Forthian Club of Somerville

The Forthian Club, a social, intellectual and philanthropic organization, was founded by Emma Whitcomb in 1899 and closed in 1979. Its object was "to combine intellectual progress and social life." One meeting a year was devoted to each of the following: household economy, art, music, current events, history and literature. Other events were purely social or raised money for charity. A student loan fund, later combined with the scholarship fund, offered scholarships of $200 to promising seniors from Somerville High School. The Forthian Club was affiliated with the Massachusetts State Federation of Women's Clubs (1899) and the General Federation of Women's Clubs (1900).