1871 Somerville Literary Society

Barred from joining the two campus literary societies for men, members of a women's baseball team organized their own society and opened it to all women students and alumnae. They chose as their namesake Mary Fairfax Somerville (1780-1872), a Quaker and an accomplished scientific writer from Scotland who supported women's education.

As more women graduated, the organization grew into an ad hoc alumnae association. Members published a magazine until 1910, sponsored speakers, and raised money to award graduate fellowships named for College founders Lucretia Mott and Martha Tyson. The fellowships are still awarded.