Five Towns Community House

Description

This folder contains materials created/collected by the Five Towns Community House, which served five suburban communities on Long Island in Nassau County, New York. The Five Towns Community House began in 1907 when Mrs Margaret Sage, wife of philanthropist Russell Sage, advanced funds to purchase the land for the school and securities to be held as a permanent endowment fund, the interest from which would be used to maintain the school. Originally called the Margaret Sage Industrial School The school changed its name to the Nassau Industrial School in 1911. By 1913, enrollment had increased to 400 and the staff to six. The school offered classes to the multiracial community, including Americanization and citizenship classes for recent immigrants. During the Great Depression, the school's finances faultered and the school operated a WPA nursery and a National Youth Administration program. In 1942, the school became the Five Towns Community House. The name change reflected the shift in its objectives from vocational training to cultural, recreational, and educational programs for small neighborhood groups. Following World War II, in response the population changes in Nassau County, the house emphasized race relations and worked with minority group leaders to build community-serving programs. For example, the house experimented with an integrated day camp in 1965 and hosted a women's group of Jewish and African American women. In addition, the construction of an expressway and an urban renewal project made housing issues an area of concern during the post-war years.

Record Contributed By

University of Minnesota Libraries