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Neighborhood House records, 1894-1996

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Neighborhood House (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Title
Neighborhood House records
Dates
1894-1996 (inclusive)
Quantity
15 linear feet, (16 boxes and 2 oversize boxes)
Collection Number
MS 0455
Summary
The Neighborhood House records (1894-1996) contains general board meeting minutes, annual reports, a list of board members, photocopies of news clippings, financial statements, role and guest books, and donation records. Also included in the collection is a fiftieth-year history of the Neighborhood House and Day Nursery Association written by Lela Horn Richards in 1944.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Funded by private donations, the Free Kindergarten Association was established in Salt Lake City in 1894. The aims of this organization were to "provide instruction for underprivileged children; to come into closer touch with parents in poorly regulated homes; to raise standards of living, and to provide, when necessary, food and clothing."

The first kindergarten was opened in the Odd Fellows Hall with one teacher and fifteen to twenty children. However, the school quickly increased in size making a new and larger location a necessity. During the following ten years the Free Kindergarten moved to various locations throughout the city, seeking larger quarters and locations closer to the populace it served. Finally, in 1910, a piece of property was obtained on Seventh West and First South and a new building constructed. The Free Kindergarten Association was reorganized and incorporated in 1911 under the name of the Neighborhood House, a name that better reflected the goals of the organization.

At this point of its existence, the organization sponsored not only a kindergarten, but a day nursery, library, mother's club, children's club, and sewing classes. In addition, the Neighborhood House frequently sponsored lectures and music and literary programs for the entire community. Over the years the organization has continued to expand and the number of people it serves steadily increases. Presently the Neighborhood House is located at 1050 W. Fifth South and is funded by government contracts, private fees, and the United Way. In addition to the programs the organization provided in its early years, the Neighborhood House now offers a well-baby clinic, dental clinic, and classes for senior citizens.

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Content Description

The Neighborhood House records were donated to the Marriott Library in 1983. Originally organized in 1894 as a free kindergarten for underprivileged children in the Salt Lake area, the Neighborhood House gradually expanded to offer a variety of services for the entire community. General board meeting minutes make up the greatest portion of the collection spanning the years 1894-1969. Along with the original copies, the collection also contains bound photocopies of the board meeting minutes. These records provide information regarding the philosophies and activities of the Neighborhood House as well as the kinds of issues the organization concerned itself with.

Other material found in the collection include annual reports for the years 1942-1982; a fiftieth-year history of the Neighborhood House and Day Nursery Association written by Lela Horn Richards in 1944; a list of board members that resigned between the years 1942-1976; photocopies of newsclippings removed from yearly scrapbooks; financial statements and allocation requests made to the United Way for continued funding in 1985; role books, guest books, and donation records; and the minutes of the Halleck House Board of Trustees, 1913-1918. The Halleck House was operated in conjunction with the Free Kindergarten as a housekeeping apartment where girls untrained in domestic skills were instructed.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Gift of Neighborhood House in 1983.

Boxes 10-16 and oversize boxes 17-18 (11 linear feet) were donated in 2001.

Processing Note

Processed by Allesen Peck, Kate Kimball, and Andrew J. Lengyel from 1988-2005.

Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.

Separated Materials

See also the Neighborhood House photograph collection (P0145) in the Multimedia Division in Special Collections.

Related Materials

Forms part of the Aileen H. Clyde 20th Century Women's Legacy Archives.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Allesen Peck, Kate Kimball, and Andrew J. Lengyel
1988-2005 (last modified: 2023)

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