From the origins of the women’s Sapphonian Society on campus nearly 140 years ago, to the University’s first Homecoming celebration, historian Tom Emery explores this month in Illinois State University history.
November 4
On this date in 1887, the first meeting of the Sapphonian Society, one of the earliest all-female organizations at Illinois State, was held.
The Sapphonians were an active part of campus life for a quarter century, though the organization arose after a sort of prank. There were few student groups on campus in its early days, including the Philadelphian and Wrightonian debating societies. Another was the Ciceronian, an all-male club formed in 1879 by, as university historian Helen Marshall writes, “hopeful young men [who] were enamored of Roman history and political thought.”
During one meeting of Cicernonian in October 1887, a group of female students, in the words of the Vidette, “made up their minds to surprise and embarrass the members of the Ciceronian Society by making a visit.”
However, the women became so interested that they decided to start their own society. A meeting of all female students was set on campus, and a committee was formed to write by-laws for a new society, which became the Sapphonians. The name was taken from Sappho, the Greek poetess.
The Vidette later wrote that the purpose of the Sapphonians was “the study of literature, music, arts and crafts, etc.” Another campus source stated that the society “promoted intellectual and independent thought.”
From the outset, the society gained popularity on campus. The Vidette cracked in February 1888 that “much to the surprise of the gentlemen, who are not allowed to attend and prophesied it a short life,” the Sapphonian Society “grows every day.”
Within a few weeks, the Sapphonians were ready to take on the Ciceronians in competition. On March 23, 1888, the societies met in a friendly program of declamations, essays, and musical acts, which became a tradition between the two groups. Marshall called it a “pleasant custom” that included “a social hour and refreshments.”
That blossomed into a new custom between the societies in 1892, which Marshall called “an annual clash of talents and wits” of “the Greek Muses versus the Roman Senators.”
Much of the Sapphonians’ activities, though, were strictly for women, and many students nurtured their intellect and individual confidence from the creativity and support within the club.
For much of the Sapphonians’ existence at ISU, the group was mentored by June Rose Colby, a highly respected professor of literature during a 39-year career at the University. Colby was a dedicated supporter of women’s causes and a fierce advocate of suffrage. The Vidette wrote that the society “has always had the companionship, the leadership, and the inspiration of the women of the faculty.”
In 1903, the Sapphonians spawned a new group, the Girls’ Debating Club, providing female students with another literary society and more opportunities for friendship and camaraderie.
However, the Sapphonians were nearing their end. The club was last active in the fall of 1912, and the Vidette reported that “owing to other duties of a more serious nature, the society has been [quiet] during the winter terms.”
The Sapphonian Society would never re-form itself, ending a 24-year run as the premier women’s organization at Illinois State. Though obscure today, the Sapphonians were an important part of intellectual and social life for generations of female students at Normal.
November 4
On this date in 1921, the first-ever Homecoming at Illinois State began. The event was an overwhelming success, and it set the stage for the annual fall tradition that followed.
Homecoming had been celebrated on a smaller scale at ISU before 1921, including in 1916, when alumni were invited to a series of events including a football game, dances, and a band. But the first true Homecoming was held in 1921 and was the brainchild of longtime university President David Felmley.
During a tour of the east coast in the winter of 1920-21, Felmley noted the so-called “Homecoming Trend” of eastern schools and thought that a similar event was needed at ISU. He came back to Normal and approved the concept, forming a committee to organize the affair.
The grand sum of $75 was allowed for expenses. The student body was highly enthused at the concept, which was reflected in an editorial of the Vidette on November 2, 1921.
Since “hundreds and hundreds of old graduates” would be in town, the paper implored the students to “meet every possible person that you can” with “a ready extended hand of welcome.” That, concluded the paper, “will be a real Homecoming.”
Alumni were met at the train station by students and faculty on the morning of Friday, November 4, and were treated to a full slate of activities. Registered guests in the main office were given a badge, a container of berries, and a souvenir booklet, created specially for the weekend.
A play, $1,200 a Year, by the Jesters, a theatrical group, on Friday night was a smashing success; the Vidette called it “the greatest success of any play in our auditorium in a number of years” with a huge crowd in attendance. Afterward, an Auld Lang Syne party for alumni, students, and faculty was held in the art rooms of Old Main.
On Saturday morning, there was a waffle breakfast, served by female students of the Home Economics Department, that attracted a crowd of 250. Many old friends gathered in Fell Hall, while more formal reunions were held in classrooms on the second floor in Old Main.
There, graduates of the 1860s and 1870s, the earliest classes at ISU, met in Room 12, while grads from the other decades met in separate groups. A football game between ISU and Eastern Illinois was the big draw on Saturday afternoon, and the home team thrilled the fans in a 42-3 blowout win.
The two longtime debating societies of the campus, the Philadelphians and Wrightonians, held special programs, while the library was open all day Friday and on Saturday morning for old friends to visit Miss Angeline Milner, the beloved university librarian. Favorable weather throughout the weekend helped in the festivities.
One of the quirks of the first Homecoming was the uncovering of a fruit cake that had been buried since before World War I. As the Vidette described, at midnight on July 16, 1917, some members of the Philadelphians had buried a fruit cake, “preserved in brandy” in a case, on the campus. However, the men became soldiers in the war, and the location of the fruit cake was forgotten.
In the spring of 1921, one of the students returned to campus and told the story of the fruitcake. As a result, the Vidette reported “it was then finally decided that the cake should be unearthed as part of the Homecoming program.” It was located on the south end of campus, where, “after digging for a few minutes,” the fruitcake was found, taken back to Old Main, and passed around at a meeting that evening.
Homecoming ended with a reception at Fell Hall on Saturday evening, which the Vidette called “a surging mass of dancers.” Breathlessly, the Vidette called the weekend “the greatest event ever held on the Normal campus,” an assessment that may be challenged by the many memorable Homecomings at Illinois State that have followed.
November 10
On this date in 1808, Jesse Fell, who is most responsible for locating Illinois State in Bloomington-Normal, was born. Fell was an energetic businessman and land speculator who influenced the University, and Bloomington-Normal, in a myriad of ways.
Born to a Quaker family in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Fell was Bloomington’s first lawyer, and owned the predecessor to the Bloomington Pantagraph. He also played a pivotal role in securing the routes of two major railroads, the Illinois Central and the Chicago & Alton, through Bloomington.
The two railroads intersected two miles north of Bloomington, where Fell chose to plat a new town defined by “sobriety, morality, and good society, and all elements for an educational center.” The new town, originally dubbed “North Bloomington,” was renamed Normal, in honor of the University, in 1865.
During 1856 and 1857, Fell constructed a majestic home north of Bloomington that he christened as “Greenwood.” The 18-acre property was home to a sort of arboretum that was a Sunday afternoon favorite of the locals, who dubbed it “Fell Park.”
Fell’s efforts are the single largest reason that Illinois State is in Bloomington-Normal. He worked tirelessly to raise subscriptions, even resorting to covert measures to ensure Bloomington would top its main rival, Peoria, for the site of the university. His own pledges of cash and real estate are valued at over $500,000 in today’s dollars.
In addition, Fell is credited with conceiving the Quad at Illinois State, and planted nearly 1,850 trees on the campus. To design the Quad, Fell hired William Saunders, a nationally-respected landscape architect who later designed Gettysburg National Cemetery and Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield.
Fell is also believed to have influenced the Board of Education to hire Abraham Lincoln, a close personal friend, as counsel. Fell played a critical part in Lincoln’s ascent to the Presidency and was a top aide to David Davis, Lincoln’s campaign manager in the 1860 election.
Fell’s death on February 25, 1887, was mourned by both the Illinois State and Bloomington-Normal communities. The university, businesses, and the Normal post office were closed on the day of his funeral.
Today, the sweeping influence of Fell continues to linger over Illinois State. Fell Hall, completed in 1918, and the 490-acre Fell Arboretum are among the many examples of the reverence the University still holds for Jesse Fell. There is also the striking Fell Memorial Gate on the east side of his beloved Quad, yet another symbol of the man who was the University’s greatest benefactor.
November 30
On this date in 1876, Simeon Wright, the namesake of Wright Hall in the Tri-Towers Complex, died at the age of 50.
Wright, who lived in Franklin Grove before settling on a farm near Kinmundy in Fayette County, served on the original Illinois State Board of Education, which governed Illinois State in its early years.
It was just one of Wright’s contributions to higher education in Illinois in the pre-Civil War era. In 1857, he lectured on the subject for the Illinois State Teachers Association, earning an annual salary of $1,200.
During the Civil War, Wright was the quartermaster of the 33rd Illinois, the famous “Teacher’s Regiment,” which had its origins on the Illinois State campus. He remained a devoted supporter of the student body at Illinois State and left a considerable sum of money to the University upon his death.
One obituary reported that Wright “bequeathed one-sixth of his fortune” to the University. However, another source states that Wright’s estate was “quite heavily encumbered,” so the gift may have been limited.
In 1858, the second of two literary societies on campus, the Wrightonian Society, was named in his honor. During the Civil War, that society voted to name Abraham Lincoln as an honorary member.
Wright remained on the Board of Education until 1865. He died in Bloomington on November 30, 1876, and is buried in Sterling.
In 1964, Wright Hall opened as part of the Tri-Towers Complex, along with Wilkins Hall and Haynie Hall.
Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher who, in collaboration with Carl Kasten ’66, co-authored the 2020 book Abraham Lincoln and the Heritage of Illinois State University.
