Athenaean Society: records

Begun as a rival to the Peucinian Society in 1808, the Athenaean Society was said to have been founded by a disgruntled Peucinian who did not graduate. The literary and debating society was disbanded in 1811, revived in 1813, disbanded again in 1816 and revived again in 1817. An intense rivalry existed between the Athenaean and Peucinian Societies. Unlike the Peucinian Society, the Athenaean Society initiated freshmen in order to attract the youngest students and initiate them before they could be recruited by the Peucinian Society. This policy forced the Peucinian Society to admit freshmen as well. The Athenaean Society was the first to form its own library with books purchased from dues paid by inducted members. The rise of Greek letter fraternities at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century spelled the end for the literary societies. After a period of relative dormancy, the libraries of the Athenaean and Peucinian Societies were merged in 1880. Two attempts to revive the society failed. In 1886, the Athenaean Society was granted a bequest of $1000 by Samuel Hazen Ayer, class of 1839. Since the society ostensibly had ceased to exist, the bequest formed a book fund. The Athenaean Society had an annex scientific society, Phi Alpha.