Accession Number: 36
Settlement Institutions of Appalachia Papers, 1969-1981
Bulk Dates, 1973-1979
14.4 linear feet
Online Catalog Record (BANC)

Overview and History
Series I - Foundations
Series II - General
Series III - Administrative Files
Series IV - Financial Records
Series V - Programs/Projects
Series VI - Settlement Schools
Series VII - Correspondence
Series VIII - Publications

Access and Use

Provenance: In 1982, Executive Secretary Loren Kramer turned over the records of the organization to the Berea College Special Collections & Archives for preservation.

Preferred Citation: The Settlement Institutions of Appalachia Papers, Berea College Library, Berea, Ky.

History

The Settlement Institutions of Appalachia (SIA) was founded in 1970 as a non-profit consortium of private service institutions in South Central Appalachia. Leaders of the twelve founding institutions envisioned it as a mechanism to facilitate exchange of ideas, cooperation in program development and fund raising.

The first executive committee of the board of directors consisted of Chair, John Ramsay (John C. Campbell Folk School); Vice-chair, Robert Fulton (Henderson Settlement); Secretary, Harold McSwain; and Treasurer, Loren Kramer (Pine Mountain Settlement School). Loren Kramer was also designated as an agent at their first meeting.

The original 17 member institutions included: Appalachian South Folklife Center, Buckhorn Presbyterian Child Welfare Agency, Clear Creek Baptist School, FOCIS (Federation of Communities in Appalachia), Frontier Nursing Service, Hazel Green Academy, Henderson Settlement, Hinton Rural Life Center, John C. Campbell Folk School, Marrowbone Folk School, Pine Mountain Settlement School, Red Bird Mission, Sunset Gap Community Center, Oneida Baptist Institute, and Annville Institute.

Associate membership entities included: Berea College, Appalachian Regional Commission, and CORA (Commission on Religion in Appalachia). By 1980, only the following 14 institutions remained active members: Appalachian South Folklife Center, Bethel Mennonite Center, Buckhorn Presbyterian Child Welfare Agency, Hazel Green Academy, Henderson Settlement, Hinton Rural Life Center, Jackson Area Ministries, John C. Campbell Folk School, Lotts Creek Community School, Pine Mountain Settlement School, Red Bird Mission, Sunset Gap Community Center, and Oneida Baptist Institute.

SIA's principal leaders included Loren Kramer, Robert R. Rowland, and Erwin C. Goering. Kramer was treasurer of the Board's executive council from 1969-1971. From 1972-1973, Kramer served as chairman of the SIA board of directors. In the years following, he worked as Project Development and Work Study Assistant at Berea College. From 1976-1980, Kramer served as SIA Executive Secretary.

Robert R. Rowland and Erwin C. Goering were Presidents 1973-1974 and 1974-1976 respectively. There were no other presidents after them, but Loren Kramer essentially served as President in his capacity as Executive Secretary.

36 Manuscript Boxes

The materials in this series consist of information on donations, grants, and foundations, along with correspondence with funding agencies. The arrangement is in alphabetical order by subject. Most of the information dates from about 1973-1976.

Materials in this series include general information such as maps, SIA materials used, the role of SIA, articles and bylaws, membership information, and labor information.

These materials are made up of information memoranda, minutes from Board of Directors meetings, Annual meetings, Executive Council meetings, and various papers from other committees.

The materials in this series include financial records on SIA, including budget information, audits, tax information, and bank information.

Items in this series include information on various programs or projects SIA undertook. Program proposals, projects, SIA work camps, conferences, and workshop information can be found in these files.

The materials found in this series contain general information and memos, as well as a few pieces of correspondence on Settlement Schools or associate schools.

Most of the letters in this section are from the presidents of different settlement schools and from the leadership of SIA.

Material in this series includes brochures, newspaper articles, magazine articles, and newsletters. The newsletters are mostly from the various settlement schools, recounting school projects and the activities of students.

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