The Litchfield County University Club was conceived by Carl Stoeckel and Ellen Battell Stoeckel and founded at a meeting on May 29, 1896, at their home in Norfolk, Conn., with its objects being, as defined in the Club's constitution, "the promotion of good-fellowship among its members and the advancement of the interests of Higher Education." Membership was open to "all persons who have taken advanced degrees at a college, or similar or higher institution of learning." The first annual meeting, with 55 members present, was held on June 16, 1897. In the early days of the Club, the dinner meetings were sumptuous, black-tie affairs, catered until 1923 by Delmonico's of New York. There were two dinner meetings a year, usually in the winter and spring, held at clubs, banquet halls, or at one of the several private boarding schools in the area. The dinners featured a speaker or entertainment. Beginning in 1914, the Club awarded scholarships to high school students who resided and attended school in Litchfield County. As of 1960, the Club had assets of $160,000.

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