The Eagle Street College was an informal literary society established in 1885 at the home of James William Wallace in Eagle Street,

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...

, to read and discuss literary works, particularly the poetry of

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

(1819–1891). The group subsequently became known as the Bolton Whitman Fellowship or the "Whitmanites". Its founder members were Dr. John Johnston, Fred Wild, and Wallace. The group held an annual 'Whitman Day' celebration around the May 31st, the poet's birthday. Wallace and Johnston corresponded with Whitman, and Johnston visited Whitman at his home in Camden,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Wallace visited Whitman in 1891. This visit was the subject of a play by Stephen M Hornby called "The Adhesion of Love" which toured the North West in 2019, including to

Bolton Museum Bolton Museum is a public museum and art gallery in the town of Bolton, England, owned by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council. The museum is housed within the grade II listed Le Mans Crescent near Bolton Town Hall and shares its main entrance ...

and the Bolton Socialist Club, whose members run the annual 'Whitman Day'. It was the national

LGBT History Month LGBT History Month is an annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the List of LGBT rights by region, gay rights and related civil rights movements. It was founded in 1994 by Missouri high- ...

heritage premiere for 2019. The play speculates that the men in the group were experimenting with different forms of emotional and sexual intimacy with each other and that this was a significant factor in the success of the group and its interest in Walt Whitman. Wallace moved to Adlington in the early 1890s and invited Charles Sixsmith to join the group which continued until the death of Wallace in 1926, and in a more modest form after that. After Wallace moved to Adlington in the early 1890s, the group continued to meet in each other's homes. Sixsmith was involved in the annual Whitman celebrations until the late 1930s. A plaque marking one of these celebrations can be found in the grounds of

Rivington Unitarian Chapel Rivington Unitarian Chapel is an active place of Unitarian worship in Rivington, Lancashire, England. It was founded in 1703, although its congregation dates to 1667. It is designated as a Grade II* listed building with some restoration in 1990 ...

References

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Further reading