Category Archives: Children

Children’s Service Bureau

The Children’s Service League originated as the Children’s Bureau, a subdivision of the Family Welfare Association, in 1925, but soon became an independent entity. In 1928, the Children’s Bureau merged with the Home for the Friendless to become the Children’s … Continue reading

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Home for the Friendless

The Home for the Friendless assisted indigent women and children of Springfield from 1863 to 1928, when it was merged into the Children’s Service League. The gradual addition of other social service agencies ultimately led to formation of the Family … Continue reading

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Colored Children’s Service Bureau

The Colored Children’s Service Bureau was formed to care for destitute black children in 1933, following the failure of Eva Carroll Monroe’s Lincoln Colored Home. Also see Home for the Friendless in this index and the Family Service Center’s online history.

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Home and Hospital for Fallen Women

The Home and Hospital for Fallen Women opened in 1868 at 902 S. 12th St., a building known generally as the Judge John Taylor House. The purpose of the Home and Hospital was described in 1871 in a pious, and … Continue reading

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Sangamon County centennial marker dedication, 1921

Ten children were the ceremonial participants a century ago, when the Springfield Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution organized a 100th-anniversary commemoration of the founding of Sangamon County. The DAR sponsored the installation of a plaque, mounted on a granite … Continue reading

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School problems, 1914 (Springfield survey photo)

The Springfield Survey was a massive study of local schools, prisons, and other institutions undertaken in 1914 by the Russell Sage Foundation with the help of hundreds of local volunteers. Topics covered included schools, care of “mental defectives, the insane … Continue reading

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Hettie Bunker Smith

Hettie Bunker Smith (1896-1989), an art teacher and housewife, began making artificial facial features for disfigured people in 1934, when a friend asked her for help covering a facial scar. Eventually, she received a presidential citation for her volunteer work … Continue reading

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Springfield Redemption Home

The Springfield Redemption Home, organized by Mr. and Mrs. William H. Hunt in 1903, was set up for the “conversion, reformation, and Christian education of penitent erring girls and to provide a home for dependent infants and children.” It operated … Continue reading

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The Sunshine School

The Sunshine School, housed on the north side of Springfield High School, was an early special education facility. It also was part of a nationwide effort to combat diseases such as tuberculosis. Many school districts across the country hosted similar … Continue reading

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Washington Park children’s corner, 1914 (Springfield Survey photo)

The Springfield Survey, where this photo originated, was a massive study of local schools, prisons, and other institutions undertaken in 1914 by the Russell Sage Foundation with the help of hundreds of local volunteers. Topics covered included schools, care of … Continue reading

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