY
Circa 1985
Survey of club members regarding future of Beta Delphians as membership declined

ESSAY
n.d.
Handwritten essay on Portugal by unidentified club member, probably written for presentation a club meeting

MEMOBOOK
1949-1950
Memorandum book with brief notes on meetings and newsclippings, kept by Ruth Pratt, club secretary

SCRAPBOOKS AND SCRABOOK MATERIAL

NEWS CLIPPINGS
1923-1983, n.d.
Clippings and other ephemera describing club activities

PRINTED MATERIAL

PROGRAM BOOKLETS
1934-1984 (scattered)
Annual program listings, giving officers, meeting topics, hostess, and a roster of the club

Inventory

Box 1

1. Minutes, 1931-1935, 1935-1938
2. Minutes, 1943-1947, 1947-1956
3. Minutes, 1956-1964, 1964-1984, 1984-1985
4. Attendance sheets, 1943, 1963-1981 (scattered)
5. Application form, 1923
6. Correspondence - Cara Brake, 1938, 1939

Box 2

1. Rules, 1968, 1978
2. Survey, circa 1985
3. Essay on Portugal, n.d.
4. Memo book, 1949-1950
5. News clippings, 1923-1983, n.d.
6. Program booklets, 1934, 1937-1939
7. Program booklets, 1941-1943, 1945-1949
8. Program booklets, 1950-1959
9. Program booklets, 1960-1961, 1963-1966, 1968-1969
10. Program booklets, 1970-1972, 1974-1979
11. Program booklets, 1980-1981, 1983-1984

Manuscripts by Subject | Women's Studies Collections