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318 Elmer L.
Andersen Library, University of Minnesota, 222 21st Avenue South, Minneapolis,
MN 55455
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YMCA OF GREATER NEW YORK GREENPOINT
BRANCH:
An Inventory of Its Records
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Creator:
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YMCA of
Greater New York. Greenpoint Branch. |
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Title:
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Greenpoint YMCA records.
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Date:
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1880s-1990s (bulk 1925-1935) |
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Collection Number:
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Y.GNY.031 |
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Abstract:
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Includes collected minutes, correspondence,
program information, membership data and financial reports of the Greenpoint
YMCA. |
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Quantity:
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12 cubic feet
(13 boxes). |
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Location:
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See Detailed Description section for box
listing. |
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Greenpoint is an industrial area in the Williamsburg section of
Brooklyn, close to the East River. The first Greenpoint YMCA was established in
1869 but ceased operations a few years later. In 1884, Jacob Titus Bowne, who
soon after became General Secretary of the YMCA, tried again, and another
association opened with property valued at $12,000 at 752 Manhattan Avenue.
However, the Greenpoint YMCA did not associate with the Brooklyn YMCA until
1903. In 1907, the branch opened its first building at the corner of Meserole
Avenue and Lorimer Street. The building was extensively renovated in 1926-1927
and is still the home of the Greenpoint branch.
The Greenpoint area of Brooklyn was the destination of many Polish
immigrants, so much so that it became known as "Little Poland." Italians and
Russians also found their way to Greenpoint. The branch, which quickly became
an integral part of the neighborhood, was known for its active outreach
programs that included helping secure a school and a playground in 1914 and
working with men in the factories and workshops that dominated the area. In
1915 the branch established a home for orphans and street children. In 1917,
more dormitory rooms were added. In addition to its outreach efforts, the
branch was known for the prowess of its bowling and billiards teams.
Today, Greenpoint continues to be a central part of its community. It
provides substantial programming for children and in 1991 won a city-wide award
for its substance abuse and outreach program for youth. It continues to offer
rooms, welcoming visitors from around the world.
From The YMCA at 150: A history of the YMCA of
Greater New York, 1852-2002 by Pamela Bayless, 2002;
History of the Brooklyn and Queens Young Men's Christian
Association 1853-1949 by E. Clark Worman; and from the collection.
Return to the Table of Contents
The Greenpoint YMCA records include Board of Managers minutes;
executive correspondence and other records, primarily from the period
1925-1935; newsletters and magazines published by the branch; and program
information and brochures. The executive records are primarily from the files
of Walter V. Edwards, branch secretary in the 1920s and 1930s.
Return to the Table of Contents
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Use of Materials:
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This collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States
(Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright,
ownership, and to obtain all the necessary permissions prior to the
reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials. |
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Preferred Citation:
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[Indicate the cited item and/or series
here]. Greenpoint YMCA Records. YMCA of Greater New York. Kautz Family
YMCA Archives. University of Minnesota. |
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See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional
examples.
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Processing Information:
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Processed by: Louise Merriam, April 2012. |
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Catalog Record ID number: 6311621 |
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The following section contains a detailed list of the materials in the
collection. To request materials, please note the corresponding box number.
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| Box 138 |
Minutes of the women's auxilliary, 1892-1899. 1 volume. |
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| Box 139 |
Executive records, 1928. 36 folders. |
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Includes correspondence, financial reports, material on the
National Council of the YMCA, Eastern District School, fund-raising campaigns,
Small City Commission, personnel, membership, programs, conferences, industry
and labor (including a file on "The Detroit Situation), programs, Greenpoint
pastors, Young People's Forum, and a collection of vignettes and sketches
titled "Behind the Scenes at the YMCA." |
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| Box 140 |
Executive records, 1927-1935. 68 folders. |
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Includes Board of Managers minutes (1934-1935); material from
other Brooklyn organizations such as the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities and the
Brooklyn Better Business Bureau; financial campaign materials; information from
departments such as membership, physical, cafeteria, boys' division and
dormitory; files from the Employed Officers Association; information on the
Eastern Association School; secretaries' correspondence; lists of members;
accident reports; and conference information. |
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| Box 142 |
Executive records, 1931-1932. 63 folders. |
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Includes material on activities, annual dinner, anniversary
celebrations, Brooklyn Bureau of Charities, budgets and finance, fund-raising,
branch committees and departments, unemployment and relief, foreign work and
the Small City Commission. Also includes issues of the branch newsletter. |
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| Box 143 |
Executive records, 1927-1931. 54 folders. |
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Includes correspondence; financial records, including material on
budgets and fund-raising campaigns; Board of Managers agendas and minutes;
agendas and reports of departments and committees; and material related to the
Employed Offices Association. |
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| Box 144 |
Executive records, 1927-1932. 62 folders. |
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Includes general office files, financial and budget information,
branch committee and department files, conference information and material from
the National Council of the YMCA. |
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| Box 145a |
Executive records, 1920s-1960s. 14 folders. |
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Includes printed material related to branch programs and
membership campaigns, Vacation Fun Club, annual reports (1929, 1953-1954, 1957,
1960, 1967), and reports of a branch study (1948). |
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| Box 145b |
Greenpoint branch history, 1905-1951. |
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Includes historical notes and reminiscences as part of the 50th
anniversary celebration of the branch's opening in 1935. Other material
includes Christmas party material (1925), membership book for 1909 ("Summary of
Membership"), membership rosters (1905-1957), newspaper clippings and building
inspection certificates. |
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| Box 145c |
Publications, 1920s-1960s. 4 folders. |
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Branch publications that include The Green
Point Triangle (1921-1923), Boys Chats
(1928), The Clarion (1928),
Light of the Lobby (1939, 1940, 1943), the Triangle-Clarion, and the Greenpoint branch newsletter.
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| Box 146 |
Correspondence, 1926-1934. 44 folders. |
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Primarily the files of Executive Secretary Walter V. Edwards.
Included are letters and memos regarding the National Council of the Young
Men's Christian Association, lists of potential business contributors,
membership lists, staff memos, meeting notices, a questionnaire from the
Institute of Social and Religious Research on church unity, references received
and sent, correspondence with area churches and other organizations,
information on Silver Bay and Springfield College, the 1928 report on a survey
on the Brooklyn and Queens YMCA, and correspondence regarding the Young Men's
Congress. |
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| Box 147 |
Board of Managers minutes, 1968-1984. 5 folders. |
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| Box 148 |
Board of Managers minutes, 1929-1952, 1960, 1963-1967, 1985,
1990-1992. 10 folders. |
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| Box 149 |
Miscellaneous records, 1880s-1950s.. 29 folders. |
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Includes committee reports, annual reports (1890-1893), printed
program materials, correspondence, financial reports, branch history, report of
a self-study, newspaper clippings, branch statistics card, and a petition for
the erection of a new building in English, German, Italian, and Polish (1904).
Also includes branch publications: The
Bulletin-Greenpoint Edition (1891-1892) and The
Reporter (1896-1901, incomplete). |
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog
of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about
related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these
headings. |
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Topics:
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Italian
Americans. |
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Polish
Americans. |
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Russian
Americans. |
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Young Men's
Christian associations -- Administration. |
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Young Men's
Christian associations -- New York (State) -- New York. |
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Places:
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Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). |
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Greenpoint (New York, N.Y.). |
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Persons:
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Edwards, Walter V. |
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Bowne, J. T. (Jacob Titus), 1847-1925. |
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Organizations:
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Brooklyn and Queens Young Men's Christian Association.
Greenpoint Branch. |
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Brooklyn Young Men's Christian Association. |
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Booklyn Bureau of Charities. |
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Eastern Association School (Silver Bay, N.Y.). |
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National Council of the Young Men's Christian Associations of
the United States of America. |
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YMCA of Greater New York. Greenpoint Branch. |
Return to the Table of Contents