In 1908, the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd opened a home in Wallingford for orphaned girls and troubled girls. For over 65 years, the Home of the Good Shepherd provided young women with shelter, counseling, and job training. The home closed in 1973. The buildings are now called Good Shepherd Center and are used by many community groups.
The collection consists of 16 interviews with former staff and residents of the Home of the Good Shepherd: Charmaine Ashcraft, Sr. Valerie Brannan, Betty Ferguson, Sr. Elsie Fields, Sr. Mary Ann Fitzgerald and Sr. Mary Ruth Kuper, Sr. Virginia Hinks, Sr. Mariella Houle, Jackie (Moen) Kalani, Betty Mayes, Sr. Mary William McGlone, Rev. Norman McLean, Sr. Mary Thomas Nestor, Sr. Michael Pundzak, Vivian Sherburne, Doug Woodside, and Chuck Boyle. All of the interviews were conducted by Toby Harris in 1999 and 2000.
Note that several of these interviews deal with issues of physical and sexual abuse and may be upsetting, particularly to survivors of past abuse.
Five of the interviews were digitized in 2019 as part of an IMLS grant and are part of MOHAI's digital collection: Charmaine Ashcraft; Sr. Valerie Brannan; Jackie (Moen) Kalani; Sr. Mary William McGlone; and Vivian Sherburne. See the item level inventory for links to the digitized versions of these interviews.
Access to the interviews depends upon copyright restrictions and the availability of transcripts and/or digital copies of analog media for each interview. If no digital copy or transcript of a particular interview is available, access may be restricted at this time. Please contact the repository for further information.
The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Home of the Good Shepherd Oral History Project, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle
Gift of Toby Harris; received in 2002.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Interview with Charmaine (Char) Nissen Ashcraft, a former resident and later, a teacher, at the Home of the Good Shepherd.
Digitized in 2019 as part of 2016 IMLS grant; click title to access.
Transcript available
Interview with Sister Valerie Brannan, the director and group mother at the Home of the Good Shepherd from approximately 1958 to 1972.
Digitized in 2019 as part of 2016 IMLS grant; click title to access.
Transcript available from interviewer Toby Harris at HistoryLink.org
Interview with Betty (Hausmann) Ferguson, a lay teacher at the Home of the Good Shepherd from 1951 to 1952.
Transcript available
Interview with Sister Elsie Fields, the assistant to the director of the Home of the Good Shepherd from 1958 to 1961.
Transcript available; missing first page.
Interview with Sister Mary Ruth Kuper and Sister Mary Ann Fitzgerald, who were based at the Home of the Good Shepherd.
Interview summary available; restrictions may apply.
Interview with Sister Virginia Hinks, a group mother at the Home of the Good Shepherd between 1964 and 1973.
Transcript: restrictions may apply
Interview with Sister Mariella Houle, a teacher at the Home of the Good Shepherd between 1961 and 1965.
Transcript available. Interviewee name omitted on transcript as per her request for anonymity until 2010.
Interview with Jackie (Moen) Kalani, a resident of the Home of the Good Shepherd in the early 1950s.
Digitized in 2019 as part of 2016 IMLS grant; click title to access.
Transcript available from interviewer Toby Harris at HistoryLink.org
Interview with Betty Mayes, a resident of the Home of the Good Shepherd between 1924 and 1926.
Transcript available
Interview with Sister Mary William McGlone, who served as a teacher, principal, social worker, assistant superior, and superior at the Home of the Good Shepherd between 1937 and 1957.
Digitized in 2019 as part of 2016 IMLS grant; click title to access.
Transcript available.
Interview summary available; restrictions may apply.
Transcript: none
Transcript; restrictions may apply
Interview with Vivian Sherburne, a former resident of the Home of the Good Shepherd.
Digitized in 2019 as part of 2016 IMLS grant; click title to access.
Transcript available.
Interview summary available; restrictions may apply.
Notes from a unrecorded oral history interview with Chuck Boyle about the Home of the Good Shepherd.
Notes available in digital format; restrictions may apply.