A School at Home: The CLSC and Women's Educational Opportunities
Friday, November 6, 2026 | 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Virtual Event via Zoom
Free to all PWC and OLLI Members | Registration required

Join the Peoria Women's Club as we welcome the Rev. Mary Lee Talbot, PhD, for a special virtual presentation on the history of the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle and its remarkable role in opening educational doors for women.

When Methodist Bishop John H. Vincent proposed the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle in 1878, he hoped 200 people would sign up. Over 800 did, and when the Pioneer Class of 1882 went through the Golden Gate on Recognition Day, over 1,700 received diplomas. The CLSC was particularly appealing to women in the years between 1878 and 1900. We will explore what made the course attractive to these women, who they were and where they came from, and how the CLSC remains an attractive directed reading course for people of all ages.

About Our Speaker:
The Rev. Mary Lee Talbot, PhD, is a retired Presbyterian minister and a 1974 CLSC graduate. She holds a B.A. from the College of Wooster, an M.Div. from Andover Newton Theological School, and an M.Phil. and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. She is the author of Chautauqua's Heart, a history of the CLSC, and lives in Chautauqua, NY with her Stabyhoun dog, Sammi.

Chautauqua's Heart is available through the Chautauqua Bookstore.