The Philomathean Reading Circle served as an all-in-one history, literary, art, travel, and current events club. “Philomathean" means "love of learning," but the founders wanted it to mean also "informal friendliness." According to a paper celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Reading Circle (see item 1.1), initial members were Mrs. W. C. Young, Mrs. Keen, Mrs. Bedinger, Mrs. Bowen, Mrs. Steele, and Mrs. Grier. Additional members were Mrs. J. F. Welch, Mrs. Bishop, Mrs. Alice Packard, Maud Kellar Hardesty of Champaign, Mrs. Kate (C. A.) Hamilton, and Mrs. Lila (A. C.) Hamilton.
In its early years, the group followed the Bay View Association’s course of study, a then-popular “continuing education” program with books and a magazine. In the early years, local Philomatheans met every Monday afternoon from September through June. The local chapter eventually dropped the Bay View Association program in favor of members giving papers on various topics. In its latter years, the club reduced the number of meetings to twice a month. It appears the Philomathean Reading Circle was last active in late 2004 or 2005.
Program booklets comprise the bulk of the Philomathean Reading Circle Collection. The run is almost complete from 1900 through 1993. Minutes for 1880-1882, 1922-1923, and 1973-1992 are included. Papers on the history of the Circle, correspondence, and miscellaneous newspapers clippings and ephemera comprise the remainder of the collection.