PEO Sisterhood: Iowa Time Machine January 21, 1869

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 21, 1869, at Iowa Wesleyan, seven young women gathered to form the PEO sisterhood. Bound by secret rituals, lifelong friendship, and a radical commitment to women's education, the organization they chartered would grow into one of the most influential women's philanthropic groups in North America.

The late 1860s presented limited horizons for American women seeking higher education. Most colleges remained closed to female students, and the few that admitted women often faced public ridicule. Iowa Wesleyan College stood among the progressive minority, admitting women since its founding in 1842. The seven founders of PEO recognized that women needed networks of support to pursue their ambitions in a world structured to discourage them.

In January of 1869, Alice Bird, Ella Stewart, Alice Virginia Coffin, Mary Allen, Hattie Briggs, Franc Roads, and Suela Pearson convened to formalize their new organization. They drafted a constitution, established rituals that remain secret to this day, and committed themselves to principles of friendship, mutual support, and the advancement of women through education. The founders chose to keep the precise meaning of the letters P.E.O. known only to members, creating an air of mystery that would intrigue generations of women. The charter they signed that night in Mount Pleasant established the first chapter of what would become Chapter A, the mother chapter of the entire organization.

Today, PEO has outlived the college that berthed it and has grown into an international network with nearly 6,000 chapters across the United States and Canada, serving more than 230,000 active members. The organization administers multiple educational programs that have provided billions of dollars in grants, scholarships, and loans to women pursuing higher education. #Iowa #OTD #History #PEO #SecretSociety