Title: Family Service of Racine Records
Inclusive Dates: 1910-1985

Creator:

• Family Service of Racine (Wis.)

Call Number: Parkside Mss 99; Parkside Micro 25; Micro 2083; PH Parkside Mss 99

Quantity: 0.8 c.f. (2 archives boxes, 1 flat box, 1 oversize folder), 2 reels of microfilm (35mm), 293 photographs, and 8 transparencies

Repository:

Housed at the Archives & Area Research Center, Library/Learning Center, University of Wisconsin-Parkside; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

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

UW-Parkside Library / Parkside Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Brief records of Family Service of Racine, Wis., a community service organization formed in 1910 by the merger of the Northside Boys' Club, Associated Charities, Racine Day Nursery Association, and the Big Sisters organization. The merged organization was known as the Central Association until 1951. Included are histories of the agency, board minutes (1910-1922 only), clipping scrapbooks (on microfilm only), posters and printed material from the Racine Community Welfare Fund, minutes of the Case Advisory Committee, 1935-1937, and lists of children enrolled in the child care program from 1910 through the 1960s. Photographs provide particularly strong documentation of the child care program from 1910 through the 1960s including activities, toys and equipment, and children's attire. There is also visual documentation of the Family Service facilities, staff, and its early clubs and athletic programs. Additional photographs document a study of substandard housing in Racine, circa 1910.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-pks0099

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Family Service of Racine was incorporated in October 1910 as the Central Association, a merger of the North Side Boys' Club, the Racine Day Nursery Association, Associated Charities, and the Big Sisters Association. The first meeting minutes, May 31, 1910, state that the reason for the merger was to economize on the administrative costs of separate agencies. The merging agencies each functioned as a division of the Central Association under the direction of an elected board of directors with representatives from each division and elected officers.

In 1914 the Central Association was located at 816 College Avenue until, after intensive fundraising, a residence at 920 Wilson Street was acquired and renovated. The building was sometimes referred to as “Racine's Hull House.” The Central Association remained at that location until 1968 when it was housed in temporary quarters. In 1976 it located at 420 Seventh Street.

Activities from 1910 to 1925 consisted primarily of supervised group activities for boys and girls through clubs and sports programs; adult and youth education programs in homemaking, English, music, gymnastics, and manual arts; a day nursery school; and relief distributions. Prior to 1931, Racine's poor relief was administered by an agent appointed by the city council. The number of persons applying for relief became so large during the 1930s that the city asked the Central Association to become its official agent for relief and unemployment programs. The increasing demand on resources forced the day nursery to close in 1933. City funds were soon exhausted, and in August 1933 the Racine County Board took over distribution of relief with funds from the federal government. The Central Association was then able to resume its work with groups. During the summer of 1935 the day nursery reopened.

During the Depression the agency emphasized case work, with the Central Association representatives making home visits to provide for immediate needs. The youth clubs, adult education classes, and other group work continued until recreational personnel became scarce during World War II. At the same time, the association expanded its child care program and ran programs for the Boys' Club. In 1947 the association's board of directors voted to discontinue group work in favor of a concentration on case work and child care. This development was reflected in a new name adopted in 1951: Family Service of Racine.

During the 1950s and 1960s the staff became increasingly professionalized, attending seminars, accepting interns from newly established programs in social work at the University of Wisconsin, conducting self studies, and engaging in increased outreach activities. In 1966-1967 Family Service participated in a demonstration project to determine if court social workers would reduce the number of divorces. In 1970 Family Service added a budget counseling service when St. Vincent de Paul ended its program. In September 1, 1972, the day care center was closed due to lack of funds.

The records of Family Service of Racine are incomplete, containing virtually no true administrative records. Basic organizational records such as board minutes are incomplete and administrative correspondence and reports are virtually non-existent. The overall history of the organization is documented primarily through minutes for the 1910-1922 period only, microfilmed clipping scrapbooks, 1910-1972, and several brief agency histories. The microfilmed scrapbooks also document fundraising by the Community Welfare Fund of Racine. Because of the deteriorated condition the scrapbooks were destroyed after filming. Original brochures and posters from the Community Welfare Fund were removed from the scrapbooks and retained. About the Central Association's case work the collection contains minutes of the Case Advisory Committee, 1935-1937, and a list of client names.

Coverage is unquestionably best for the child care program, the records documenting virtually without a break from 1910 when the day nursery was an independent private organization to the program's end in 1974. This coverage is provided by black and white and color snapshots that document the child care facilities as the Central Association, activities, toys and equipment, as well as the children's clothing. There is also some photographic documentation of increased enrollment of African-American enrollment during the 1950s and 1960s. The child care photographs dating from the 1950s and 1960s have been selected from a much larger quantity that were either redundant or of poor quality. (The unwanted photographs and negatives were returned to the donors.) The long time period covered and the rarity of the subject gives the child care photographs research value beyond their local context. Unfortunately they are not matched by administrative records. Included are child care enrollment lists that are fairly complete from the 1930s to 1969 and a brief history written in 1941.

Additional photographs document early Central Association clubs, educational activities, and sports. Another folder consists of photographs of substandard housing taken in Racine about 1910. Because of the sparseness of the textual records, the presence of these photographs with the records is unexplained. It is possible they were taken for the city health department, but interest in housing conditions also lay within the mission of the Central Association. Many of these snapshots are labeled to indicate street address, rent, and housing concerns such as overcrowding. Many faces of individuals have been scratched out to protect their privacy.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Family Service of Racine, Racine, Wis., 1986. Accession Number: M86-588

Processing Information

Processed by Ann Hokanson and Carolyn Mattern, 2002.

Parkside Mss 99	Histories, 1930-1985
Box   1 Folder   1	Outline of charities situation in Racine, 1930-1931
Box   1 Folder   1	Racine Public Relief Development of Buying System, 1932
Box   1 Folder   1	History of the Central Association Nursery School, 1941
Box   1 Folder   1	History of Welfare Services in Racine, 1958
Box   1 Folder   1	History, circa 1980
Box   1 Folder   1	“Hull House of Racine, the Central Association, 1910-1920,” 1985
Box   1 Folder   2	Minutes, 1910-1922
Box   1 Folder   3	Minutes of Case Advisory Committee, 1935-1937
Box   1 Folder   4	Enrollment lists, 1930s, 1966-1968 Note: See also the client intake book in Folder 6.
Box   1 Folder   5	Fundraising materials, 1920s-1930s
Oversize Folder   1	Posters and window cards
Box   1 Folder   6	Intake book of clients, 1933-1938; Nursery enrollment lists and attendance, , 1950s-1960s
	Photographs
Box   2	Xerox copy of snapshots with prints
PH Parkside Mss 99	Photographs and transparencies
PH Box   1 Folder   1	Activities, Early
PH Box   1 Folder   2	Facilities
PH Box   1 Folder   3-8	Childcare, circa 1910-1960s, undated
PH Box   1 Folder   9	Girl Scouts, 1938
PH Box   1 Folder   10	Good Fellers Club, 1930s
PH Box   1 Folder   11	Sports, circa 1910-1930s
PH Box   1 Folder   12	Staff
PH Box   1 Folder   13	Substandard housing in Racine, circa 1910
PH Box   1 Folder   14	Homemaker services
Parkside Micro 25/Micro 2083	Scrapbooks
Reel   1	1910-1934
Reel   2	1935-1972
Parkside Mss 99 Box   1 Folder   7	Loose clippings (not filmed)