Erodelphian Society

Founded in 1871, the Erodolphian Society was a female student group at Albany College. The Erodelphian Society was named after a similar society at Muskingum College, Ohio at the recommendation of Elizabeth Irvine, a faculty advisor to the group. The Erodelphian Society maintained a library of 250 volumes, which included reference works and English classics. The group also sponsored lectures, and entertainment, organized community service projects, and edited two literary newspapers, the Messenger (1873-1875) and The Echo (1875-1880). Weekly programs consisted of essays, recitations, public speaking drills, and debate. When Albany College moved to Portland and became Lewis & Clark College in 1941, the Erodelphian Society was maintained as a senior women's honor society. The Society was renamed as the Sacajaweans in 1960.