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Industrial School of Rochester records

 Collection
Identifier: D.103

Biographical/Historical note

After visiting an industrial school in Brooklyn, New York, Mrs. Ebenezer Griffin was resolved to begin a similar institution in Rochester. To that purpose, she and several other women met on December 17, 1856 to organize an association for the "care and instruction of vagrant children." The Industrial School of Rochester was incorporated by the New York State Legislature the following April. The school was first located in a former hotel on Exchange Street and moved to 133 Exchange Street in 1858. The original staff consisted of a matron, teacher, and cook; all other work was done by volunteers.The second article of the constitution stated the purpose of the organization to be:...to gather into the school, vagrant and destitute children, who from the vice of their parents, are unable to attend the public schools, and who gather a precarious livelihood by begging and pilfering, to give them ideas of moral and religious duty, to instruct them in the elements of learning, and in different branches of industry, and thus enable them to obtain honest and honorable support, and to become useful members of society. During the first thirty-five years of operation, the emphasis of the Industrial School was on conducting an education program that included sewing and cooking for the girls and woodworking and other crafts for the boys. The manual training was designed to teach job skills, but more importantly to instill good character traits. By 1872 the school was caring for children under school age whose parents were both in the work force, and in 1891 a kindergarten was opened. By 1919 the school age children were being sent to the public schools. Some children were boarded at the school between 1862 and 1895, but the practice was stopped for lack of space and fear of spreading communicable diseases. Beginning in 1921 children were again boarded at the school. This ended in 1926 when the Children's Aid Society began a housing program.In 1924 the institution was renamed the Rochester Children's Nursery as there was no longer an emphasis on vocational and moral training. Over the years the RCN has adopted strategies that reflect evolving theories of child development. While still focusing on educational programs, the staff has increasingly worked to meet the emotional and intellectual needs of the children under their care. In 1955 the RCN moved to a new building at 941 South Avenue, where it still operates as the Rochester Children's Nursery Day Care Center. The Industrial School of Rochester was run by a women's Board of Managers, while the finances were controlled by a male Board of Directors. The school was funded mainly by private contributions. Other financial resources came from state appropriations, the Board of Education, endowment from memorial legacies, and stock dividends.

Scope and Contents

The collection contains minutes of meetings of the Board of Managers and Board of Directors, reports of Managers visiting the families of children in the school, financial records, legal documents, correspondence, and histories of the Industrial School.

Printed material removed from the collection and cataloged consists of annual reports of the Industrial School and the Rochester Children's Nursery (1858-1927, 1931), and issues of the Industrial School Advocate (1894-1924, incomplete).

Creator

Dates

  • Creation: 1857-1953

Language of Materials

English

Extent

2 box(es) (2 boxes, 22 volumes)

Access

The Industrial School of Rochester Records is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the Rochester Children's Nursery, 1977 and 1991.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], Industrial School of Rochester Records, D.103, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Title
Industrial School of Rochester records
Author
Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
Date
undated
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Library Details

Part of the Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation Library

Contact:
Rochester NY 14627-0055 USA