Title: Neighborhood House Records
Inclusive Dates: 1915-1980

Creator:

• Neighborhood House (Madison, Wis.)

Call Number: Mss 167; AB 859; AB 860; PH 4352; PH 4353; M79-162; M2010-074

Quantity: 1.4 cubic feet (4 archives boxes) and 2 films; plus additions of 1.2 cubic feet, 737 photographs, 3 negatives, and 141 transparencies

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Records, 1915-1980, of Neighborhood House, Madison, Wisconsin's only settlement house, formed in 1916 to improve conditions among the Italian community through education and community organization. Included are correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, publications, and photographs documenting the house and its programs. Also included are various studies, survey data, and analysis of the neighborhood and its residents. A small amount of material relates to the Triangle Urban Renewal Project, and its impact on the area. Scrapbooks and further minutes and record books relate to numerous clubs which operated through the house. Some personal papers relating to Mary Lee Griggs, director of Parent Education and the Play School, and Gay Braxton, Head Resident, are also included. The films are 16 mm footage of a Neighborhood House outing and an educational film for children.

Note:

There is a restriction on access to a portion of this material; see the Administrative/Restriction Information portion of this finding aid for details.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00167

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Neighborhood House was established in 1916 as a settlement house for the largely Italian immigrant community in Madison's “Greenbush” section. The economic and social problems of this area, located between South Park Street and Brittingham Park, had been brought to the city's attention by University of Wisconsin student Henry Barnbrock's thesis, written in 1916. Initially, the settlement house was called the Community House, but in 1917, it assumed its present name of Neighborhood House.

Neighborhood House patterned itself after other settlement houses of the time. According to its 1930 statement of purpose, the aim of Neighborhood House was: “To provide a center for higher civic and social life, to initiate and maintain educational and philanthropic enterprises, and to investigate and improve conditions in the immigrant neighborhoods of Madison.” Programs were developed to meet the needs of all members of families living in the area. Some of the clubs and activities included English and citizenship classes, music, dancing, cooking and social clubs, block parties, and festivals. In the late 1940s, the focus of Neighborhood House activities shifted from education to community organization and action. This change was in response to the shift in the area's composition from an Italian immigrant community to a more heterogeneous lower income neighborhood.

During its early years, Neighborhood House was an administrative organ of the Associated Charities, later known as the Public Welfare Association. In 1921 an Executive Committee was established as the chief governing body. In May 1930 Neighborhood House became independent of the Public Welfare Association, receiving funding directly from the Community Union and the state Vocational Board. The Executive Committee assumed control over policy and budgetary matters. A Board of Directors, composed of members of the Executive Committee, representatives of the neighborhood, and other interested parties, was established at that time. In 1949 the Vocational Board's support ended, and the House became part of Madison Neighborhood Centers.

Gay W. Braxton, Head Resident at Neighborhood House from 1921 to 1949, was a major figure in its history. A graduate of Smith College and the Kindergarten Training School in Chicago, she had worked at Graham Taylor's Chicago Commons, and had served as a social worker in Virginia cotton mills, and as the head resident of a Quincy, Illinois settlement house before coming to Madison. Mary Lee Griggs, a lifelong friend of Gay Braxton, came to Madison in 1922, and remained with the House until the late 1960s.

This collection was received in multiple parts from the donor(s) and is organized into 5 major parts. These materials have not been physically interfiled and researchers might need to consult more than one part to locate similar materials.

• Part 1 (Mss 167, AB 859, AB 860): Original Collection, 1916-1967
• Part 2 (PH 4352): Additions, circa 1921-1966
• Part 3 (PH 4353): Additions, circa 1921-1930
• Part 4 (M79-162): Additions, 1915-1980
• Part 5 (M2010-074): Additions, 1960-1962

Access Restrictions

The record books of the Nu Chi Pi Club may be used only with the permission of the archivist.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Mary Lee Griggs, Madison, Wisconsin, January 21, 1965, November 3, 1966, and May 8, 1968. Accession Number: M65-18, M66-428, M68-137, M79-162, M2010-074

Processing Information

Processed by Susan Sharlin, December 16, 1975.

Mss 167	Part 1 (Mss 167, AB 859, AB 860): Original Collection, 1916-1967 Physical Description: 1.4 cubic feet (4 archives boxes) and 2 films  Scope and Content Note The records of Neighborhood House (1919-1967) document the programs and progress of Madison's only settlement house, and are divided into the following four groups: History and Background File, Administrative File, Correspondence, Club Records, and Films. The History and Background File (1916-1967) includes material on both the Neighborhood House itself and the community it served. Included are pamphlets produced by Neighborhood House to document its activities, information on the area, and beneficiary studies. The information on the Greenbush neighborhood contains data on income, occupation, citizenship, and ability to speak English. The beneficiary studies record the names, addresses, nationalities, employment, and family breakdown in terms of age and sex of those involved. The Administrative File (1919-1965) documents the corporate organization of Neighborhood House. These records are contained mainly in bound volumes and include the minutes of Executive and other committee meetings submitted by Gay Braxton. Her reports and talks as Head Resident examine in detail the programs of Neighborhood House and its role in the community. Auxiliary Board minutes contain a record of the activities and financial status of the Women's Auxiliary, established in 1937. Miscellaneous reports include attendance records at various clubs, excerpts from Public Welfare Association records regarding Neighborhood House, and a résumé of the settlement's work. Correspondence (1920-1947) is arranged chronologically and includes general business correspondence and letters to and from the Executive Committee, Head Resident, and Purchasing Committee. Other correspondence relates to financial contributions, to Mrs. William Kittle's history of Neighborhood House which appeared in the pamphlet Neighborhood House: 1916-1941 (Box 1, folder 2), and to the Mrs. Isaac Sinaiko Memorial Fund. Club Records (1928-1947) contain detailed accounts of the scope of many Neighborhood House activities. These papers include scrapbooks, minutes of meetings, and records of special activities. Club membership ranged in age from housewives (Good Times Club and Better Homes and Gardens Club) to teenagers (N.B.B.O. and Nu Pi Chi clubs) to younger children (Girl Scouts and Junior Better Homes and Gardens Club). The Good Times Club minutes (1946-1947) and the Nu Pi Chi Club record book (1938-1939) include individual studies of members, compiled by Neighborhood House workers, which contain a great deal of personal information. The Films (circa 1940s) are 16 mm footage of a Neighborhood House outing and an educational film for children.
	Series: History and Background File
Box   1 Folder   1	Henry Barnbrock thesis, 1916
Box   1 Folder   2	General, circa 1920-1967, undated
	Beneficiary studies
Box   1 Folder   3	1940-1941, 1942-1943
Box   1 Folder   4	1943-1944, 1945 October-1946 December
Box   1 Folder   5	1946 October-1947 December
Box   1 Folder   6	1947 October-1948 December
	Series: Administrative File	⇧
	Corporate records of Neighborhood House Association Inc.
Box   1 Folder   7	1930 May 1-1937 July 20
Box   1 Folder   8	1937 October 11-1949 May 31
Box   2 Folder   1	Executive Committee and Board of Directors minutes, 1921 October-1930 May
	Head Resident (Gay W. Braxton) reports and talks
Box   2 Folder   2	1919-1932
Box   2 Folder   3	1932-1939
Box   2 Folder   4	1940-1947
	Auxiliary Board minutes
Box   2 Folder   5	1937-1946 May
Box   2 Folder   6	1946 October-1965
Box   2 Folder   7	Miscellaneous reports, 1916-1925, 1941
	Series: Correspondence	⇧
Box   3 Folder   1	1920-1928
Box   3 Folder   2	1929-1939
Box   3 Folder   3	1940-1943
Box   3 Folder   4	1944-1946
Box   3 Folder   5	1947, undated
	Series: Club Records	⇧
Box   3 Folder   6	American Youth Hostel scrapbook, 1940-1947
	Better Homes and Gardens Club record book
Box   3 Folder   7	1931-1935, 1937
Box   3 Folder   8	1938
Box   3 Folder   9	1939
Box   3 Folder   10	Camp Fire Alumni Association records and scrapbook, 1933-1935
Box   4 Folder   1	Girl Scout Troup 34 scrapbook, 1943-1945
Box   4 Folder   2	Good Times Club minutes, 1946-1947
Box   4 Folder   3	Junior Better Homes and Gardens Club records, 1933, 1936-1938
	N.B.B.O. Club
	Records
Box   4 Folder   4	1931-1934
Box   4 Folder   5	1935-1939
Box   4 Folder   6	Scrapbook, 1933-1938
Box   4 Folder   7	Hawaii scrapbook, 1938
	Nu Pi Chi Club
	Record book
Box   4 Folder   8	1937-1938
Box   4 Folder   9	1938-1939
Box   4 Folder   10	Minutes, 1936-1939, undated
Box   4 Folder   11	Oriole Club Scandinavian scrapbook, 1938-1939
Box   4 Folder   12	Young Men's Club minutes, 1928-1931
	Series: Films	⇧
AB 860	[Excerpt from Educational Film on Policemen], Producer unknown, [194-?] Physical Description: 1 reel of 1; 123 feet; sound; black and white; 16 mm archival positive  Scope and Content Note: Educational film for children on the duties of a policeman. Footage shows a patrol wagon, various emergency equipment, and sequences of a policeman helping schoolchildren cross a street and rescuing a cat in a tree; voice-over narration and post-dubbed dialogue.
AB 859	[Neighborhood House Picnic], Producer unknown, [1941?] Physical Description: 1 reel of 1; 397 feet; silent; black and white; 16 mm archival positive  Scope and Content Note: Unedited footage of Neighborhood House picnic, probably in Vilas Park. Footage of all age groups, with emphasis on children: eating, talking, playing baseball, running races; interspersed with posed group shots, amateur theatricals, folk dancing, and “parades” of various sets of adult club members.
PH 4352	Part 2 (PH 4352): Additions, circa 1921-1966 Physical Description: 79 photographs and 141 transparencies  Scope and Content Note: Photographs, primarily mounted on exhibit panels concerning the activities of the settlement house including groups, classes, and camps, circa 1921 to 1966. This has been assigned call numbers PH 4352 and PH 4352 (5).	⇧
PH 4353	Part 3 (PH 4353): Additions, circa 1921-1930 Physical Description: 67 transparencies  Scope and Content Note: Lantern slides concerning the activities of the settlement house, circa 1921 to 1930.	⇧
M79-162	Part 4 (M79-162): Additions, 1915-1980 Physical Description: 1.1 cubic feet (3 archives boxes and 1 oversize folder), and 658 photographs and 3 negatives (in 3 archives boxes, 3 flat boxes, and 1 oversize folder)  Scope and Content Note: Additions documenting the activities of Gay Braxton, head resident, and Mary Lee Griggs, director of Parent Education and Play School; events sponsored by Neighborhood House itself, such as hosteling and boys camping; and scrapbooks of the Camp Fire Girls and the Orioles, which met at Neighborhood House. Important records include the various studies, survey data, and analysis (1926-1977) of the neighborhood population, many of whom were immigrants. One folder concerns the Triangle urban renewal project, 1973. Types of records include publications, constitutions, histories, clippings, reports, scrapbooks, speeches, and photographs. Also present are a few personal papers of Mary Lee Griggs including materials concerning Gay-Lee, the vacation home of Griggs and Braxton in Ephraim (Door County), Wheelock School (Boston) yearbooks for 1919 and 1920, and family photographs.	⇧
	Mary Lee Griggs personal papers
Box   1	Gay-Lee guest log
Box   1	Gay-Lee cabin
Box   1	Wheelock School (Boston)--yearbooks, 1919-1920
	Neighborhood House
Box   1	Publications
Box   1	Constitution by-laws, articles of incorporation
Box   1	Histories, recollections, reminiscences
Box   1	Auxiliary Board
Box   1	Triangle urban renewal project, 1973
Box   1	Clippings, 25th anniversary, 1941
Box   1	Clippings, miscellaneous
Box   1	Better Homes and Gardens Committee flower show
Box   1	Achievement exposition, 1929
Box   1	Play School
Box   1	Gay Braxton memorial play school room
Box   1	Guest book, 1933-1968
Box   2 Folder   1	Reports and talks by Gay Braxton
Box   2 Folder   2	Activities, 1977-1980
Box   2 Folder   3	“Handbook for Volunteer Leaders” [reference], 1932
Box   2 Folder   4	Reference articles
Box   2 Folder   5	Miscellaneous
Box   2 Folder   6	Griggs retirement, 1966
	Scrapbooks
Box   2 Folder   7	#1, 1947
Box   2 Folder   8	#2, 1936
Box   2 Folder   9	#3, undated
Box   2 Folder   10	Orioles club, 1939-1940
Box   2	Boys camping, 1941-1942
Box   2	Hosteling, 1944-1946
	Neighborhood studies
	Beneficiary study data
Box   2	1941
Box   2	1943 March-July
Box   2	1944
Box   2	“Report on study of Neighborhood House,” 1949
Box   2	Report by National Federation, 1957
Box   2	Need assessment study, 1977
	Neighborhood surveys data
Box   3 Folder   1	1926
Box   3 Folder   2	1932
Box   3 Folder   3	1946
	Camp Fire Girls awards
Oversize Folder	Braxton, 1915
Oversize Folder	Griggs, 1931
M2010-074	Part 5 (M2010-074): Additions, 1960-1962 Physical Description: 0.1 cubic feet (1 folder)  Scope and Content Note: Additions, 1960-1962, consisting of correspondence related to the Triangle Urban Renewal Project and a 1960 survey conducted by Neighborhood House to determine how many individuals and families would be displaced by the city of Madison's plans to replace existing homes with a modern apartment complex. The survey reveals that many of the affected residents owned their own homes, but were older and lacked income to relocate; Neighborhood House acted as an advocate for the displaced families.	⇧