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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Temple University Libraries Special Collections Research Center. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Germantown Settlement was founded in 1934, when two existing social welfare agencies, Morton Street Day Nursery and Working People's Aid, Inc. and Germantown Community Center merged. Like most settlements, it provided wide-ranging services to its community, including child care, educational and vocational instruction, and classes in art and music. In the 1950s and 1960s, it also worked closely with city agencies to facilitate urban renewal in the Morton neighborhood, while at the same time encouraging community participation and empowerment. The Germantown Settlement collection houses the records of this social welfare organization from 1946 to 1994, with a majority of the material dating from 1970 to the early 1990s. The collection contains business records, correspondence, financial documents and program files. Taken together, the records evidence Germantown Settlement’s efforts to assist and generally improve the lives of Germantown residents, particularly the youth and elderly populations, fight crime and eradicate urban blight. While the collection does not offer exhaustive documentation of the Settlement or any of its program, the records do enable an overall understanding of the organization, its programs and the overarching issues of its community. There is some documentation of the general administration of the Settlement, especially its leadership and finances, as well as its relationship with other social welfare agencies.
Germantown Settlement was founded in 1934, when two existing social welfare agencies, Morton Street Day Nursery and Working People's Aid, Inc. and Germantown Community Center merged. Like most settlements, it provided wide-ranging services to its community, including child care, educational and vocational instruction, and classes in art and music. In the 1950s and 1960s, it also worked closely with city agencies to facilitate urban renewal in the Morton neighborhood, while at the same time encouraging community participation and empowerment.
Morton Street Day Nursery and Working People's Aid, Inc. was founded as Morton Street Day Nursery and Free Kindergarten in 1884. Initially, it served a predominantly Irish immigrant community and, in addition to its child care programs, offered lectures, sewing classes, a "diet kitchen" for the sick poor, and other services. Its diverse program and overall concern for the community led to a name change in 1888 to Morton Street Day Nursery and Working People's Aid, Inc. The organization was chartered in 1890. By the 1920s, Morton Street had expanded its services to include art and music programs, and it added a part-time professional social worker to its staff. It joined the Welfare Federation in 1921. Ten years later, it was urged by the Welfare Federation to merge with another similar organization in the neighborhood, Germantown Community Center, which it did in 1934. The Germantown Community Center was founded in 1920 as the Americanization Committee of Germantown, established to serve a new wave of Italian immigrants that were settling in the neighborhood at the time.
Beginning in 1934, the newly created Germantown Settlement set to work, providing aid to families suffering from the Great Depression. Until World War II, the Settlement continued to expand its services, adding a dental clinic, dramatic and athletic activities. It formed a Neighborhood Council in 1939 and an Advisory Committee of Men in 1941. To accommodate its expanding programs, the agency adopted the use of existing neighborhood facilities such as Germantown High School and the Germantown YWCA. During and after World War II, activities for men were curtailed; an "oldsters" group was formed; and home nursing, first aid and canning classes were added to the curriculum. In 1943, a new branch office in the Wister area of northwest Philadelphia was opened at 48 E. Penn Street, and a satellite office was opened in the Olney area shortly thereafter.
Around 1950, Morton was selected by Philadelphia's Redevelopment Authority as a neighborhood in need of urban renewal, and in 1953 planning for a housing project began. Germantown Settlement helped organize the redevelopment efforts, serving as liaison between residents and city agencies. As a result, Morton residents were involved in the entire process, from start to finish. An apparently notable successful example of urban renewal, according to a newspaper article in the
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, dated October 8, 1964, the redeveloped Morton neighborhood was used as the basis for the model community display at the 1964 World's Fair. A copy of the Morton Redevelopment Area Plan is digitized and part of the Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text & Image database through the University of Pennsylvania. It can be accessed here:
During the 1960s and 1970s, Germantown Settlement focused on community building and organizing, with programs centered on housing, crime prevention, job development and youth development. It formed the Northwest Task force on Abandoned Housing, which gave way to the Greater Germantown Housing Development Corporation in 1976.
More recently, in partnership with the Greater Germantown Housing Development, Germantown Settlement instituted the Targeted Block Development Strategy. This program provided services in areas of family support, neighborhood engagement, housing development, workforce and economic development, health care, aging, youth and education. The Germantown Settlement has also partnered with other agencies such as Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, the Philadelphia Federation of Settlements, Office of Housing and Community Development, Philadelphia Development Partnership and the Philadelphia Civic Center. By the late twentieth century, the Settlement established Philadelphia's first family center, Central Germantown Family Center, and created a new public school, the Germantown Settlement Charter School. Local alliances and collaborative efforts, like the Germantown Community Council, Greater Germantown Appeal and the Greater Germantown Alliance, helped to involve area residents into discussion and development of their neighborhood for the future.
In April 2010, the Germantown Settlement filed for bankruptcy. Over the course of the year, the Settlement went to court to discuss repayment options to its lenders for the over $16 million dollars in debts. Emmanuel Freeman, the acting President of Germantown Settlement, was accused of misappropriation of funds, allegations of misconduct and threatened with contempt of court for not signing loan documents. On December 2, 2010 a federal ordered that the Germantown Settlement and all of its assets be liquidated in order to pay back its debts and debtors.
The Germantown Settlement collection houses the records of this social welfare organization from 1946 to 1994, with a majority of the material dating from 1970 to the early 1990s. The collection contains business records, correspondence, financial documents and program files.
Taken together, the records evidence Germantown Settlement’s efforts to assist and generally improve the lives of Germantown residents, particularly the youth and elderly populations, fight crime and eradicate urban blight. While the collection does not offer exhaustive documentation of the Settlement or any of its programs, the records do enable an overall understanding of the organization, its programs and the overarching issues of its community. There is some documentation of the general administration of the Settlement, especially its leadership and finances, as well as its relationship with other social welfare agencies. Researchers interested in the history of Germantown Settlement, or of social welfare organizations generally, will find relevant material in this collection.
Topics documented in this collection will likely be found throughout the entire collection due to duplication of materials and the lack of any order prior to processing. Singular series and subseries should not be considered a comprehensive portrayal of the operation and activities of the organization or even a particular part of the organization. There are significant gaps in dates and documentation within every series and subseries. As a result, users interested in a specific topic are advised to read the entire finding aid closely, and to peruse the general subject file, which is part of the Administrative records series, in addition to any subject specific portion of the collection. In the subject file researchers will find records related to nearly all topics represented elsewhere in the collection, as well as photographs and two scrapbooks.
The collection is divided into three series: “Administrative Records, 1946-1994” “Program Files, 1960-1993” and “Philadelphia Corporation for Aging records, 1967-1994.” Please review series descriptions and container lists for additional information.
Gift of the Germantown Settlement House, 1996
The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.
This collection was
minimally processed in 2009-2011, as part of an experimental project conducted under the auspices of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries to help eliminate processing backlog in Philadelphia repositories. A minimally processed collection is one processed at a less intensive rate than traditionally thought necessary to make a collection ready for use by researchers. When citing sources from this collection, researchers are advised to defer to folder titles provided in the finding aid rather than those provided on the physical folder.
Employing processing strategies outlined in Mark Greene's and Dennis Meissner's 2005 article,
More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Processing Approaches to Deal With Late 20th-Century Collections, the project team tested the limits of minimal processing on collections of all types and ages, in 23 Philadelphia area repositories. A primary goal of the project, the team processed at an average rate of 2-3 hours per linear foot of records, a fraction of the time ordinarily reserved for the arrangement and description of collections. Among other time saving strategies, the project team did not extensively review the content of the collections, replace acidic folders or complete any preservation work.
Temple University Urban Archives: Germantown Settlement records, 1908-1910, 1928, 1947-1991, Accessions 220, 370 and 721.
Temple University Libraries Special Collections Research Center
Finding Aid Author
Finding aid prepared by Megan Good and Forrest Wright
Sponsor
The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research use. However, several files and boxes 47 to 62 are closed to researchers. Please contact the Archives for additional information.
Use Restrictions
Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the Temple University Libraries Special Collections Research Center with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.
Collection Inventory
Scope and Contents note
The first series, “Administrative Records,” is divided into eleven subseries and ranges in date from 1946 to 1994. The subseries are arranged alphabetically, with subject files at the end of the series.
The first subseries, “Correspondence,” 1959-1994, contains correspondence between Germantown Settlement and various people and organizations regarding a wide array of subjects. There is general correspondence, arranged chronologically, followed by the correspondence of staff and/or other member agencies, filed alphabetically by name. After this, is correspondence relating to specific subjects or companies, arranged alphabetically. Ending the subseries are a small number of subject files, consisting of form letters, telegrams, a message book, as well as returned and unopened mail. Important to note, many folders within the “Correspondence” subseries include records relating to subjects mentioned elsewhere in the collection. An example of this is the “Correspondence with United Way” folder, which contains documents related to the United Way subseries.
The second subseries, “Financial Records,” is arranged alphabetically by record type and then alphabetically and chronologically within each grouping. Records well represented include budgets, invoices, payroll, taxes and financial reports. There is also a moderately sized group of alphabetically arranged subject files. The subseries dates from 1958 to 1994, with the bulk of the material dating between the 1970s and 1980s.
“Housing and Neighborhood Development,” the third subseries, contains records relating to Germantown Settlement’s efforts to eradicate urban blight. General community development, economic development, Greater Germantown Housing Development Corporation, Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development office and Wister Neighborhood Council are well-represented topics within this subseries. Files related to the Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements are housed here due to that agency's contribution to the housing and neighborhood sector. The records date from 1959 to 1992, and are arranged in alphabetical order.
The fourth subseries, “Memoranda,” consists of memoranda produced by Germantown Settlement’s administrative offices and is arranged alphabetically. Memoranda of Brenda Berrian and Linda Jackson are particularly plentiful, along with various unattributed memoranda. The records date from 1974 to 1993.
“Minutes,” the fifth subseries, contains minutes and other materials related to board, council and committee meetings of Germantown Settlement and other agencies for which employees completed board service. The subseries is arranged alphabetically by committee name. Boards of Directors and Managers, Executive staff and staff meetings are particularly well-represented. The records date from 1968 to 1993.
The sixth subseries, “Personnel,” consists of policies, procedures, applications, resumes, job announcements and descriptions, staff training materials, retirement and salary information. The subseries is divided into two categories: the first, which is a general grouping of personnel records, and the second, which houses individual employee files. The three boxes of employee records are restricted due to the presence of social security numbers and other personal information. Both categories are arranged alphabetically and the records date from 1946 to 1992.
“Proposals,” the seventh subseries, contains program, project, development, renovations and educational proposals written by Germantown Settlement. Requests for proposal materials from various philanthropic organizations and businesses are also included in the subseries. Arranged alphabetically, the records date from 1950 to 1989 with the bulk of material dating from 1984 to 1989.
The eighth subseries, “Publications,” consists of abstracts, articles, booklets, brochures, newspaper clippings, reports, magazines, journals and newsletters that were collected by the Germantown Settlement. Subjects include gerontology, health benefits, organizational development, housing, economic growth and promoting youth involvement. The subseries is arranged alphabetically and dates from 1964 to 1994.
“Reports,” the ninth subseries, contains monthly, quarterly and annual reports of various boards, agencies and organizations, especially reports of the Board of Directors and Managers, community service organizations and Waring House. Folders are arranged alphabetically, with reports dating from 1965 to 1990. There is also a large group of unidentified reports at the end of the subseries.
The tenth subseries, “United Way,” consists of records documenting Germantown Settlement’s relationship with the United Way. There are financial records of Germantown Settlement and the United Way, memoranda, reports, correspondence and program materials. Records evidence general agency information and allocations to the Germantown Settlement. The records are arranged alphabetically and date from 1960 to 1994.
“Subject Files,” the eleventh and last subseries of the “Administrative Records” series, houses a wide assortment of files arranged alphabetically by subject and/or record type. Some files include: Agreements between the Settlement and other organizations; Allocations; Applications; Awards; Board of Directors; Board of Managers; Budgets; Building Maintenance and Facilities; Committees; Concept Papers; Contracts; Donations; Educational Materials; Executive Committee; Food Services; Forms; Funding and Fundraising; Grants; Health and Medical; History and Agency Information; Informational Folders; Legal Information; Legislation; Licenses, Permits and Notices; Lists; Long-playing Records (LP’s) for the Blind; Maps and Illustrations; Mayor’s Office of Philadelphia; Morton House; Outreach; Photographs and Scrapbooks; Press and Publicity; Questionnaires and Evaluations; Service objectives and goals; Social Service Organizations; Staff; Studies and Surveys; Transportation; Vernon House; Volunteerism; and Waring House. A folder of miscellaneous loose records can be found at the end of the subseries. Researchers interested in any aspect of the Germantown Settlement should review the files in this series, and be aware that there are likely related records in other series or subseries. The documents date from 1950 to 1994.
General correspondence, 1970, 1975-1989, 1991.
Box 1Folder 1-13
Correspondence of Brenda Berrian, 1989 February.
Box 1Folder 14
Correspondence of Emmanuel Freeman, 1982-1992.
Box 1Folder 15-28
Correspondence and memoranda of Emmanuel Freeman, 1986-1987.
Box 1Folder 29
Correspondence of William Havlena, 1974, 1978.
Box 1Folder 30-31
Correspondence of Linda Jackson, 1988-1989, 1991-1993.
Box 2Folder 1-2Box 1Folder 22-33
Correspondence of agencies of Germantown Settlement, undated.
Box 2Folder 3
Correspondence of Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements, 1974.
Box 2Folder 4-5
Correspondence of Waring House, 1982.
Box 2Folder 6
Correspondence regarding 100th Anniversary of Germantown Settlement, 1982-1983.
Box 2Folder 7
Correspondence regarding grants and proposals, 1980-1982.
Subject: Waring House financial information, 1978.
Box 11Folder 10
Subject: Waring House reimbursement, 1979.
Box 11Folder 11
Subject: William Penn Foundation information, 1975.
Box 11Folder 12
Subject: Wister Day Camp chart of accounts, undated.
Box 11Folder 13
Subject: Wister Day Camp check voucher, 1974.
Box 11Folder 14
Subject: Wister Day Camp deposits, 1977.
Box 11Folder 15
Subject: Wister Day Camp insurance, undated.
Box 11Folder 16
Subject: Wisconsin Power and Light Company shareholder information, 1972-1976.
Box 11Folder 17
Subject: Youth Night program budget, undated.
Box 11Folder 18
Subject: General financial records, 1970s-1980s.
Box 11Folder 19-23
Taxes: Advantaged rehabilitation, 1986 October.
Box 11Folder 24
Taxes: Charitable exemption letter, 1973-1974.
Box 11Folder 25
Taxes: Employer's Tax Guide by Internal Revenue Service, 1977 May.
Box 11Folder 26
Taxes: Exemption certificates, undated.
Box 11Folder 27-29
Taxes: Federal income tax correspondence, 1978.
Box 11Folder 30
Taxes: Federal income tax exemption, 1989 June.
Box 11Folder 31
Taxes: Federal tax forms, 1978.
Box 11Folder 32
Taxes: Form 941, 1979-1980.
Box 11Folder 33
Taxes: Forms to be filled out and sent to Internal Revenue Service, undated.
Box 11Folder 34
Taxes: Internal Revenue Service form 990, undated.
Box 11Folder 35
Taxes: Pennsylvania personal income tax, 1972-1975.
Box 11Folder 36
Taxes: Sales tax and use exemption certificate, undated.
Box 11Folder 37
Taxes: Shelter annuity provisions, 1986.
Box 11Folder 38
203K Program, 1988.
Box 11Folder 39
Art and cultural development, 1982-1986.
Box 11Folder 40
Census and other demographic data, 1980, 1984.
Box 11Folder 41
Central Germantown Community Development Corporation minutes, 1988.
Box 11Folder 42
Chew-Chelten area development project information, 1981-1987.
Box 11Folder 43-45
Church Lane Village property bidding, 1987.
Box 11Folder 46
Commerce Department, 1986.
Box 11Folder 47
Community Development meeting minutes, 1981.
Box 11Folder 48
Community Development relations with the City of Philadelphia, 1978.
Box 11Folder 49
Community Development trust fund, 1987.
Box 11Folder 50
Community Economic Development, undated.
Box 11Folder 51
Community Reinvestment Act, 1987.
Box 11Folder 52
Community sponsored projects application for services, 1980.
Box 11Folder 53
Complaints on Section 8 housing, 1980.
Box 11Folder 54
Contract for professional services by and between Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation and Greater Germantown Housing Development Corporation, 1983 September 1.
Box 11Folder 55
Development of 149 West Hansberry Street, 1986.
Box 11Folder 56
Development Committee member list, undated.
Box 11Folder 57
Development plan, 1986.
Box 11Folder 58
Development program goals and objectives, 1979-1988.
Box 11Folder 59
Development projects, undated.
Box 11Folder 60
East Germantown development efforts with East Germantown Business Association, 1980s.
Box 11Folder 61
East Germantown vacant property survey, 1986.
Box 11Folder 62
Economic development, 1983.
Box 11Folder 63
Economic development from Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation information, 1988.
Box 11Folder 64
Economic development options, undated.
Box 11Folder 65
Economic development strategy regarding Mayor's comments, 1985.
Box 11Folder 66
Economic Development Task Force programs, circa 1984.
Box 11Folder 67
Elderly resident housing data, 1973-1980.
Box 11Folder 68
Energy and affordable housing, 1988.
Box 12Folder 1
First Baptist Church of Paschall Development Corporation statement of need, after 1989.
Box 12Folder 2
Germantown Interfaith Housing, Inc., 1983.
Box 12Folder 3
Germantown Area Revitalization Project (GARP), 1986, undated.
Standards of Accounting and Financial Reporting for Voluntary Health and Welfare Organizations, 1964.
Box 25Folder 15
Social Security Administration informational booklets, 1992.
Box 25Folder 16
Teamwork and management articles, 1989.
Box 25Folder 17
The Art of Possible by Richard Ambrosius, 1991.
Box 25Folder 18
The Energy Consumer Guide, 1980.
Box 25Folder 19
The Family Therapy Networker, 1992 September-October.
Box 25Folder 20
The Results are Coming In, federal cut-back coverage, 1984.
Box 25Folder 21
Think about it: Materials for developing critical thinking and writing skills on the themes of drugs, teen pregnancy, AIDS and cross-cultural communication, 1989.
Various articles regarding AIDS policy developments, circa 1988.
Box 25Folder 24
Vehicle Transit informational pamphlets and brochures, circa 1989.
Box 25Folder 25
Wister Eye newsletter, 1983.
Box 25Folder 26
Accident reports, 1976.
Box 25Folder 27
Agency annual report, 1983.
Box 25Folder 28
Aging services monthly report, 1988-1990.
Box 25Folder 29-32
Blue Cross annual report, 1987.
Box 25Folder 33
Columbia Gas Company annual report, 1986.
Box 25Folder 34
Community-based emergency shelter report, 1987.
Box 25Folder 35
Community organization and development monthly report, 1988 March.
Box 25Folder 36
Criminal justice coordinating commissioner/ office report on the City of Philadelphia Criminal Justice system and selected northwest police districts, 1985.
Box 25Folder 37
Director's reports, 1974-1988.
Box 25Folder 38
Diversified Community Services annual report, 1976-1977.