Dr. Laine Scales: Researching Settlement Houses

Our founder, Dr. Laine Scales, recently returned from a research trip to study the settlement houses there. She shares some of what she learned. 

“I recently traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to dig into the archives of three historical settlements there. Sifting through old newspaper articles, legal documents, and accounting sheets of several settlements reminded me that the joys and challenges that we experience at Good Neighbor are not new!”  

“Hosting activities, seeking donors, engaging neighbors, public relations, were all topics of concern to the settlements I studied. ” 

“This document shows that the  Boyce Settlement “Mother’s Club” hosted 173 women between April and November. The expenses for the half-year were  just under 9 dollars. In the spirit of “mutual aid” the mothers  contributed what little they were able which equaled 5 dollars cash as well as canned goods, tea, and preserves.”

“This system of “mutual aid” is the heart of settlement work and is also in operation  at Good Neighbor in Waco. Neighbors who gather for a book club, theatre rehearsal, worship group, community organization meetings, or an evening of dancing in our spaces are both givers and receivers.” 

If you are interested in learning more about settlement houses and Good Neighbor specifically check out this article  Laine wrote with our former board member Dr. Clay Polson.