both caroline and t. c. severance had a major impact on the development of los angeles. together they founded the first unitarian church of los angeles in 1877. t. c. was a founder of the orphan’s home society, and the horticultural society. caroline began organizing the women of the rapidly growing community. she brought the kindergarten movement to los angeles, serving as president of the city’s free kindergarten association, and helped establish the los angeles public library. in 1878 she founded the first los angeles women’s club. her interests were far ranging, from woman suffrage to historic preservation [working with charles lummis] to world peace. as she grew older, she began to be considered the elder stateswoman of women’s rights movements in the city. she also became more radical in her thinking, and was active in the city’s christian socialist movement at the turn of the 20th century. she began to be referred to in the press as "madame severance", an indication of her prestige and position in the city.