Literary Club of Cincinnati
The Literary Club of Cincinnati is located at 500 East Fourth Street, across from Lytle Park in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The club occupies a two-story Greek Revival house which was built in 1820, on the site of the home of William Sargent, secretary of the Northwest Territory. The Club was founded in 1849; its membership is limited to 100 men.
Today, the clubhouse is a contributing property to the Lytle Park Historic District, a historic district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Among the important roles of the Literary Club is that of historian, who delivers an annual paper on a topic of his choosing that deals with the history of the club. The long-time historian was John A. Diehl, who was elected a member of the club in 1965. After his more than two decades in the post, the club published a book of his papers as historian. The current historian is Robert Vitz.
Club members may invite guests to club meetings. Among famous guests in the past are Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Robert Frost, and Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. Among distinguished members are US Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and William Howard Taft, who also served as Chief Justice of the United States.
