Ossoli Circle
Encyclopedia
The Ossoli Circle is a women's club located in Knoxville, Tennessee
, USA. Founded in 1885 as a literary society, the club is a charter member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs
, and the first federated women's club in the South. Ossoli has long played an active role in obtaining economic and educational opportunities for women in Tennessee, and its members campaigned for the passage of the 19th Amendment (giving women the right to vote) in the early 1900s. The club currently sponsors over two dozen projects and organizations.
(1851–1926), who had been inspired by a visit to New York's Sorosis Women's Club
, a literary and book club organized in 1868. The first meeting was held at the East Tennessee Female Institute
on November 20, 1885, with 12 of the 25 women invited by Crozier-French responding to the invitation. At the suggestion of its first president, Mary Boyce Temple
(1856–1929), the club was named in honor of feminist Margaret Fuller Ossoli. Initially a literary society, Ossoli set as its goal the intellectual and moral development of its members.
Early Ossoli members included Knoxville's most educated women. Lizzie Crozier French was director of the East Tennessee Female Insitute, and had been educated at the Convent of the Visitation
in Washington, D.C.
Mary Boyce Temple was a graduate of Vassar College
, and Angie Warren Perkins (1858–1921) had been a professor at Wellesley College. Mary Faith Floyd McAdoo (1832–1913) was a noted regional author, and Annie Booth McKinney (1855–1926) was a frequent contributor to magazines such as Harper's Bazaar
, Munsey's Magazine
, and Vogue
.
In 1889, Lizzie Crozier French represented Ossoli a meeting at the Sorosis Club for the purpose of organizing the General Federation of Women's Clubs. The following year, Ossoli members Mary Boyce Temple and Annie Booth McKinney attended the Federation's ratification convention. Temple was chosen as the Federation's first corresponding secretary. In 1896, at Ossoli's urging, the Tennessee Federation of Women's Clubs was established. By this time, Ossoli's membership had grown to 75 members.
In the early 1890s, Ossoli turned its attention toward providing education opportunities for girls and studied the possibilities of coeducation at the state's universities. The University of Tennessee
began admitting women in 1892, in part due to Crozier-French's efforts, and Ossoli president Angie Warren Perkins served as U.T.'s first Dean of Women. In the early 1900s, Ossoli funded traveling libraries for the region, and provided assistance to rural schools. The Circle was also instrumental in the formation of a state vocational school for girls.
In 1960, the Circle marked its diamond anniversary with the publication of a 268-page "History of Ossoli Circle," compiled by Mrs. E.L. Bowman. To mark the Circle's centennial in 1985, a 25-year time capsule
was dedicated. This time capsule was opened at the Circle's 125th anniversary celebration in 2010.
, the Suffragist Coalition, Childhelp
, the Knox Area Rescue Ministry, and the Young-Williams Animal Shelter. The Circle also sponsors a poetry contest for Knox County Schools
, and contributes to Hiwassee College
's Kefauver Scholarship Fund.
in 1897, several Ossoli members had Knoxville's exhibition building moved from Nashville to Knoxville, where it was rechristened the "Woman's Building." Ossoli met here until it burned in 1906. The Circle met at the Lyceum Building at the corner of Walnut and Cumberland from 1917 until it was torn down in the early 1930s to make way for the Knoxville Post Office
.
The current Ossoli Circle Clubhouse on Cumberland Avenue was built in 1933 and designed in the Colonial Revival style
by noted Knoxville architect Charles I. Barber
of the firm, Barber & McMurry
. The facade of the building features a pediment
ed portico supported by Doric columns
. The interior includes a vestibule
which opens into a lobby, a hallway entrance flanked by Ionic
pilasters, an auditorium with a capacity of approximately 200, as well as a library, dining room, and classrooms.
The Ossoli Circle Clubhouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1985, in time for the Circle's centennial anniversary.
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, USA. Founded in 1885 as a literary society, the club is a charter member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs
General Federation of Women's Clubs
The General Federation of Women's Clubs , founded in 1890, is an international women's organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service...
, and the first federated women's club in the South. Ossoli has long played an active role in obtaining economic and educational opportunities for women in Tennessee, and its members campaigned for the passage of the 19th Amendment (giving women the right to vote) in the early 1900s. The club currently sponsors over two dozen projects and organizations.
History
The Ossoli Circle was founded by women's rights activist Lizzie Crozier FrenchLizzie Crozier French
Margaret Elizabeth "Lizzie" Crozier French was an American educator, women's suffragist and social reform activist...
(1851–1926), who had been inspired by a visit to New York's Sorosis Women's Club
Sorosis
Sorosis was the first professional women's club in the United States. The club was organized in New York City with 12 members in March 1868, by Jane Cunningham Croly...
, a literary and book club organized in 1868. The first meeting was held at the East Tennessee Female Institute
East Tennessee Female Institute
The East Tennessee Female Institute was an all-female institution of higher learning that operated in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, from 1827 until 1911. Originally chartered as the Knoxville Female Academy, the school offered high school and college-level courses to the women of Knoxville and...
on November 20, 1885, with 12 of the 25 women invited by Crozier-French responding to the invitation. At the suggestion of its first president, Mary Boyce Temple
Mary Boyce Temple
Mary Boyce Temple was an American philanthropist and socialite, active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was the first president of the Ossoli Circle, the oldest federated women's club in the South, and published a biography of the club's namesake,...
(1856–1929), the club was named in honor of feminist Margaret Fuller Ossoli. Initially a literary society, Ossoli set as its goal the intellectual and moral development of its members.
Early Ossoli members included Knoxville's most educated women. Lizzie Crozier French was director of the East Tennessee Female Insitute, and had been educated at the Convent of the Visitation
Convent of the Visitation
Convent of the Visitation, also known as Visitation, is an independent, Roman Catholic, college-preparatory, school in Minnesota. It is located in Mendota Heights near Saint Paul. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Visitation is a coeducational school for...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Mary Boyce Temple was a graduate of Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
, and Angie Warren Perkins (1858–1921) had been a professor at Wellesley College. Mary Faith Floyd McAdoo (1832–1913) was a noted regional author, and Annie Booth McKinney (1855–1926) was a frequent contributor to magazines such as Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
, Munsey's Magazine
Munsey's Magazine
Munsey's Weekly, later known as Munsey's Magazine was a thirty-six page quarto magazine founded by Frank A. Munsey in 1889. Munsey aimed at "a magazine of the people and for the people, with pictures and art and good cheer and human interest throughout". John Kendrick Bangs was the editor. The...
, and Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
.
In 1889, Lizzie Crozier French represented Ossoli a meeting at the Sorosis Club for the purpose of organizing the General Federation of Women's Clubs. The following year, Ossoli members Mary Boyce Temple and Annie Booth McKinney attended the Federation's ratification convention. Temple was chosen as the Federation's first corresponding secretary. In 1896, at Ossoli's urging, the Tennessee Federation of Women's Clubs was established. By this time, Ossoli's membership had grown to 75 members.
In the early 1890s, Ossoli turned its attention toward providing education opportunities for girls and studied the possibilities of coeducation at the state's universities. The University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
began admitting women in 1892, in part due to Crozier-French's efforts, and Ossoli president Angie Warren Perkins served as U.T.'s first Dean of Women. In the early 1900s, Ossoli funded traveling libraries for the region, and provided assistance to rural schools. The Circle was also instrumental in the formation of a state vocational school for girls.
In 1960, the Circle marked its diamond anniversary with the publication of a 268-page "History of Ossoli Circle," compiled by Mrs. E.L. Bowman. To mark the Circle's centennial in 1985, a 25-year time capsule
Time capsule
A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...
was dedicated. This time capsule was opened at the Circle's 125th anniversary celebration in 2010.
Service
The Ossoli Circle currently supports over two dozen organizations and projects. Organizations supported by Ossoli include Habitat for Humanity, the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, UNICEF, the East Tennessee Historical SocietyEast Tennessee Historical Society
The East Tennessee Historical Society , headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of East Tennessee history, the preservation of historically significant artifacts, and educating the citizens of Tennessee...
, the Suffragist Coalition, Childhelp
Childhelp
Childhelp is a national non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and neglect and at-risk children through advocacy, prevention, treatment and community outreach. Founded in 1959 by Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fedderson, Childhelp is one of the largest non-profit child abuse...
, the Knox Area Rescue Ministry, and the Young-Williams Animal Shelter. The Circle also sponsors a poetry contest for Knox County Schools
Knox County Schools
Knox County Schools is the school district that operates all public schools in Knox County, Tennessee.- History :Before the 1987-1988 school year, the city of Knoxville and Knox County operated separate school districts...
, and contributes to Hiwassee College
Hiwassee College
Hiwassee College is a private, accredited college located in Madisonville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1849, the college offers associate degrees as well as four year degrees, The majority of its associate degree graduates go on to attend, and complete, four-year...
's Kefauver Scholarship Fund.
Ossoli Circle Clubhouse
During its early years, the Ossoli Circle met at the East Tennessee Female Institute's Mosaic Hall, at the corner of Henley and Main in downtown Knoxville. Following the Tennessee Centennial ExpositionTennessee Centennial and International Exposition
The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition was an exposition staged between May 1 and October 31 of 1897 in Nashville. It celebrated the 100th anniversary of Tennessee's entry into the union in 1796, although it was a year late....
in 1897, several Ossoli members had Knoxville's exhibition building moved from Nashville to Knoxville, where it was rechristened the "Woman's Building." Ossoli met here until it burned in 1906. The Circle met at the Lyceum Building at the corner of Walnut and Cumberland from 1917 until it was torn down in the early 1930s to make way for the Knoxville Post Office
United States Post Office and Courthouse (Knoxville, Tennessee)
The United States Post Office and Courthouse, commonly called the Knoxville Post Office, is a federal building located at 501 Main Street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Constructed in the early 1930s for use as a post office and federal courthouse, the building contains numerous Art Deco and...
.
The current Ossoli Circle Clubhouse on Cumberland Avenue was built in 1933 and designed in the Colonial Revival style
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
by noted Knoxville architect Charles I. Barber
Charles I. Barber
Charles Irving Barber was an American architect, active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, and vicinity, during the first half of the 20th century...
of the firm, Barber & McMurry
BarberMcMurry
BarberMcMurry, formerly Barber & McMurry, is an architecture firm based in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Founded in 1915 by Charles Irving Barber and Benjamin Franklin McMurry, Sr...
. The facade of the building features a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
ed portico supported by Doric columns
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
. The interior includes a vestibule
Vestibule (architecture)
A vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...
which opens into a lobby, a hallway entrance flanked by Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
pilasters, an auditorium with a capacity of approximately 200, as well as a library, dining room, and classrooms.
The Ossoli Circle Clubhouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1985, in time for the Circle's centennial anniversary.