Dan Carpenter papers, 1880-1993

Dan Carpenter papers, 1880-1993

Summary Information

Abstract

The Herschel Daniel "Dan" Carpenter Papers document Carpenter's life and career from his boyhood and education in rural Ohio, to his leadership role in the New York City settlement house movement. The collection also documents Hudson Guild, a West Side settlement house from its origins in the 1890s, when it organized clubs for Chelsea boys, to its work a century later, when it provided a wide range of social services to West Side residents.

At a Glance

Call No.:
MS#1467
Bib ID:
6933410 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Carpenter, Dan; Moske, James; LaGuardia Community College. LaGuardia and Wagner Archives
Repository:
Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Physical Description:
6.5 linear feet (2 flat boxes)
Language(s):
English .
Access:
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

Series I Folder 24 is closed until 2030.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

Description

Summary

The Dan Carpenter Papers document Carpenter's life and career from his boyhood and education in rural Ohio, to his leadership role in the New York City settlement house movement. They offer a unique view of the full career of a professional social worker and influential figure in the Chelsea community, as well as documenting social conditions, demographic change and political activity in New York. In addition, they provide important insight into the life and work of Carpenter's mentor John Lovejoy Elliott.

Carpenter's childhood and early education are best documented by photographs and scrapbooks contained in Series 4 and 5, and by records of his public schooling and attendance at Denison University in Series 1. Correspondence contained in Series 2 provides the most comprehensive view of Carpenter's long career as a social worker and settlement house leader. The impact of Hudson Guild programs on the Chelsea community is documented in Series 1 files on "Chelsea Community Council"Housing and Urban Renewal" and "Puerto Rican Migration." Papers and speeches in Series 3 demonstrate Carpenter's energetic participation in his professional community, as well as his involvement in numerous Chelsea neighborhood organizations.

Correspondence contained in Series 6 sheds light on the origins of Hudson Guild, and the philosophy and motivation of its founder. Letters by John Lovejoy Elliott to his mother describe his first years in Chelsea, and his early successes and frustrations in establishing Hudson Guild. The series also contains correspondence and biographical information on other members of the Elliott family.

Additional archival materials related to the Dan Carpenter Papers are included in the Hudson Guild Records, as well as in the archival collections of the Ethical Culture Society.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in six series.

Using the Collection

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

Series I Folder 24 is closed until 2030.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be requested from the Curator of Manuscripts, Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML). The RBML approves permission to publish that which it physically owns; the responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Dan Carpenetr papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Related Material

Additional archival materials related to the Dan Carpenter Papers are included in the Hudson Guild Records, as well as in the archival collections of the Ethical Culture Society.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--Teachers College. Method of acquisition--Transfer; Date of acquisition--June 2007.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Finding aid prepared by James Moske of LaGuardia and Wagner Archives of LaGuardia Community College, the City University of New York for Special Collections, Milbank Memorial Library, Teachers College, Columbia University

Records processed, James Moske of LaGuardia and Wagner Archives December 1996.

Collection is processed to folder level.

Revision Description

2009-03-05 File created.

2008-11-14 xml document instance created by Patrick Lawlor

2009-05-22 xml document instance edited by Carrie Hintz

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Biographical / Historical

Herschel Daniel "Dan" Carpenter was born March 28, 1908 in the farm community of Attica, Ohio. He attended local public schools and then matriculated at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1931. Later that year he moved to New York City and took ajob as a boys' group counselor at Hudson Guild, a West Side settlement house established in 1895 by Ethical Culture Society leader John Lovejoy Elliott. Elliott viewed Hudson Guild's mission as an effort "to get the people of the district themselves to be the social workers and the regenerators of their own neighborhood.. The purpose of the Guild is to bring about active co-operation between different individuals and different classes for a single aim -- that aim being an attempt to learn how to live in a city." Towards this end the settlement sponsored such activities as social clubs, health clinics, summer camping, arts education and vocational training. Hudson Guild promoted the democratic participation of its members in running the settlement through a "Clubs Council" that determined many institutional policies and programs, and also provided a forum for public debate of political issues. Carpenter worked enthusiastically at Hudson Guild and developed a strong professional relationship with Elliott. This bond was strengthened when in 1932 he married Elliott's niece, Marjorie Elliott.

In London, a similar increase in social problems led reformers in 1884 to establish the first settlement house, Toynbee Hall. The settlement model, originally distinguished by a commitment on the part of its college-educated volunteers to "settle" in working class communities in order to confront their problems first-hand and to contribute to the moral uplift of their neighbors, was quickly imported to the United States. In 1886 Stanton Coit, a devotee of Felix Adler's Ethical Culture movement and early observer of the experiment at Toynbee Hall, founded The Neighborhood Guild (later renamed University Settlement) on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Over the next several decades settlement houses were established in cities across the country, staffed largely by recent college graduates, many of them young women eager to take an active role in public life. American settlements sponsored such programs as kindergartens, day care, social clubs, health clinics, visiting nurses, summer camps, arts education and vocational training. They served as observation posts for sociologists, journalists, and other researchers of urban conditions. Many settlements provided forums for public debate of political issues, and galvanized popular opinion in support of progressive social legislation.

Carpenter complemented his work experience with graduate and professional training, receiving a certificate from the National Recreation School in 1932, and a Master of Arts degree from the New York University School of Education the following year. His responsibilities at Hudson Guild increased steadily as the hard times of the 1930s depression continued. He took primary responsibility for the settlement's participation in the Chelsea Recreation Committee, a community organization which pressured city government for the construction and upkeep of parks, playgrounds and athletic facilities. Carpenter closely observed Elliott's success in organizing the Chelsea Association for Planning and Action, which galvanized community support for public housing construction on the West Side. Work on what would eventually be called "Elliott Houses" was begun just prior to Elliott's death in 1943. Soon after, Dan Carpenter was appointed the second Head Worker (the title was later changed to Executive Director) of Hudson Guild. Under his leadership during the war years Hudson Guild hosted USO activities, sponsored social programs for Coast Guard men encamped in the open field created by the temporarily halted public housing construction, cultivated food in "Victory Gardens" at its New Jersey camp facility, and initiated a veterans consultation service to help returning servicemen adjust to life at home. With the opening of Elliott Houses in 1947, Hudson Guild sharpened its focus to meet the needs of a changing Chelsea population. New programs for senior citizens were created, as well as a child care center and a mental health clinic. During the 1950s New York's Puerto Rican population increased dramatically, and many thousands of these new immigrants settled on the west side. Carpenter traveled to Puerto Rico to learn about the culture of the settlement's new neighbors. He added Spanish speakers to the settlement staff, and instituted English language instruction.

One frustrating episode in this period was a collaboration with the controversial, pugnacious community organizer Saul Alinsky. The Chelsea Citizen Participation Project, co-sponsored by Hudson Guild and Alinsky's Industrial Areas Foundation, succeeded in convening a "Chelsea Community Council" comprised of representatives from dozens of local organizations eager to participate in the planning of additional urban renewal and social service activities for the neighborhood. Unfortunately, disagreements arose among members regarding the Council's internal organization and policies, and an acrimonious public debate culminated in the dissolution of the Council in 1960. Despite this setback, Hudson Guild continued to work for low and middle-income housing in Chelsea, supporting the International Ladies Garment Workers Union-sponsored Penn Station South Cooperatives, and collaborating with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) in the development of community centers at its Fulton Houses and Chelsea Houses projects. This collaboration led to the replacement of the old Hudson Guild building with a facility in the bottom floors of NYCHA's Chelsea Houses Extension. Opened in 1968, the new Hudson Guild included a gymnasium, theater, and art gallery.

Dan Carpenter retired from Hudson Guild in 1973. He later served as President and Executive of PACT (Provide Addict Care Today), a coalition of labor and business organizations advocating job placement for recovered drug addicts. He continued to live in Chelsea into the 1990s.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form
Administrative records
Announcements
Annual reports
Articles of incorporation
Brochures
Budgets
Bylaws (administrative records)
Calendars (documents)
Certificates
Financial records
Fliers (printed matter)
Lists (document genres)
Memorandums
Photographs
Reports
minutes (administrative records)
Name
Carpenter, Dan
Hudson Guild (New York, N.Y.)
Place
New York (N.Y.) -- History
New York (N.Y.) -- Social conditions
Subject
Child welfare workers
Community centers -- New York (State) -- New York
Community-based social services
Human services -- New York (State) -- New York
Legal documents
Public welfare -- New York (State) -- New York
Social advocacy
Social service -- New York (State) -- New York
Social settlements -- New York (State) -- New York
Social workers
Vocational education

Series I: Alphabetical File

Includes correspondence and memos, community organization files, diplomas, news clippings, papers and speeches. Folders arranged alphabetically. Documents arranged chronologically. Folder 24 contains confidential group work case notes and is closed until 2030.


Box 8 Folder 1

Saul Alinsky -Reference Material, 1944-1964


Box 8 Folder 2

Saul Alinsky -Reference Material, 1965-1972, 1993, 1965-1972, 1993


Box 1 Folder 3

Awards, 1952-1974


Box 8 Folder 4

Biographical Information, 1960-1973


Box 1 Folder 5

Chelsea Association for Planning and Action, 1939-1942


Box 8 Folder 6

Chelsea Community Council, 1955-1959


Box 1 Folder 7

Chelsea Community Council, 1960-1963


Box 1 Folder F 8

Chelsea Community Council, 1964-1965


Box 1 Folder 9

Chelsea Park Opening, 1940


Box 1 Folder 10

Chelsea Recreation Committee, 1934-1935


Box 1 Folder 11

Chelsea Recreation Committee, 1936-1937


Box 1 Folder 12

Chelsea Recreation Committee, 1938-1939


Box 1 Folder 13

Church Information, 1965-1966


Box 1 Folder 14

Citizens' Union, 1962


Box 8 Folder 15

Community Control, 1968-1973


Box 1 Folder 16

Community Council of Greater New York, 1966


Box 8 Folder 17

Denison University, 1931-1936


Box 1 Folder 18

Denison University, 1956-1973


Box 1 Folder 19

Education and Services for Children, 1962-1967


Box 2 Folder 20

Encampment for Citizenship, 1963


Box 8 Folder 21

Fulton Street Property, 1962-1970


Box 2 Folder 22

Group Enrollment, 1946-1947


Box 8 Folder 23

Group Work Education, 1946-1949


Box 16 Folder 24

Group Work Reports, 1946-1947

[restricted until 2030]


Box 8 Folder 25

Housing and Urban Renewal, 1944-1958


Box 9 Folder 26

Housing and Urban Renewal, 1959


Box 9 Folder 27

Housing and Urban Renewal, nd


Box 9 Folder 28

Housing and Urban Renewal -Census Data, 1930s-1950s


Box 9 Folder 29

Housing and Urban Renewal -Maps and Plans, 1930s-1950s ., 1930s-1950s


Box 2 Folder 30

Housing and Urban Renewal -Reference Material, 1944-1959


Box 2 Folder 31

Housing and Urban Renewal -Reference Material, 1962-1969


Box 2 Folder 32

Intergroup Relations, 1951-1958


Box 2 Folder 33

Juvenile Delinquency, 1954-1955


Box 2 Folder 34

Mobilization for Youth, 1964


Box 2 Folder 35

National Association of Social Workers, 1958-1965


Box 2 Folder 36

National Federation of Settlements, 1932-1968


Box 3 Folder 37

National Recreation School, 1931-1932, 1973, 1931-1932, 1973


Box 15 Folder 38

National Recreation School- Diploma, 1932


Box 3 Folder 39

New York City Planning Commission -Community Planning Handbook, 1973


Box 3 Folder 40

New York School of Printing, 1952


Box 3 Folder 41

New York University -Center for Human Relations and Community Studies,, 1959-1960


Box 15 Folder 42

New York University -School of Education Diploma, 1933


News Clippings (Photocopies):


Box 3 Folder 43

Child Day Care, 1937-1967 nd, 1937-1967


Box 3 Folder 44

Miscellaneous, 1932-1974


Box 3 Folder 45

Puerto Rican Immigration, 1951-1959


Box 15 Folder 46

News Clippings (Originals of photocopies in Folders 43-45) .


Box 3 Folder 47

Printers' League of New York, 1946-1956


Box 9 Folder 48

Puerto Rican Immigration, 1951-1958 ., 1951-1958


Box 3 Folder 49

Rotary Club, 1974


Box 9 Folder 50

Seneca Centaur Club, 1946


Box 3 Folder 51

Seneca County Public Schools, 1914-1918


Box 3 Folder 52

State of Ohio Teaching Certificate, 1931


Box 3 Folder 53

Testimonial Dinner, 1960


Box 3 Folder 54

United Housing Foundation, 1957-1971


Box 4 Folder 55

United Neighborhood Houses, 1968-1974


Box 9 Folder 56

Welfare Issues, 1970-1971


Box 4 Folder 57

West Side Association of Cornmerce, 1958-1962


Box 4 Folder 58

West Side Award, 1956-1958


Box 9 Folder 59

Willard High School, 1924-1926

Series II: Correspondence

Incoming and outgoing letters, memos and attachments. Arranged chronologically. Folders 1 and 2 contain confidential information and are closed until 2015.


Box 16 Folder 1

Michael Clancy, 1933-1948


Box 16 Folder 2

Michael Clancy, 1933-1948


Box 10 Folder 3

General, 1933-1948


Box 10 Folder 4

General, 1951-1955


Box 10 Folder 5

General, 1956


Box 10 Folder 6

General, 1957-1958


Box 10 Folder 7

General, 1959-1960


Box 10 Folder 8

General, 1961


Box 10 Folder 9

General, 1962-1964


Box 10 Folder 10

General, 1965


Box 10 Folder 11

General, 1966-1974 nd, 1966-1974

Series III: Papers and Speeches

Includes drafts and final copies of articles written by Dan carpenter and published by such organizations as the Ethical Culture Society and National Federation of Settlements; also notes, drafts and texts of speeches delivered before Hudson Guild staff meetings, Chelsea community organizations, and professional gatherings. Folders and documents arranged chronologically.


Box 11 Folder 1

Papers and Speeches, 1934-1952


Box 11 Folder 2

Papers and Speeches, 1953


Box 11 Folder 3

Papers and Speeches, 1954


Box 11 Folder 4

Papers and Speeches, 1955


Box 11 Folder 5

Papers and Speeches, 1956


Box 11 Folder 6

Papers and Speeches, 1957


Box 12 Folder 7

Papers and Speeches, 1958


Box 12 Folder 8

Papers and Speeches, 1959


Box 12 Folder 9

Papers and Speeches, 1960-1961


Box 12 Folder 10

Papers and Speeches, 1962


Box 12 Folder 11

Papers and Speeches, 1963-1964


Box 12 Folder 12

Papers and Speeches, 1965-1972


Box 12 Folder 13

Papers and Speeches, nd

Series IV: Photographs


Mapcase Flat Folder 27282-27300

Dan Carpenter -Portraits, ca., 1940-1973

Black and white photoprints of Dan Carpenter, his family and associates.


Mapcase Flat Folder 27301-27333

Dan Carpenter -Special Events, ca., 1935-1973


Mapcase Flat Folder 27334

Meyers Family, ca., 1900


Mapcase Flat Folder 27335-27351

Unidentified Children, ca., 1910s


Mapcase Flat Folder 27352-27362

Unidentified House, ca., 1910s


Mapcase Flat Folder 27363-27369

Unidentified Women, ca., 1910s-1970s


Mapcase Flat Folder 27370

Fraternity Portrait, ca., 1931


Mapcase Flat Folder 27371

Group Portrait Including Dan Carpenter, ca., 1930


Mapcase Flat Folder 27372

Willard High School Basketball Team, 1924-1925


Mapcase Flat Folder 27373

Willard High School Football Team, ca., 1925

Series V: Scrapbooks and Calendars

Scrapbooks contain birthday cards, black and white photoprints, award information, and "This Is Your Life" timeline. Desk and pocket calendars note meetings and appointments. Arranged chronologically.


Box 5 Folder 1

Postcard Scrapbook, 1909-1912


Box 5 Folder 2

Postcard Scrapbook, 1909-1918


Box 5 Folder 3

"This Is Your Life,", 1956


Box 5 Folder 4

Testimonial Dinner, 1960


Box 15 Folder 5

Desk Calendars, 1968-1972


Box 14

Pocket Calendars, 1939-1972

Series VI: Elliott Family Papers

Addresses and writings, correspondence, genealogical information, legal documents, news clippings, publications, and obituaries of Dr. John Lovejoy Elliott and other members of the Elliott family. Folders arranged alphabetically. Documents arranged chronologically.


Box 6 Folder 1

Isaac H. Elliott, 1901-1923


John Lovejoy Elliott -


Box 6 Folder 2

Addresses and Writings, ca., 1880


Box 6 Folder 3

Addresses and Writings, ca., 1886


Box 6 Folder 4

Addresses and Writings, ca., 1908


Box 6 Folder 5

Addresses and Writings, The Century, 1924-1925


Box 6 Folder 6

Addresses and Writings, The Standard, 1920s-1930s


Box 6 Folder 7

Addresses and Writings, "The Settlements of New York and Mr. Reynolds,", 1927


Box 6 Folder 8

Addresses and Writings, 1948


Box 6 Folder 9

Birthday, 1938


Box 6 Folder 10

Birthday Dinner-Dance, 1941


Box 6 Folder 11

Correspondence, 1888-1899


Box 6 Folder 12

Correspondence, 1900


Box 6 Folder 13

Correspondence, 1911-1912


Box 6 Folder 14

Correspondence, 1916-1940 nd, 1916-1940


Box 6 Folder 15

Henry Dreyfuss Booklet, 1922


Box 13 Folder 16

Obituary and Memorials, 1942-1972


Box 13 Folder 17

Richard S. Elliott Estate, 1941-1949


Box 13 Folder 18

Richard S. Elliott Estate, 1953-1962


Box 13 Folder 19

Walter W. Elliott, 1948-1950


Box 13 Folder 20

Walter W. Elliott Memorial Committee, 1949-1956


Box 7 Folder 21

Ethical Culture Society -The Standard, 1920s-1940s ., 1920s-1940s


Box 7 Folder 22

Charles P. Lovejoy, 1914


Box 7 Folder 23

Elijah P. Lovejoy, 1897


Box 7 Folder 24

Owen Lovejoy, nd

Name and Subject Index


Box 7

Adler, Felix: Series 6, Folders 11-14, 21


Box 7

Alinsky, Saul: Series 1, Folders 1-2,7-8


Box 7

Black, Algernon: Series 6, Folder 20


Box 7

Cohen, Julius Henry: Series 6 14


Box 7

Coit, Stanton: Series 6, Folder 12


Box 7

Dewey, John: Series 6, Folder 14


Box 7

Lehman, Herbert H. : Series 2, Folder 3


Box 7

Moses, Robert: Series 2, Folder 3


Box 7

Roosevelt, Eleanor: Series 2, Folder 3


Box 7

Wagner, Robert : Series 2, Folder 8