Call Number:

35

Repository:

Germantown Historical Society

Extent:

2.5 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1881-1922 (inclusive)

Creator:

Mermaid Club (Germantown, Pa.).

Abstract:

This collection consists of the records of the Mermaid Club, a literary society founded in 1877 in Germantown, Philadelphia. Included are copies of the club's publications written by Edwin Jellett: "The Mermaid Club: Its Past and Present," "The Mermaid of the Past," "The Record of a Reading Club," meeting minutes, Courses of Readings, bound copies of the Mermaid Inn, printed Rules and Regulations, correspondence.

The Mermaid Club was organized in 1887 as an extension of the "Band of St. Michael," a social group for boys founded by Ms. Agnes Lambdin and affiliated with St. Michael's Church of Germantown. Young men who attained the age of 19 were no longer eligible for membership in the Band. The decision to establish the Mermaid Club stemmed from a desire to provide the young men who lacked the means to pursue further formal education with an opportunity to read and discuss great books as a way to engender intellectual stimulation and enlightenment. At its founding, the average age of the club members was 16. The name of the club has its root in the Mermaid Tavern which, as legend has it, served as a meeting place for the literary elite of the Elizabethan Era, including such figures as Sir Walter Raleigh and John Donne among others. The club motto, Ventilare Scintillam, translates to "Kindle the Spark."

During its existence, the Mermaid Club held debates, sponsored a series of public events that included a course of 6 lectures on the topic of Russian literature and history, presented by Nathan Haskell Dole, considered a pre-eminent scholar of Russian literature at the time and collected their own writings into a yearly publication called "The Mermaid Inn."

In 1894, members of the Mermaid Club lobbied extensively to have a branch of the newly established free library located in Germantown. In 1895, their efforts came to fruition and the Germantown branch opened in Vernon Hall at Chelten and Germantown Avenues--that branch is now known as the Joseph E. Coleman Regional Library.

The Mermaid Club collection documents the founding of the club and club activities until its end in 1923.

The Mermaid Inn manuscripts include the original essays written by the members for the purpose of presentation to the club members for the annual closing meeting.

Overview of Arrangement:

Administrative

Historical

Rules and Regulations

Minutes 1883-1888, 1888-1893, 1901-1909, 1913-1919, 1919-1922

Courses of Readings

Jellett

Drafts--The Mermaid of the Past, The Mermaid Club

Essays related to Mermaid Club

Unrelated essays

Publications

Essays--subject Macbeth

Essays--subject Shakespeare

Mermaid Inn--1881, 1882, 1883, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888

History--Mermaid of the past, Record of a reading club, The Mermaid Club

Correspondence and memoranda