Denison House

Immigration to the US Resources | Other Resources

Illustration from Annual Report for the Year Ending October 1st, 1913, by Denison House, a Boston College Settlement.

In 1892, Emily Greene Balch, a professor at Wellesley College, and several Wellesley graduates founded Denison House, a settlement house at 93 Tyler Street in Boston. Like Jane Addams's Hull-House in Chicago, the purpose of Denison House was to provide social services and education to the urban poor by having educated women and poor people live together in the same residence. Denison House was the hub of many neighborhood activities and social services: classes in nursing, English literature, dancing, and basketweaving; sports and activities for girls and boys; clubs for adults; and relief programs, including coal distribution and free milk. Denison House also had a library, gymnasium, and clinic that enhanced the quality of life in the Old South Cove area of Boston.

Many of the recipients of Denison House's services were Italian, Syrian, and Greek immigrants. There was an especially strong relationship between Denison House and the Italian-American community. Under the auspices of Denison House, Circolo Italo-Americano, an Italian-American organization, held an annual cultural festival every May and an exhibition of Italian arts and crafts every December.

The most famous resident was trailblazing pilot Amelia Earhart, who worked as a social worker at Denison House for two years beginning in 1926. Earhart worked as a teacher and helped to generate publicity for Denison House's mission by dropping pamphlets over Boston to advertise benefit events.

In the 1940s, Denison House relocated to Dorchester, Massachusetts, before being merged with three other settlement houses in 1965 to create the Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses (FDNH). The FDNH continues to provide social services to immigrants, carrying on the legacy of Emily Greene Balch, Amelia Earhart, and other social workers of Denison House.

^ TOP

Immigration to the US Resources

Listed below are digital resources from the Immigration to the US collection about, or related to, Denison House. These resources represent only a selection of what exists on these topics. More physical materials on these topics may be available at the owning repositories, some of which are open to the public.

Manuscripts

Denison House. Records, 1890-1984. Including:

Series III. Program

Box 3, Folders 72-77: Daily activity reports; includes entries by Helen Cheever, Emily G. Balch, Lucinda Wyman Prince, et al.

72. Dec. 27, 1892-Mar. 21, 1893
73. Jan. 2-18, 1893
74. Jan. 18-Feb. 14, 1893
75-76: "Day Book[s]"
- 75. 1893-1894
- 76. 1894-1897
77. "D.H. Diary," 1900-1908

Box 4, Folders 80-86: Circolo Italo-Americano; disassembled scrapbook includes pamphlets, fliers, newsletter, programs

80. 1903-1906
81. 1906-1908
82. 1907
83. 1908
84. 1909; includes club constitution
85. 1910
86. 1911

Publications

The Boston College Settlement: Annual Report. Boston: College Settlements Association, 1912.

Denison House. Annual Report for the Year Ending. Boston: H.A. MacDonald & Co., 1913.

Denison House. Denison House Benefit: Jordan Hall, December 12, 1911. Boston: s.n., 1911.

Denison House. Denison House: Brochure. Boston: s.n., 1913.

Denison House. Denison House: Information to Candidates For Residence. Boston: Denison House, 1900.

Denison House. Directory of Clubs and Classes. Boston: Allied Print Trades Council, 1903.

Denison House. Report of the Denison House Milk Station. Boston: s.n., 1910.

Finding Aids

Denison House Records. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe College.

^ TOP

Other Resources

Listed below are web sites about, or related to, Denison House. These resources are listed to point users to further information outside the context of the Immigration to the US collection. The Open Collections Program and Harvard University bear no responsibility for the contents of these web sites. This list is not intended to be comprehensive.

The Boston Historical Society and Museum

^ TOP