Archives & Library Special Collections
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Call Number: 1985.104
Extent: 0.63 Linear feet, in two manuscript boxes.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as New York City experienced a dramatic rise in poverty, public welfare took up more of the city’s annual budget than any other issue. In response to the growing welfare burden, a number of charitable organizations were established to provide relief for the poor. Charity organization became more proficient and specialized throughout the 19th century as New York’s poverty rate continued to rise. The Brooklyn charitable organizations for the poor collection spans the period 1809 to 1959 and contains publications and ephemera documenting the activities of a significant number of Brooklyn-based public welfare organizations. Items include annual reports, manuals, constitutions, bylaws, articles of incorporation, handbooks, directories, newsletters, journals, historical sketches, pamphlets, and programs.
Names:
- American Female Guardian Society. Executive Committee
- American Female Guardian Society
- Boys’ Welcome Hall Association (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn Council for Social Planning. Veterans’ Affairs Committee
- Brooklyn Flower and Fruit Charity (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn Guild Association
- Brooklyn Italian Settlement
- Colony House (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Defenders’ Auxiliary Corps (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Fort Hamilton Relief Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Grand Army of the Republic. Dept. of New York. Bureau of Employment and Emergency Fund
- Holman Association for the Promotion of Rural Nursing, Hygiene and Social Service. Brooklyn Division
- Industrial Restaurant and Training School Association (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Italian Settlement Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Kings County Humane Society (Kings County, N.Y.)
- Mount Prospect Industrial School Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Open Air Workers’ Association of America
- Oscawana Brownies
- Sailors’ Coffee House Company (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- School Settlement Association (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- State Charities Aid Association (N.Y.). Kings County Visiting Committee
- Wayside Home (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Wayside Home School for Girls (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Willoughby House Settlement (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Willoughby House Young Women’s Settlement (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Economic conditions
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Social conditions
Subjects:
- Charities — New York (State) — Kings County
- Charity organization — New York (State) — Kings County
- Italian Americans — New York (State) — Kings County
- Italians — Services for — New York (State) — Kings County
- Poor children — Services for — New York (State) — Kings County
- Poor women — Services for — New York (State) — Kings County
- Poor — Services for — New York (State) — Kings County
- Public welfare — New York (State) — Kings County
- Social settlements — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Annual reports
- Articles of incorporation.
- Booklets
- Bylaws (administrative records)
- Constitutions
- Handbooks
- Journals (periodicals)
- Newsletters
- Pamphlets
- Programs (documents)
- Reports
- Scrapbooks
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Call Number: 1985.100
Extent: 0.4 Linear feet, in one manuscript box
The Industrial Home for the Blind collection comprises 0.4 linear feet of materials and spans the years 1894 to 1953. Included are annual reports, newsletters, and two informational booklets published by the Home. The annual reports span the years 1894 to 1915 and include financial reports, lists of donors and donations, membership lists, summaries of annual activities and achievements, and lists of clients served by the Home. The newsletters include copies of the IHB News, circa 1940-1949; The Light Buoy, 1938, 1944; and The Reporter, 1953. These newsletters highlight accomplishments of the Home, services offered to clients, client success stories, and general issues of concern to blind people. One of the informational booklets is dated 1933 and was published in celebration of the Home’s 40th anniversary; the other was published circa 1930 to 1950 and provides general information on the services offered by the Home.
Founded in 1883 by Eben P. Morford, who had been blinded as a child by an accident with a firearm, the mission of the Industrial Home for the Blind was to provide education, skills training, job opportunities, and community for the blind in Brooklyn. Originally located at 96 Lexington Avenue, the Home subsequently expanded several times, adding new facilities in different locations, and ultimately establishing its general offices at 57 Willoughby Street, where as of 2010 it continues to operate as the Helen Keller Services for the Blind.
Names:
- Industrial Home for the Blind
- Morford, Eben P.
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Blind — Employment — New York (State) — Kings County
- Blind — Services for — New York (State) — Kings County
- People with disabilities — Services for — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Annual reports
- Booklets
- Newsletters
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Call Number: 1991.041
Extent: 0.08 Linear feet, in one folder
The Park Slope Civic Council records span the period 1938 to 1965 and measure 0.08 linear feet. The records consist of newsletters, correspondence, pamphlets, and event invitations. Also included are some records pertaining to the South Brooklyn Board of Trade. The Park Slope Civic Council was established in the 1950s to address residents’ concerns over urban renewal and advocate for development and improvement in the neighborhood.
Names:
- Park Slope Civic Council
- South Brooklyn Board of Trade
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Park Slope (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Civic improvement — New York (State) — Kings County
- Neighborhoods — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Pamphlets
- Programs (documents)
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Call Number: V1981.284
Extent: 0.5 Linear feet, in one lantern slide box.
The Emmanuel House lantern slide collection contains 87 slides dated circa 1900 to 1914. The slides contain photographs of children at the Emmanuel House, their activities, interior and exterior shots of the building, as well as a small number of illustrations and reproduced sheet music. The majority of the images in the collection are group portraits of clubs and classes at Emmanuel House, such as the Kindergarten, Sunday school, sewing school, scouts, and baseball team. In addition to group portraits, the collection includes informal photographs of the clubs’ recreational activities, such as camping and swimming. Some slides originate from commercial slide studios, namely the Radio Mat Slide Company and Charles A. Beseler.
Names:
- Emmanuel Baptist Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Emmanuel House (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Religious life and customs
- Clinton Hill (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Children — New York (State) — Kings County
- Kindergarten — New York (State) — New York
- Outdoor recreation
- Sunday schools — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
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Call Number: 1985.005
Extent: 4.17 Linear feet, in ten manuscript boxes.
The Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital was established in 1868 by prominent Brooklyn residents as a philanthropic clinic, and opened on April 20th, 1869. It closed its doors in 1976. The Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital records contain administrative and financial documents reflecting various aspects of the Hospital’s operations. Items include minutes of the Board of Directors and its committees, including the Executive, Plans, and Building Committees; annual reports and treasurer and superintendent’s reports; and minutes of the Board of Surgeons and its subsidiary committees, including the Ophthalmic Committee and the Committee on Infections. Additional items include a medical manual and a history of the Hospital, titled A Hospital’s First Century, written by Board member Harry W. Baehr to commemorate the Hospital’s centennial.
Names:
- Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital (New York, N.Y.). Board of Directors. Building Commmittee
- Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital (New York, N.Y.). Board of Directors. Executive Commmittee
- Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital (New York, N.Y.). Board of Directors. Plans Commmittee
- Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital (New York, N.Y.). Board of Directors
- Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital (New York, N.Y.). Board of Surgeons. Committee on Infections
- Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital (New York, N.Y.). Board of Surgeons. Ophthalmic Committee
- Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital (New York, N.Y.). Board of Surgeons
- Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital (New York, N.Y.). Medical Board.
- Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital (New York, N.Y.)
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Ear — Surgery — New York (State) — Kings County
- Eye — Surgery — New York (State) — Kings County
- Hospitals — Finance
- Hospitals — Medical staff — New York (State) — Kings County
- Hospitals, Ophthalmic and aural — New York (State) — Kings County
- Hospitals, Ophthalmic and aural — New York (State) — Kings County — Administration
- Hospitals, Ophthalmic and aural — New York (State) — Kings County — Employees
- Medical care — New York (State) — Kings County
- Medicine — Practice — New York (State) — Kings County
- Real property — New York (State) — Kings County
- Specialty hospitals — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Annual reports
- Correspondence
- Employees’ manuals
- Minutes
- Reports
- Resolutions (administrative records)
- Volumes (documents by form)
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Call Number: 1985.114
Extent: 0.83 Linear feet, in two manuscript boxes.
The Graham Home for Old Ladies annual reports and publications span the period 1852 to 1958. Annual reports feature summaries of the Home’s yearly activities, expenditures, and endowments, as well as listings of board members, managers, staff, and committees; the Home’s certificate of incorporation, constitution, and bylaws; rules and regulations; application procedures; listings of monetary and material donors; and listings of annual subscribers and life members. The reports do not feature the names of residents being accommodated at the Home. Additional publications included in the collection include a commemorative booklet published to coincide with the Home’s 100th anniversary, and three copies of an informational booklet on the Home published by the Kings County Trust Company, copyright 1958.
Names:
- Brooklyn Society for the Relief of Respectable, Aged, Indigent Females
- Graham, John Bell, d. 1853
- Graham Home for Old Ladies
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Clinton Hill (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Old age homes — New York (State) — Kings County
- Old age homes — New York (State) — Kings County — Administration
- Old age homes — New York (State) — Kings County — History
Types of material:
- Annual reports
- Booklets
- Bylaws (administrative records)
- Certificates of incorporation
- Constitutions
- Membership lists
- Subscription lists
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Call Number: 1985.109
Extent: 0.63 Linear feet, in one manuscript box.
The Brooklyn charitable organizations for working women collection consists of publications documenting women’s organizations established in the mid-to-late 19th century, organized and headed by women to aid single working women, working widows and their children, and destitute and disabled women. The collection is mainly comprised of annual reports issued by the organizations. The annual reports are of particular interest as they can include financial information; officer, board, and committee lists; membership lists; year-end reports; and club histories.
Names:
- Brooklyn Business Women’s Union (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn Female Employment Society
- Woman’s Work Exchange and Decorative Art Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Woman’s Work Exchange and Employment Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Working Women’s Vacation Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Places:
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- Downtown Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Charities — New York (State) — Kings County
- Decorative arts
- Needleworkers — New York (State) — Kings County
- Women — Employment — New York (State) — Kings County
- Women — Societies and clubs
- Working-women’s clubs
Types of material:
- Annual reports
- Publications
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Call Number: 1988.018
Extent: 1.25 Linear feet, in three manuscript boxes.
The Women’s Exchange of Brooklyn records date from 1863 to 1964 (bulk 1920 to 1949) and measure 1.25 linear feet. Materials in the collection include correspondence, reports, financial statements, minutes, clippings, ephemera, and a constitution. The collection documents the work of the Women’s Exchange in providing a marketplace for members, decisions related to its business affairs, activities and community service planned by members, and the administration of the sewing school. Names of members are recorded in meeting minutes, as well as the sewing school’s graduation lists.
The collection is arranged in four series: Minutes; Finances, reports, and legal documents; Correspondence; and Public relations, development, and ephemera.
The Women’s Exchange of Brooklyn was founded in 1854 as the Brooklyn Female Employment Society. Like its predecessors in other U.S. and European cities, the Society was a labor cooperative that furnished employment to women whose circumstances–whether physical or economic–impelled them to work from home. The Exchange instructed women in hand crafts and provided a marketplace for selling their work. In 1923, the Exchange merged with the Brooklyn Decorative Art Society and Women’s Exchange to become The Needlework Society and Exchange of Brooklyn. The current name was adopted 1936. In its early days, the Women’s Exchange established sewing schools to train women in sewing skills and techniques. Later, the Exchange opened a storefront in Brooklyn Heights to sell hand-crafted wares on consignment, including knitted goods, children’s apparel, baked goods, and handmade toys. The Women’s Exchange of Brooklyn remains, as of 2011, the oldest continuously-operating member of the Federation of Women’s Exchanges in the United States. Its storefront is located at 55 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights.
Names:
- Brooklyn Female Employment Society
- Needlework Society and Exchange
- Woman’s Work Exchange and Decorative Art Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Women’s Exchange of Brooklyn
Places:
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Decorative arts
- Needleworkers — New York (State) — Kings County
- Women — Employment — New York (State) — Kings County
- Women — Societies and clubs
Types of material:
- Administrative records
- Annual reports
- Correspondence
- Minutes
- Printed ephemera
- Reports
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Call Number: 1988.051
Extent: 0.3 linear feet, in four folders
This Robert Vadheim Brooklyn Heights Association collection includes measures 0.3 linear feet and spans the period 1964 to 1980. The collection consists of records compiled by Mr. Vadheim during his involvement with the Brooklyn Heights Association. The records include bulletins, reports, announcements and notices to membership.
The Brooklyn Heights Association (“BHA”) was formed in 1910, and remains the oldest neighborhood association in New York City. Residents and business owners in Brooklyn Heights organized the group to advocate for the improvement and preservation of the neighborhood. The Association formed committees to address issues pertinent to resident and neighborhood concerns, such as civil improvement, police, traffic, parking, trees, and recreation. BHA supported the New York City Landmarks Preservation Law and in 1965, Brooklyn Heights was designated as the first Historic District in New York City. In 2010, BHA celebrated its centennial anniversary and remains an active and influential organization in Brooklyn Heights.
Names:
- Brooklyn Heights Association
- Vadheim, Robert
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Citizens’ associations — New York (State) — Kings County
- Historic districts — New York (State) — New York
- Historic preservation — New York (State) — New York
Types of material:
- Announcements
- Bulletins
- Correspondence
- Reports
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Call Number: 1991.036
Extent: 0.42 Linear feet, in one manuscript box.
The Back to the City collection spans the period 1974 to 1983 and is mostly comprised of materials relating to Back to the City’s annual national conferences held during the period 1974 to 1978 in the cities of New York, N.Y.; St. Paul, MN; Washington, D.C.; San Antonio, TX; and Hartford, CT; as well as the 1983 annual conference held in Brooklyn, N.Y. Materials relating to each of the above conferences largely focus on urban renewal and restoration efforts in the city in which the conference was held, with the most extensively documented conferences being those in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Items include city maps and brochures, correspondence, conference proceedings, building restoration and preservation guides, handouts, lists of conference participants, newsletters, pamphlets and leaflets, photocopies of news clippings, and brownstone purchasing guides. The collection also includes an additional folder of similar material pertaining to nationwide urban restoration and preservation campaigns, issues, and projects. Several allied organizations are also represented in the collection, particularly the Brownstone Revival Committee of New York.
Names:
- Back to the City, Inc
- Back to the City Conference
- Brownstone Revival Committee
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Buildings, structures, etc.
- Hartford (Conn.)
- New York (N.Y.) — Buildings, structures, etc.
- Saint Paul (Minn.)
- San Antonio (Tex.)
- Washington (D.C.)
Subjects:
- Architecture — New York (State) — Kings County
- Architecture — New York (State) — New York
- Brownstone buildings — New York (State) — Kings County
- Brownstone buildings — New York (State) — New York
- Community development corporations — New York (State) — New York
- Community development — Congresses
- Community development — New York (State) — Kings County
- Community development — New York (State) — New York
- Historic preservation — Congresses
- Historic preservation — New York (State) — Kings County
- Historic preservation — New York (State) — New York
- Urban renewal — Congresses
- Urban renewal — New York (State) — Kings County
- Urban renewal — New York (State) — New York
Types of material:
- Correspondence
- Manuals (instructional materials)
- Newsletters
- Printed ephemera
- Proceedings
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