North Idaho Children's Home, Inc. records

North Idaho Children's Home, Inc. records, 1908-1984

Overview of the Collection

Creator: North Idaho Children's Home, Inc.
Title: North Idaho Children's Home, Inc. records
Dates: 1908-1984 (inclusive)
19081984
Quantity: 5 linear feet
Collection Number: MG 137
Summary: Administrative and financial records; photographs, scrapbooks and printed material of a Lewiston, Idaho, care facility for children.
Repository: University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
University of Idaho Library
875 Perimeter Drive
MS 2350
Moscow, ID
83844-2350
Telephone: 2088850845
libspec@uidaho.edu
Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research
Languages: English
Sponsor: Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

In 1908, a Congregational minister in Lewiston, Charles B. Chase, began taking abused and abandoned children into his home prior to their being placed in foster care. The Idaho Children's Home and Finding Aid Society in Boise had asked his help because of distance and transportation difficulties. Chase quickly found that the number of children sent to him by the courts was more than he could adequately care for himself. In 1909, he and other community leaders formed a permanent organization, the Northern District of the Idaho Children's Home Finding and Aid Society of Boise. Funding for the new organization was provided by several public service organizations such as the Commercial Club of Lewiston and the Women's Clubs in Northern Idaho. The children continued to live with Rev. Chase who was named superintendent (a post he held until 1918). Permanent housing was obtained in 1911, when Hurlbut House was bought for $14,000. This was the home of the organization for more than fifty years.

In 1935, the organization separated from Boise and became the Children's Home Finding and Aid Society of North Idaho, Inc. Following World War II the Children's Home faced financial difficulties stemming from the shift in emphasis from private charity to public responsibility for social services. In the 1960's, large permanent care facilities, such as orphanages and mental hospitals, were increasingly replaced by smaller, more specialized units. The Child Protective Act of 1963 gave responsibility for the placement of dependent children to the Idaho Department of Health (later Health and Welfare). These were functions which had been performed by organizations such as the Children's Home. Because of these changes, the children's home redefined its purpose. No longer an "orphanage," it became a treatment center and temporary home for children who could not stay in their own homes but were not suited for foster care. This change in function eased the Homes' financial crisis. In addition to money from Department of Health contracts, the Home continued to receive private contributions. The George F. Jewett's donated a six-bedroom house, 22 acres of land and fifty thousand dollars to the Children's Home. The move to the Jewett estate was made in 1969.

In 1973, the organization became the North Idaho Children's Home, Inc., (NICH) an organization which continues to provide services for children, much as it did in 1909.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The records of NICH span the years from 1908 to 1983 with the bulk of the material covering the years 1912 to 1930; there is little information about the period from 1930 to 1960. The records include scattered correspondence, some of which refers to financial bequests and contracts with Health and Welfare, and annual and monthly reports. The records also contain the minutes of the Board of Directors (1909-1959), as well as several bookkeeping ledgers and the Superintendent's day books. Approximately one quarter of the records consist of photographs. Also included are scrapbooks and printed materials such as NICH promotional literature and newspaper clippings.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

Scrapbooks transferred to folders.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

FOR PHOTOS: Photographer, "Title," date. Collection name, object ID. University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, Moscow, ID.

FOR DOCUMENTS: Author, Description or "Title" of item, date. Collection name, collection number, box, folder. University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, Moscow, ID.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Some materials were returned to North Idaho Children's Home, Inc. upon review.

Acquisition Information

The records of North Idaho Children's Home, Inc. were donated to the University of Idaho by the Children's Home in August of 1984.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series 1: GeneralReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box	Folder
1	1	Booth Memorial Hospital: Unwed mothers 18 items	1964-1967
1	2	Catholic Family Services 8 items	1965-1967
1	3	Fundraising 7 items	1950
1	4	Internal Revenue Service 2 items	1953
1	5	Investments 83 items	undated
1	6	Tag Day 30 items	1922-1923
1	7	Rose Wahl Correspondence 18 items	1971-1975
1	8	Other Correspondence 4 items	1912-1962

Series 2: LegalReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box	Folder
1	9	Nels Halgeson Estate 4 items	1929
1	10	Walter Hickerson Estate 1 items	1914
1	11	Charles W. Mount Estate 1 items	1925
1	12	I. Pickering Estate 13 items	1927-1930
1	13	Ana Trimble Estate 2 items	1925

Series 3: Special ProjectsReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box	Folder
1	14	Construction of Boys' Dorm 92 items	1925
1	15	Group Home 87 items	1975-1976
1	16	Law Enforcement Project Grant 34 items	1974-1976
1	17	Maternal Infant Care Project 58 items	1967-1973
1	18	NICH - DECs [contracts] 7 items	1974-1976
1	19	Sewer construction 11 items	1925
1	20	Unwed Mothers Project 4 items	1965

Series 4: AdministrativeReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box	Folder
1	21	Articles of Incorporation 3 items	1919-1935
1	22	By-Laws 1 items	1942
1	23	List of North Idaho Society Members 5 items	1920
1	24	Policy Statements 53 items	1961-1975
1	25	Annual Reports 39 items	1930-1970
1	26	Board of Directors Minutes 1 1 items	1909-1910
1	27	Board of Directors Minutes 2 1 items	1910-1920
1	28	Board of Directors Minutes 3 1 items	1920-1923
1	29	Board of Directors Minutes 4 110 items	1923-1930
1	30	Board of Directors Minutes 5 117 items : incomplete	1930-1949
1	31	Board of Directors Minutes 6 73 items	1956
1	32	Board of Directors Minutes 7 81 items	1957
1	33	Board of Directors Minutes 8 64 items	1958
1	34	Board of Directors Minutes 9 1 items	1959
1	35	Budget 1 1 items	1968-1969
1	36	Budget 2 4 items	1969-1970
2	37	Budget 3 10 items	1970-1971
2	38	Budget 4 7 items : file copy	1970-1971
2	39	Budget 5 6 items	1972-1973
2	40	Current Budget 1 3 items	1973-1974
2	41	Current Budget 2 3 items	1974-1975
2	42	Current Budget 3 3 items	1975-1976
2	43	Financial Reports 1 33 items	1911-1917
2	44	Financial Reports 2 1 items	1928
2	45	Financial Reports 3 4 items	1931
2	46	Financial Reports 4 28 items	1948-1956
2	47	Monthly financial statements 56 items	1909-1914
2	48	Summaries of Bills and Vouchers 1 9 items	1919-1924
2	49	Summaries of Bills and Vouchers 2 5 items	1925-1926
2	50	Audit Report 4 items	1921-1928
2	51	Other Financial Papers 10 items	1925-1981
2	52	Payroll and income tax information 97 items	1960-1961

Series 5: LedgersReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box	Folder
2	53	Expense Ledger 1 1 items	1975-1976
2	54	Journal 1 items	1931-1934
2	55	Expense Ledger 2 1 items	1975-1975

Series 6: PhotographsReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box	Folder
2	56	NICH-Hurlbut Mansion 12 items	1911-1968
2	57	Friendship Hall 18 items	1914-1932
2	58	NICH 1 items	1978
2	59	Special Care Project 1 items	1980
2	60	NICH Entrance sign 1 items	undated
2	61	Uprooted Tree 1 items	1969
2	62	Craft Center 13 items	1971-1973
2	63	Room interiors 10 items	1918-1978
2	64	Education Center 6 items	1978
2	65	Family Resource Center 3 items	1977
2	66	Cedar House 1 items	1978
2	67	Jewett House 8 items	1968-1982
2	68	North House 3 items	1968
2	69	Pool House 4 items	1968-1969
2	70	Prospect House 4 items	1978
2	71	South House 4 items	1968
2	72	Moving Day 18 items	1968
2	73	Swimming pool 7 items	1968-1978
2	74	Religious service 2 items	undated
2	75	Chase, Samuel B and Mary 4 items	1930-1958
2	76	Board of Directors 15 items	1940-1978
2	77	Children's Home Finding and Aid Society 1 items : certificate of incorporation [photo]	1978
2	78	Commercial Club 2 items	1909
2	79	Staff 28 items	1963-1979
2	80	Former residents 7 items	1940-1975
2	81	Art contest winners 5 items	1978
2	82	Auction 4 items	1968
2	83	Play (Hansel & Gretel) 1 items	1977
2	84	Memorial Book 1 items	1968
2	85	Vehicles 4 items	1971-1973
2	86	Volunteers 8 items	1961-1970
2	87	Gifts 4 items	1970-1972
2	88	Children 1 20 items	undated
2	89	Children 2 28 items	undated
2	90	Children 3 31 items	undated
2	91	Children 4 24 items	undated
2	92	Youth 1 3 items	undated
2	93	Children 5 28 items	1917-1960
2	94	Children 6 38 items	1942-1963
2	95	Children 7 50 items	1963-1979
2	96	Youth 2 21 items	undated
2	97	Youth 3 24 items	1920-1968
2	98	Youth 4 30 items	1968-1970
2	99	Youth 5 25 items	1970-1979
2	100	35mm slides 4 items : bw negatives of portratis and groups of people	1975-1983
2	101	35mm negatives 8 items : bw negatives of portratis and groups of people	undated
2	102	People 148 items : bw photos of groups; couples; outdoor activities	1914-19788
2	103	BW contact sheets 1 items : classrooms; people on playing field	1960
2	104	Open House Guest Book 1 items	1949
3	105	Scrapbook 1 items	1920
3	106	Scrapbook, National Conference of Social Workers 1 items	1936
3	107	Children's Home Finder 58 items	1912-1935
3	108	Flashes 2 items	1978, 1983
3	109	Christmas Brochures 8 items	1913-1931
3	110	Old Christmas Letters 29 items	1960-1982
3	111	Calendars 3 items	1982-1984
3	112	Promotional Literature 19 items	1924-1984
3	113	Student Publications 2 items	1977
3	114	Children's Home pamphlet 1 items : Day, Sam. "Children's Home Society in Crisis"	1960
3	115	Obituaries of Founders 11 items : Eugene Cox;Theron S. Ward; Carl E. Harris; Bessie V. Clarke; Daisy T. Babb; S.C. Skillern; Frank Morris; William Bollinger	1952-1963
3	116	Newspaper Clippings 80 items : childen's welfare	1940-1960
3	117	Flashes Journal 106 items	1935-1981
4	118	Scrapbook 1 items	1973-1976
4	119	Brown Scrapbook 1 1 items	1960-1972
4	120	Brown Scrapbook 2 1 items	1960-1972
4	121	Blue Scrapbook 1 items	1960-1963
O.S.	122	North Idaho Children's Home photographs 7 items : Rendering of the Children's Home exterior; 1978 color aerial photo of the home	undated
	object
O.S.	123	Expense Ledger 1 1 items	undated
O.S.	124	Expense Ledger 2 1 items	undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Other Creators

Corporate Names
- North Idaho Children's Home, Inc.

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