History

More than 140 years ago, Bryn Mawr was founded by five young women who vowed to provide girls with the same educational benefits that boys received.

It was a bold and courageous idea and the curriculum was daring for its time, including both modern and classical languages, English, history, math, the latest scientific theories, and a focus on physical education—all of which stretched the limits of imagination and acceptance.

Today, our founding mission endures.

Bryn Mawr School

Five Young Women

In 1884, five young women who were not content with the educations they had received vowed to work together to plan for better schools and a more serious education for girls that would be equal to or greater than what boys received at the time. Martha Carey Thomas emerged as the natural leader of "The Committee," as the group called themselves. Thomas came from a prominent family: her father was a well-known physician and philanthropist who served on the board of directors of both The Johns Hopkins University and Haverford College, while her mother was a leader in the Quaker religious movement and a well-known preacher at Quaker Meetings. Thomas herself had attended Quaker schools in Baltimore and subsequently graduated from Cornell in 1877. After graduating, she returned to Baltimore hoping to pursue a graduate degree at Hopkins. Because of her gender, however, she was only reluctantly admitted to "private study," and was barred from attending seminars and lectures. She resigned the following year in frustration and ultimately traveled to Zurich to pursue her doctorate. Her traveling partner was Martha Mackall "Mamie" Gwinn, a childhood friend who would later become a member of "The Committee." Thomas was successful in completing her doctoral studies and graduated summa cum laude in 1882.

Upon her return to Baltimore, she had the ambition of becoming affiliated in some way with the Bryn Mawr College, which was taking shape in the suburbs of Philadelphia. With the help of several members of her family who were serving on the new college's board, Thomas was chosen as the first dean of the college, and she eventually became the college's second president. Her tasks in Philadelphia made her even more mindful of the needs in Baltimore. A new college with very high standards would seek well-educated young women to fill its classrooms, and Baltimore needed to provide better educational opportunities for girls. She wondered, why couldn't these two ideas work together? So, Thomas and four like-minded women friends in Baltimore – Gwinn, Mary Elizabeth Garrett, Julia Rogers and Elizabeth King – all of whom were in their 20s, got to work, rented a schoolhouse, collected a faculty, and prepared to go into business.

The Founding of The Bryn Mawr School

Martha Carey Thomas, together with Mary Elizabeth Garrett, Mamie Gwinn, Elizabeth King, and Julia Rogers, founded The Bryn Mawr School in 1885 in order to provide girls and young women with the same educational benefits that boys enjoyed. The curriculum was daring and liberal for its time, including both modern and classical languages, English, history, math, the latest scientific theories, and a focus on physical education - all of which stretched the limits of imagination and acceptance. Today, over 140 years later, The Bryn Mawr School continues to provide one of the best educational curricula in the country supported by highly qualified faculty and exceptional teaching, innovative college-preparatory courses, robust offerings in athletics and the arts, and a diverse community that welcomes and provides opportunities for every girl. The Bryn Mawr School was one of the first college-preparatory schools for girls in the country, and were it not for the vision and enormous energy of the school's five founding women, such an accomplishment may not have happened in Baltimore for some time.

Bryn Mawr School