Accession Number: 41
Hindman Settlement School Records, 1899-1979
13 Microfilm Reels and 2998 Photographs
Online Catalog Record (BANC)


Overview
History
Part A - Selected Records
     Series I - Narrative Reports and Publications, 1899-1979
     Series II - Operational and Vital Records, 1902-1975
     Series III - Biographies and Works , 1900-1980
     Series IV - Ballads and Folk Songs
     Series V - Appalachian Reference File, 1902-1975
Part B - Selected Photographs
     Series I - Activities - Animals
     Series II - Architecture - Campus Buildings and Grounds
     Series III - Ceremonies - Events
     Series IV - Folk Arts - Music
     Series V - People - Staff
     Series VI - Special Programs/Outreach - Transportation

Selected photographs were copied by Project staff. The original photographs and a set of copy prints were returned to the Hindman school. The copy negatives and one set of copy prints are owned by Berea College and are available in Hutchins Library's Department of Special Collections and Archives.

Permission has been granted by Hindman Settlement School for Berea College to reproduce all or part of the school's photographs and to use them in slide or film presentations, to display them or loan them for display, and to allow their use by researchers for reproduction and publication. The proper credit line for their publication shall be: "Hindman Settlement School Records, Berea College Southern Appalachian Archives."

Each print has been assigned a number and arranged in boxes by primary subject in alphabetical order. An in-house index at Berea College offers additional classification with cross-references by secondary subject, by date (c. 1900-1983), and by the original Hindman Collection arrangement (classified by origin). The back of each print also records the location, secondary subject, the caption (if any), the original format, and the original series.

The original Hindman Collection series grouped 2405 images of general activities (Hindman Series I) from the following formats: loose prints, lantern-slides, 35mm slides, albums and negatives. These images record portraits of Hindman Settlement School faculty, staff and students, views of buildings and environs, Hindman and the surrounding countryside, as well as student labor and activities. Views of daily life at the settlement school are recorded as well as life in the surrounding area. The overall series covers the period 1900-1983, the greater portion being from 1910-1960. After the death of May Stone in 1946, Elizabeth Watts became the director, and contributed significantly to the school's photo archives. In fact, many of the images originally in this "General Activities" category appear to be the work of Elizabeth Watts, although their origin is still uncertain.

A second segment of the original collection at Hindman consists of the private photographic collection of Elizabeth Watts (Hindman Series II). It includes photographs, 35mm slides, albums and negatives, dating from c.1900 to 1980. Elizabeth Watts came to Hindman in 1909 from New York, intending to stay only one year. Instead, she served 47 years as a teacher, principal and director, and was a member of the school's governing board for 30 years. The 559 selected images record portraits of Hindman Settlement School faculty, staff, and students; buildings and environs; student activities and industries; and the town of Hindman and the surrounding area. Of particular interest is an album that depicts the creation of the school and the Hindman community. These images are especially important in recording the work of the school's founders. Much of this collection was photographed by Elizabeth Watts, with many of the images having been labeled in her own hand. While the bulk of the collection ranges from the early 'teens to 1970, there are some views as recent as 1980.

One other group of 34 photographs from the 1950s represents the work of Earl Palmer (Hindman Series III). Earl Palmer was born and grew up in Bell County, Kentucky, and later became interested in photography while working in Virginia. He traveled through Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Maryland, and West Virginia to photograph native landscapes and everyday activities, such as farming and handicraft work. This group contains 8" by 10" black and white photographic images from around the region, and more specifically from the Hindman area. The images depict students and various scenes from Decoy School (a Hindman extension), seasonal landscapes, and folk dancing. Of special interest is a series depicting a Hindman instructor, Jethro Amburgey, constructing a dulcimer from start to finish.

Box 4: Activities
Box 5: Activities
Box 6: Activities
Box 7: Animals

Box 7, cont.: Architecture
Box 8: Architecture, Artifacts
Box 9: Campus Buildings and Grounds
Box 10: Campus Buildings and Grounds
Box 11: Campus Buildings and Grounds

Box 11, Cont.: Ceremonies, Dress, Events
Box 12: Events

Box 13: Folk Arts
Box 14: Industries, Interiors, Landscapes
Box 15: Landscapes
Box 16: Landscapes, Music

Box 16, cont.: People
Box 17: People
Box 18: Portraits
Box 19: Portraits
Box 20: Portraits
Box 21: Portraits
Box 22: Portraits
Box 23: Portraits
Box 24: Portraits
Box 25: Portraits
Box 26: Portraits, Staff

Box 27: Special Programs/Outreach, Sports, Streetscenes
Box 28: Studies, Theatre, Townscapes
Box 29: Transportation
Box 30 : Transportation

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