Settlement school
Encyclopedia
Settlement schools are social reform institutions established in rural Appalachia
in the early 20th century with the purpose of educating mountain children and improving their isolated rural communities. Settlement schools have played an important role in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of southern and central Appalachia. Scholar David Whisnant has argued that settlement schools created a version of "traditional" Appalachian culture that appealed to outsiders but had little basis in the values of Appalachian people themselves.
The Appalachian settlement schools were inspired by the settlement movement
that started in London
in the late 19th century and was represented in the United States by urban settlement houses, including Hull House
in Chicago
and the Henry Street Settlement
in New York City
.
Hindman Settlement School
, in Hindman, Kentucky
, was the first rural social settlement school in the United States
, established in 1902 by May Stone and Katherine Pettit
at the forks of Troublesome Creek in Knott County, Kentucky
.
Pine Mountain Settlement School
, in Harlan County, Kentucky
, was founded by William Creech, Sr.
, in 1913. Creech, a local resident, donated land for the school and recruited Katherine Pettit and Ethel DeLong to establish and run the institution.
Settlement schools typically had large campus
es, including dormitories for boarding students. They functioned not only as schools, but also as community centers.
With the establishment of public schools in the region in the 1920s and 1930s, settlement schools relinquished their role in the general education of children. Pine Mountain was a boarding school
for elementary and middle school
-age children until about 1930, when it became a residential high school
after public elementary schools were established in the region. Some settlement schools closed, but others assumed new functions over time. Hindman Settlement School offers adult education
, including GED
test preparation, and operates a tutorial program for people with dyslexia
. Since the early 1970s Pine Mountain Settlement School has specialized in environmental education
; it also has operated an elderhostel
program.
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
in the early 20th century with the purpose of educating mountain children and improving their isolated rural communities. Settlement schools have played an important role in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of southern and central Appalachia. Scholar David Whisnant has argued that settlement schools created a version of "traditional" Appalachian culture that appealed to outsiders but had little basis in the values of Appalachian people themselves.
The Appalachian settlement schools were inspired by the settlement movement
Settlement movement
The settlement movement was a reformist social movement, beginning in the 1880s and peaking around the 1920s in England and the US, with a goal of getting the rich and poor in society to live more closely together in an interdependent community...
that started in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the late 19th century and was represented in the United States by urban settlement houses, including Hull House
Hull House
Hull House is a settlement house in the United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located in the Near West Side of , Hull House opened its doors to the recently arrived European immigrants. By 1911, Hull House had grown to 13 buildings. In 1912 the Hull...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and the Henry Street Settlement
Henry Street Settlement
The Henry Street Settlement is a not-for-profit social service agency in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City that provides social services, arts programs and health care services to New Yorkers of all ages. It was founded in 1893 by Progressive reformer Lillian Wald.The...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Hindman Settlement School
Hindman Settlement School
Hindman Settlement School is a settlement school located in Hindman, Kentucky in Knott County. Established in 1902, it was the first rural settlement school in America.-Mission:...
, in Hindman, Kentucky
Hindman, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 787 people, 356 households, and 220 families residing in the city. The population density was 232.5 people per square mile . There were 415 housing units at an average density of 122.6 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 97.59% White, 0.38%...
, was the first rural social settlement school in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, established in 1902 by May Stone and Katherine Pettit
Katherine Pettit
Katherine Rebecca Pettit was an American educator from Kentucky who contributed to the settlement school movement of the early 20th century.-Background:...
at the forks of Troublesome Creek in Knott County, Kentucky
Knott County, Kentucky
Knott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1884. As of 2000, the population was 17,649. Its county seat is Hindman. The county is named for James Proctor Knott, Governor of Kentucky . It is a prohibition or dry county. Notable inhabitants include U.S....
.
Pine Mountain Settlement School
Pine Mountain Settlement School
Pine Mountain Settlement School is located on Pine Mountain in Harlan County, Kentucky. The settlement school focuses on Appalachian and environmental education.-Founding:...
, in Harlan County, Kentucky
Harlan County, Kentucky
Harlan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1819. As of 2000, the population was 33,200. Its county seat is Harlan...
, was founded by William Creech, Sr.
William Creech, Sr.
William Creech, Sr. was an American philanthropist. "Uncle" William Creech is remembered for his contributions to improve Harlan County, Kentucky.-Pine Mountain Settlement School:...
, in 1913. Creech, a local resident, donated land for the school and recruited Katherine Pettit and Ethel DeLong to establish and run the institution.
Settlement schools typically had large campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
es, including dormitories for boarding students. They functioned not only as schools, but also as community centers.
With the establishment of public schools in the region in the 1920s and 1930s, settlement schools relinquished their role in the general education of children. Pine Mountain was a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for elementary and middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
-age children until about 1930, when it became a residential high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
after public elementary schools were established in the region. Some settlement schools closed, but others assumed new functions over time. Hindman Settlement School offers adult education
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
, including GED
GED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
test preparation, and operates a tutorial program for people with dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
. Since the early 1970s Pine Mountain Settlement School has specialized in environmental education
Environmental education
Environmental education refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. The term is often used to imply education within the school system, from primary to...
; it also has operated an elderhostel
Elderhostel
Elderhostel is a not-for-profit organization established in 1975 that allows senior citizens to travel and take educational programs in the United States and around the world...
program.
List of Appalachian settlement schools
The following are examples of settlement schools and other institutions (most no longer in operation) that were first founded as settlement schools:- Alice Lloyd CollegeAlice Lloyd CollegeAlice Lloyd College is a four-year liberal arts work college in Pippa Passes, Kentucky. It was co-founded by the journalist Alice Spencer Geddes Lloyd, a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts and June Buchanan, a native of New York City, in 1923, at first under the name of Caney Junior College, as an...
, Pippa Passes, KentuckyPippa Passes, KentuckyIn the census of 2000, there were 297 people, 48 households, and 30 families in the city. The population density was 557.3 per square mile . There were 50 housing units at an average density of 93.8 per square mile... - Annville Institute, Annville, KentuckyAnnville, KentuckyAs of the census of 2000, there were 589 people, 202 households, and 145 families residing in the city. The population density was 222.8 people per square mile . There were 226 housing units at an average density of 85.5/sq mi . The racial makeup of the city was 99.15% White, and 0.85% from...
- Bethel Mennonite Center, Rowdy, Kentucky
- Buckhorn Children’s Center, Buckhorn, KentuckyBuckhorn, KentuckyAs of the census of 2000, there were 144 people, 48 households, and 33 families residing in the city. The population density was 289.4 people per square mile . There were 51 housing units at an average density of 102.5 per square mile...
- John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, North Carolina (Unincorporated Community)
- Frontier Nursing Service, Hyden, KentuckyHyden, KentuckyHyden is a city in Leslie County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 365 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Leslie County. It is located at the junction of U.S. Route 421 and Kentucky Route 80, along the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River....
- Hazel Green Academy, Hazel Green, KentuckyHazel Green, KentuckyHazel Green is an unincorporated community in Wolfe County, Kentucky, United States. It lies along Routes 191 and 205 northeast of the city of Campton, the county seat of Wolfe County. Its elevation is 922 feet . Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of...
- Henderson Settlement School, Frakes, Kentucky
- Hindman Settlement SchoolHindman Settlement SchoolHindman Settlement School is a settlement school located in Hindman, Kentucky in Knott County. Established in 1902, it was the first rural settlement school in America.-Mission:...
, Hindman, KentuckyHindman, KentuckyAs of the census of 2000, there were 787 people, 356 households, and 220 families residing in the city. The population density was 232.5 people per square mile . There were 415 housing units at an average density of 122.6 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 97.59% White, 0.38%... - Hinton Rural Life Center, Hayesville, North CarolinaHayesville, North CarolinaHayesville is a town in Clay County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 297 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clay County.-Geography:Hayesville is located at ....
- Jackson Area Ministries Resource and Training Center, Jackson, OhioJackson, OhioJackson is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,184 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Jackson is located at ....
- Kingdom Come Settlement School, Line Fork, Kentuckyhttp://www.letcher.k12.ky.us/kcss/
- Lotts Creek Community School, Cordia, Kentucky
- Oneida Baptist InstituteOneida Baptist InstituteOneida Baptist Institute, also referred to as OBI, is a coeducational Southern Baptist boarding school, affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention in Oneida, Kentucky. Land for the school was donated in September 1899 by Martha Coldiron Hogg and S.P. Hogg. The school was founded as the Mamre...
, Oneida, KentuckyOneida, KentuckyOneida is an unincorporated community in Clay County, Kentucky, United States. It is the home of Oneida Baptist Institute. Goose Creek and the Red Bird River confluence to form the South Fork of the Kentucky River just a few hundred yards from the center of the town.The major road that leads from... - Pi Beta PhiPi Beta PhiPi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330 alumnae organizations across the United States and...
Settlement School (now Arrowmont School of Arts and CraftsArrowmont School of Arts and CraftsThe Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is an arts and crafts center in the U.S. city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The oldest craft school in Tennessee, Arrowmont offers workshops in arts and crafts such as painting, woodworking, glassblowing, photography, basket weaving, and metalworking, and...
), Gatlinburg, TennesseeGatlinburg, TennesseeGatlinburg is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Gatlinburg had a population of 3,828. The city is a popular vacation resort, as it rests on the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along U.S... - Pine Mountain Settlement SchoolPine Mountain Settlement SchoolPine Mountain Settlement School is located on Pine Mountain in Harlan County, Kentucky. The settlement school focuses on Appalachian and environmental education.-Founding:...
, Harlan County, KentuckyHarlan County, KentuckyHarlan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1819. As of 2000, the population was 33,200. Its county seat is Harlan... - Pittman Community Center, Pittman Center, TennesseePittman Center, TennesseePittman Center is a town in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 477 at the 2000 census.Pittman Center is situated in Emert's Cove, a broad valley along the Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon River...
- Red Bird Mission, Beverly, Kentucky
- Riverside Christian Training School, Lost Creek, Kentucky
- Stuart Robinson School, Letcher, KentuckyLetcher, KentuckyLetcher is an unincorporated community in Letcher County, Kentucky. It is served by a post office that is assigned zip code 41832.-References:...
- Sunset Gap Community Center, Newport, TennesseeNewport, TennesseeNewport is a city in Cocke County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,242 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cocke County.-Geography:...
- Vardy Community SchoolVardy Community SchoolThe Vardy Community School was a Presbyterian mission school established in the Vardy community of Hancock County, Tennessee, USA in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. At the time of its founding, the school was the only institution providing primary education to Melungeon children living in...
, Vardy, Tennessee
External links
- Settlement Schools of Appalachia, KET, Lexington, Kentucky
- Hindman Settlement School
- Pine Mountain Settlement School
Further reading
- David Whisnant. All That Is Native and Fine': Politics of Culture in an American Region Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1995.