Bethlehem Howell Neighborhood Center Collection An inventory of the collection at the University of Illinois at ChicagoInventory prepared by Matthew T. Popovich.

Bethlehem Howell Neighborhood Center Collection

An inventory of the collection at the University of Illinois at Chicago


Collection Summary
	Creator:	Neighborhood Service Organization (Chicago, Ill.)
	Title:	Bethlehem Howell Neighborhood Center Collection
	Dates:	1894-1969
	Abstract:	Bethlehem Center and Howell House were church-related neighborhood houses serving the Pilsen area on the Near West Side. They provided religious, social services, and personal welfare assistance to an immigrant community composed predominantly of Bohemians, Poles, and Czechs. The two centers co-operated throughout their history, merging in 1961 as the Neighborhood Service Organization. The Neighborhood Service Organization, popularly known as Casa Aztlan, continues to serve the Pilsen area.
	Quantity:	21 linear feet
	Identification:	BHNC

Scope and Contents

This collection reflects the activities performed by both the Bethlehem and Howell Neighborhood Houses and their relationships with outside government bodies, community organizations, settlement houses, religious institutions and service agencies. The bulk of the work consists of correspondences, reports, and community activity from 1935 to 1955. The BHNC collection provides hundreds of documents depicting second-generation immigrant social and community life in the Chicago's Pilsen Neighborhood. Though Bethlehem and Howell House documents remain separate, both files contain Board reports, staff correspondences, newsletters , class schedules, church rosters, donation records, settlement publicity, newspaper clippings, individual club records, letters from World War II soldiers, and numerous photographs.

The Bethlehem House is divided into three series reflecting the administrative structure, house activities, and photographs. The first series, administrative records, is divided into newsletters, board minutes, board reports, and finance. The second series, programs, is divided into camp, church, classes, clubs, and community subseries. Both administrative records and programs illustrate how Bethlehem House extended its services and concern well outside of its immediate community. Photographs depict neighborhood life in Pilsen and within Bethlehem House from the 1900s to the 1960s. The Howell House file remains significantly smaller than Bethlehem House and therefore has not been divided into series or subseries.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

None


Index Terms
	This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
	Subject:
		Bethlehem Center (Chicago, Ill.)--Archives.
		Community centers--Illinois--Chicago--Sources.
		Howel House (Chicago, Ill.)--Archives.
		Pilsen (Chicago, Ill.)--Sources.

		Chicago Ethnic Groups
		Chicago Neighborhoods
		Hull-House and Settlement House History

Detailed Description/Box and Folder Listing


Series I: Bethlehem House File List
Box	Folder
		Sub-series I: Administration Records Sub-series contains all administrative records relating to the administrative structure of Bethlehem House from 1884 to 1969. This series includes newsletters, board meeting minutes, board reports and financial records of the settlement. Sub-series comprises 6.75 linear feet of textual material (13.5 boxes).
Box	Folder
			Sub-sub series A: Newsletters Bethlehem staff and volunteers composed newsletters in order to publicize the center's neighborhood involvement. The newsletters cover the years 1938 through 1950 and include published articles about meeting schedules, club reports, community events, and neighborhood activities. Additionally, the newsletters contain local advertisements and letters from local residents. Sub-sub-series comprises .75 linear feet of textual material (1.5 boxes).
Box	Folder
1	1			Newsletters, 1938-1941
	2			Newsletters, 1943-1948
	3			Newsletters, 1943-1944
	4			Newsletters, 1944-1945
	5			Newsletters, 1945-1948
Box	Folder
2	6			Newsletters, 1948-1949
	7			Newsletters, 1949-1950
	8			Newsletters and Related Correspondences, 1943-1951
Box	Folder
			Sub-sub series B: Minutes This sub-sub-series contains most of Bethlehem Center's board minutes beginning in1942 and ending in 1954. The board usually met monthly to discuss settlement house goals. Sub-sub-series comprises 1 linear foot of textual material (2 boxes).
	9			Board Minutes, 1942-1943
	10			Board Minutes, 1944-1945
	11			Board Minutes, 1946-1949
Box	Folder
3	12			Board Minutes, 1948-1951
	13			Board Minutes, 1948-1950
	14			Board Minutes, 1951
	15			Board Minutes, 1952
	16			Board Minutes, 1953-1954
Box	Folder
4	17			Corporate Records, Board Minutes, 1952-1960
Box	Folder
			Sub-sub series C: Reports This sub-sub-series, spanning from 1894 to1969, contains board reports and evaluations of the settlement's intended goals.Additionally, church registries, rosters, personnel practices, and manuscripts are provided in this section. This sub-sub-series reflects the ideology and interests of several Bethlehem leaders and the community work done by the Bethlehem staff. Sub-sub-series comprises 4 linear feet of textual material (8 boxes).
	18			Reports to the Director, 1939
	19			Reports to the Director, 1942-1943
	20			Reports to the Director, 1944-1945
	21			Reports to the Director, 1945-1946
Box	Folder
5	22			Reports to the Director, 1946-1947
	23			Reports to the Director, 1947-1948
	24			Reports to the Director, 1948-1950
	25			Reports to the Director, 1950-1953
	26			Correspondence in Czech, 1880s-1910s
	27			Records in Czech, 1894-1910
	28			Birth Records, Ledger, Correspondence, 1900-1958
Box	Folder
6	29			Church Registry, 1901-1909
	30			Church Rosters, Reports, 1903-1904
	31			Membership Lists and Inventory, 1928-1940
	32			Church Registry, 1937-1939
	33			Board Member Rosters, 1938-1946
	34			Correspondences to Board Members, 1934-1945
	35			Lists of Donations and Contributors, 1944-1951
	36			Staff Correspondences, 1938-1942
Box	Folder
7	37			Personnel Practices, 1939-1940
	38			Staff Correspondences, 1939-1940
	39			Staff Correspondences and Reports, 1939-1941
	40			Staff Reports, 1940-1942
	41			Past Staff Roster, 1942-1946
	42			Departmental Policies and Memos, 1942-1957
	43			Board Committee on Minority Groups Relationships, 1944-1948
	44			Staff Memoranda, 1945-1948
Box	Folder
8	45			Statistical Reports, 1947-1949
	46			Staff Meetings and Correspondence, 1951-1952
	47			Departmental Policies and Memos, 1952
	48			Time Schedules for Workers, 1953-1954
	49			Teenage Hoodlums, Correspondence, 1953
	50			Donations, Expenditures, Memos, 1956-1960
	51			Donations, Expenditures, Memos, 1957-1959
Box	Folder
9	52			Volunteer Help Correspondence, 1965
	53			Weekly Schedules, 1950
	54			Weekly Schedules, 1952-1953
	55			Manuscript of West Side Neighborhood, 1937
	56			Open House Brochure, 1940; Articles of Incorporation, 1947; Repairs, 1948
	57			The Development of Child and Adolescent, 1941
	58			Bethlehem Center Resource Book, Local Census, 1943
	59			Future of Bethlehem, 1946-1948
	60			Repairs and Expansion Plans, 1948
Box	Folder
10	61			Minutes, Correspondences, and Reports, 1951-1952
	62			Employment Study of Neighborhood, 1954
	63			Supervisory Records, 1954-1955
	64			Construction Update, Improvement Plans, 1960-1961
	65			Settlement Locations, c.1960s
	66			United Christian Community Service Reports, 1967-1968
	67			Preamble, Speeches, and Guidelines, 1938-1941
	68			Dissertation: The Chicago Theological Seminary, 1946
	69			Reports and Manuscripts, 1942-1943
Box	Folder
11	70			Manuscripts, Letters to Police and Firemen, 1942-1947
	71			Manuscript by Clifford Manshardt, 1947
	72			Manuscript, What is Happening to the People in Our Christian Institutions, 1947
	73			Manuscript on the Death of Gandhi, 1948
	74			Manuscript and Correspondence from Clifford Manshardt, n.d.
	75			Manuscript: Nagpada Narrative and The Hindu-Muslim Problem in India, by Clifford Manshardt, n.d.
	76			Correspondences and articles by Manshardt, 1947
	77			Manuscript on Gandhi, 1948
	78			Nagpada Narrative (revised), 1948
Box	Folder
			Sub-sub series D: Finances This sub-sub-series covers the years 1894 to 1960 and documents participation rates, settlement expenses, and donations to the center. The sub-sub-series primarily illustrates monetary expenditures of the Bethlehem settlement from the late1930s to the early 1950s. Sub-sub-series comprises 1 linear foot of textual material (2 boxes).
Box	Folder
12	79			Financial Ledger, 1894-1910
	80			Auditors Report, 1933-1934
	81			Finances, 1937-1940
	82			Building Improvements, Costs, and Regulations, 1938-1939
	83			Gifts, Donations, Invoices, and Correspondences, 1939-1940
	84			Taxes and Receipts, 1940-1945
	85			Gifts and Donations, 1940s-1950s
	86			Resumes and Bethlehem Development Report, n.d.
Box	Folder
13	87			Resumes and Bethlehem Development Report, n.d.
	88			Receipts and Check Books, 1945
	89			Financial Reports, 1952
	90			Financial Reports, 1953
	91			Tower Hill Camp and Camp Sullivan, 1938
	92			Tower Hill Counselor Conference, 1938-1940
	93			Tower Hill Camp, 1938-1942
Box	Folder
		Sub-series II: Programs This sub-series covers the years1910 to 1963 and is divided into five sub-sub-series: camps, church, classes, clubs, and community. Each sub-sub-series illustrates the diversity of programs Bethlehem created for their immediate neighborhood as well as activities done in cooperation with other settlement houses, neighborhood associations, and several city social service agencies. Sub-series comprises 9.5 linear feet of textual material (19 boxes).
Box	Folder
			Sub-sub series A: Camp Bethlehem Community Center operated several summer camps in Michigan and Illinois from the late 1930s to the mid-1950s.The settlement also took neighborhood youth on field trips to farms and rural areas in the Midwest. These files contain correspondence, camp schedules, employee records, and recruitment forms that depict the settlement's involvement in youth development and summertime recreation. Sub-sub-series comprises 2 linear feet of textual material (4 boxes).
Box	Folder
14	94			Tower Hill Camp, 1939-1940
	95			Tower Hill Camp, 1942
	96			Tower Hill Camp, 1943
	97			Tower Hill Camp, 1952
	98			Camp Memorandum, 1943
	99			Day Camp, 1941
	100			Weekend Camp Problems, 1942
	101			Vacation Church Camp, 1942-1943
	102			Vacation Camp, 1942-1944
Box	Folder
15	103			Day Camp, 1945-1946
	104			Day Camp, 1949-1950
	105			Day Camp, 1951-1952
	106			Day Camp, 1951-1955
	107			Day Camp Registration, 1953
	108			Day Camp, 1954
	109			Pleasant Valley Farms, 1954
Box	Folder
16	110			Pleasant Valley Farms, 1955
	111			Day Camp, 1955
	112			Busy Bee Club, Day Camp, 1955-1957
Box	Folder
			Sub-sub series B: Church Bethlehem Center belonged to the Congregational Church Union. Throughout its tenure on the city's southwest side, the settlement invoked moral Christian leadership while servicing the needs of residents.These documents depict the settlement's role in several citywide Congregational organizations, including student involvement in Congregational conferences. A draft of a short-run magazine that carried the Congregational message in the mid-1940s can also be found here.Sub-sub-series comprises 1 linear foot of textual material (2 boxes).
	113			Student Reports and Pastor Reports to the Congregational Church, 1940-1942
	114			Student Reports and Pastor Reports to the Congregational Church, 1940-1944
	115			Chicago Congregational Union Correspondence, 1943-1945
Box	Folder
17	116			Character and Citizenships Magazine, 1945-1947
	117			Congregational and Christian Conference Reports and Correspondence, 1950-1951
	118			Cooperative Congregational Churches Correspondence, 1951
Box	Folder
			Sub-sub series C: Classes Since Bethlehem serviced a significant immigrant population, the settlement operated several adult education courses between1945 and 1949. The adult education classes, along with a folder on play school, illustrate the settlement's intent to help immigrants and their children learn skills to communicate better in America. Sub-sub-series comprises 1 linear foot of textual material (2 boxes).
	119			Adult Education Call Lists, n.d.
	120			Adult Education Reports, 1945-1948
Box	Folder
18	121			Adult Education, 1947
	122			Adult Education Manuscript and Newsletters, 1947-1948
	123			Adult Education Donations, 1948
	124			Adult Education Reorganization, 1948
	125			Adult Education Reports, 1948
Box	Folder
19	126			Adult Education Letters and Vouchers, 1949
	127			Play School Regulations, n.d.
Box	Folder
			Sub-sub series D: Classes A major part of community life at Bethlehem, clubs brought hundreds of residents into the settlement on a weekly basis.This sub-sub-series spans the years 1919 to 1956 and includes numerous reports detailing the activities of each club. Separate clubs included adolescents, teenagers, adult men and women, but Bethlehem also formed several social clubs open to all neighborhood adults. Sub-sub-series comprises 2 linear feet of textual material (4 boxes).
	128			Girls Senior Council, 1919
	129			Schedule of Clubs, c.1940
	130			Game Instructions, n.d.
	131			Basketball Instructions, n.d.
	132			For the Ladies, 1946
	133			Womens Groups, 1950
Box	Folder
20	134			Childrens Newspapers, 1951
	135			Play Club Activities, 1953-1954
	136			Adult Clubs and Activities, 1953-1954
	137			Play Club Materials, 1954-1955
	138			Club Attendance and Rosters, c.1930s
	139			Attendance Booklets, 1934-1939
	140			House Council Rosters, Action Taken Against Smoking Boys, n.d.
	141			Attendance Sheets, 1949-1950
Box	Folder
21	142			Sign-up Sheets, c.1950s
	143			Attendance Sheets, 1950-1952
	144			Childrens Bureau, 1951
	145			Sign-up Sheets, 1951-1953
	146			Social Clubs, 1955-1956
	147			Womens Auxiliary, 1935-1940
Box	Folder
22	148			Womens Auxiliary, 1938-1942
	149			Womens Auxiliary, Ledger and Reflections, 1939-1947
	150			Teen Club Records, 1953-1955
	151			Teen Club Records, 1953-1955
	152			Teen Club Records, 1953-1955
	153			Teen Club Records, 1953-1955
	154			Club Rules, Personality Development, 1953-1955
	155			Teen Club Records, 1954-1955
Box	Folder
			Sub-sub series E: Community By far the largest sub-sub-series, Community documents settlement initiatives linked to the larger Chicago community from 1939 to 1963. The settlement sent dozens of children to youth conferences and belonged to the Chicago Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers, the Welfare Council of Metropolitan Chicago, and the Southwest Central Community Council. Furthermore, the settlement hosted numerous town hall forums, film series, open houses, and home shows.Letters written by servicemen back to the settlement from their service in World War II complement this sub-sub-series and underline the importance of the Bethlehem settlement in neighborhood lives.Sub-sub-series contains 4.5 feet of textual material (9 boxes).
Box	Folder
23	156			Correspondence concerning youth, newspapers, 1939-1941
	157			Correspondence with other Associations for youth, 1939-1942
	158			Youth Activities and Correspondence, 1942
	159			Youth Conference, 1948
	160			Youth Conference, 1949
	161			Youth Conference, 1950
	162			Youth Conference, 1950-1951
	163			Youth Conference, 1952
Box	Folder
24	164			Youth Conference, 1953
	165			Christmas Shows, 1940-1941
	166			Bethlehem Publicity, 1942-1945
	167			Settlement Publicity Pamphlets and Correspondence, 1944-1945
	168			Settlement Publicity Pamphlets and Correspondence, 1945-1946
	169			Chicago Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers, 1946-1947
	170			Settlement Publicity, 1947
	171			Brochures and Correspondences, 1946-1952
Box	Folder
25	172			Chicago Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers, 1948-1949
	173			Christmas Show, 1949
	174			Settlement Publicity, 1948-1949
	175			Settlement Publicity Brochures, Letters, and Newspapers, 1950
	176			Chicago Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers, 1950
	177			Chicago Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers, 1950-1952
	178			Chicago Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers, 1950-1952
Box	Folder
26	179			Christmas Show, 1954
	180			Hello Boys and Girls, Booklet, n.d.
	181			Community Rosters and Church References, n.d.
	182			Settlement Publicity, 1958
	183			Scrap Book and Newspapers, 1933-1938
	184			Naperville Picnic, 1941
	185			Newspaper Clippings, 1941
	186			Newspaper Clippings, 1942-1952
	187			Naperville Picnic, 1943
Box	Folder
27	188			Letters from Servicemen, 1943
	189			Letters from Servicemen, 1944
	190			Letters from Servicemen, 1945
	191			Community Action and Newspapers, 1945
	192			Newspapers and Activities, 1945-1947
	193			Community Fund Correspondence, 1943-1947
Box	Folder
28	194			Southwest Central Community Council, 1947-1949
	196			Forum Collections, 1944-1947
	197			Forum Collections, 1945-1948
	198			Forum Collections, 1948-1949
	199			Southwest Central Community Council, 1947
Box	Folder
29	200			Southwest Central Community Council, 1948
	201			Southwest Central Community Council, 1947-1949
	202			Southwest Central Community Council, 1949-1951
	203			Gifts, Donations, Mailing Lists, 1948
	204			Welfare Council of Metropolitan Chicago, 1947-1952
	205			Newspapers, 1948-1952
	206			Donations, 1949
	207			Home Show and Newspapers, 1949-1950
Box	Folder
30	208			Home Show, 1951
	209			Speeches and Invitation Letters, 1948-1952
	210			60th Anniversary Letters, 1950
	211			Welfare Council of Metropolitan Chicago, 1950-1951
	212			Gifts, Donations, Mailing Lists, 1952
	213			Film Festivals, Brochures, c.1950s
	214			Spring Frolic,1944; Spring Fair, 1953
	215			Open House, 1954
Box	Folder
31	216			Staff Evaluations of the Spring Fair and Open House, 1955
	217			Films at the Bethlehem Center, 1954
	218			18th Place Playground Creation, 1956
	219			Edison Service NewsBrochure, 1963
Box	Folder
		Subseries II: Photographs Photographs cover the years 1910 to 1960 and illustrate numerous aspects of settlement life. Several photographs show individuals and their families while others present images of theatre programs put on by the center.Photographs also show the settlement over time both inside and outside its walls. Three film reels telling the "Story of Bethlehem" are also included. Sub-Series contains 2 linear feet of photographic materials (4 boxes).
	220		Photographs, 1900-1910
	221		Photographs, 1910s-1940s
	222		Photographs, 1919-1920
Box	Folder
32	223		Photographs, 1920s
	224		Photographs, 1920s-1940s
	225		Photographs, 1920s-1950s
	226		Photographs, 1920s-1950s
	227		Photographs, 1920s-1950s
	228		Photographs, 1930s
	229		Photographs, c.1949
Box	Folder
33	230		Photographs, c.1950s
	231		Photographs, c.1950s
	232		Photographs, 1958-1961
	233		Photographs, 1950s
	234		Photographs, 1958-1961
	235		Photographs,1959-1960, 1969
Box	Folder
34	236		Movie Reels, The Story of Bethlehem, c.1950s
	237		Movie Reels, The Story of Bethlehem, c.1950s
	238		Photographs, c.1960s
	239		Photographs, 1960-1964


Series II: Howell House File List
Box	Folder
		Sub-series I: Howell House, The Howell House series contains documents of the Bohemian House board from 1905 to 1917 and the later renamed Howell House from 1919 until 1966.Finances, minutes, brochures and reports have been rearranged to appear at the beginning of the file. Community activity, neighborhood involvement and class schedules can be found toward the end of the file listing.Ink block prints as well as dozens of photographs are included in this section and provide a time capsule of how the Howell Neighborhood House grew and changed in its six decades of operations. Series comprises 5 linear feet of textual and photographic material (10 boxes).
Box	Folder
35	240		Meeting of the Committee of Management of the Bohemian House, 1914
	241		Meeting of the Committee of Management of the Howell Neighborhood House, 1930-1933
	242		Meeting of the Committee of Management of the Howell Neighborhood House, 1935-1944
	243		Howell Neighborhood House Board Reports, 1945-1951
	244		Board Meeting and Finances, 1946-1950
	245		Board Reports, 1951-1952
Box	Folder
36	246		Board Minutes, Reports and Finances, 1951-1953
	247		Howell Neighborhood House Constitution, Finances and Reports, 1954-1956
	248		Board Meeting Minutes and Staff Memos, 1957-1958
	249		Board Minutes, Reports, and Finances, 1957-1960
	250		Board Minutes, Reports, and Finances, 1960-1961
Box	Folder
37	251		Board Minutes, Reports, and Finances, 1961-1962
	252		Board Minutes, Reports, and Finances, 1961
	253		Board Minutes, Reports, and Finances, 1965
	254		Board Minutes, Reports, and Finances, 1965-1966
	255		Plan of Consolidation, 1965
	256		Board Meeting Minutes, 1966
	257		Legal Will of Margaret H. Howell, 1938
	258		Address Book, 1921
	259		Speeches and a Manuscript, 1934-1947
Box	Folder
38	260		Howell Newsletters, 1931-1936
	261		Howell Newsletters, 1936-1940
	262		House Activities and Summer Camp, 1939-1946
	263		Additions to the Howell Neighborhood House, 1939
	264		Lighting Recommendations, c.1940s
	265		Nursery Files, 1951-1958
Box	Folder
39	266		Room Schedules and Publicity, 1941
	267		Craft Projectsby M.E. Rissa, n.d.
	268		Staff Records, 1953-1956
	269		Correspondence with Gertrude Ray, 1953-1954
	270		Howell House Anniversary Brochures,1945, 1955
	271		Service to Returning Veterans Manual, 1943-1944
Box	Folder
40	272		Photographs, 1910-1950s
	273		Photographs for the 50th Anniversary, 1910s-1940s (1955)
	274		Photographs, Newspaper Clippings, 1910s-1934
	275		Photographs, 1930s
	276		Ink Block Print of Howell Neighborhood House, n.d.
Box	Folder
41	277		Block Prints of Howell Neighborhood House, n.d.
	278		Block Print of Summer Camp, n.d.
	279		Block Print of Gertrude Ray, 1945
	280		Block Print of C. D. B. Howell, n.d.
	281		7Audio Recording: Tape of Reunion50th Anniversary, Gertrude Ray, 1955
Box	Folder
42	282		Film Slides of camp, day-care, Chicago Fair, Junior Dramatists, Annual Banquet, 1945-1951
	283		Film Slides of camp, theatre performances, Annual Banquet, staff, 1946-1951
	284		Film Slides of daily activities and Pilsen Neighborhood, 1946-1951
	285		Framed Photograph, c.1930s
	286		Framed Photograph, c.1930s
	287		Framed Photograph, c.1930s
Box	Folder
43	288		Old Dutch Bible, c. 1880s
Box	Folder
44 (Oversized)	289		Scrapbook, 1910s -1930s
	290		Photographs, 1930s
	291		Photographs, 1940s; Oversized activity instructions, 1940s
	292		Scrapbook of the Sunday Evening Club, 1910s