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Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center records

 Collection
Identifier: L310

Scope and Contents

The collection includes reports, financial records, and other items from the American Settlement, later Southwest Social Center, and finally Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, dating from 1911 to 1979, with the bulk dating from 1937 to 1965.

The materials document the clubs and classes offered by the center, include some annual reports and newsletters, and also provide financial records on the building of the "new center" in 1961. The "Assorted" file at the end of the collection includes a constitution, clippings, and other miscellaneous items. Also included at the end is a file on the early history of West Indianapolis which contains an oral history and a short history of the area.

Series 1 concerns administrative records, including narrative reports from many of the clubs and classes offered by the American Settlement during the late 1930s and early 1940s, as well as attendance sheets. Also included are annual reports, inventory lists of canned goods, nursery school applications from 1934, and newsletters.

Series 2 comprises financial records, the bulk of which documents the "new center," built in 1961 with funds donated by the Rotary Club. Included are invoices, receipts, bills, and bank statements (1956-1965). Also included are three record books and financial records (1942-1943).

The collection also contains 2 volumes ranging from 1911 to 1922 (V242). Volume 1 contains accounts and lists (1911-1920), and volume 2 contains lists and the names of Sunday School children (1914-1942).

Dates

  • 1911-1979

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Administrative History

The American Settlement was a social service agency established in 1923 after two earlier agencies, Foreign House and Presbyterian (Cosmopolitan) Chapel were merged. It was founded to "Americanize" the foreign community of Indianapolis and aid them with the U.S. government's citizenship examinations. It provided clubs, classes, and other activities. In 1939 the agency moved to West Morris Street and was renamed the Southwest Social Center. In 1957 the agency built new buildings along West Morris Street. The agency was again renamed and became the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center in 1961 after its longtime director, Mary Rigg. Ms. Rigg was director from 1924 to 1961.

Source:

"American Settlement." In Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University, 1994.

Extent

1.3 Cubic Feet (3 manuscript boxes, 1 volume)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in series:

Series 1: Administrative records

Series 2: Financial records

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, 1979/11.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Related Archival Material

Materials relating to this collection may be found in the following collections in Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN:

L134: Mary Rigg papers

Processing Information

Collection processing completed in 1999 by Andrea Bean Hough and Phil Williams. Collection re-processed 2006/10 by Elizabeth M. Wilkinson. Finding aid updated 2015/11/04 by Laura Eliason. EAD finding aid created 2018/05/02 by Lauren Patton; 2022/08 by Laura Eliason.
Title
Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center records
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671