Records of the Civic Club of Allegheny County (Pa.), 1896-1967

Abstract

The 1970 acquisition of the records of the Civic Club of Allegheny County is contained in boxes 1 through 13. These records contain information about the history of the organization, material documenting annual meetings from 1896-1937, information about various programs and activities of the club, and voter directories that the Civic Club published between 1930 and 1973. Of special interest are records related to the the Civic Club's involvement in such programs and activities as child labor legislation, the creation of public comfort stations, the establishment of the Stephen F. Foster Memorial; the maintenance of Pittsburgh playgrounds, and various conservation intiatives in and around Pittsburgh. The 1971 acquisition of the records of the Civic Club of Allegheny County include boxes 14-27. These boxes contain additional material about the history of the club; the club's by-laws and constitution; minutes of the Board of Director's meetings; records documenting the work of various Civic Club committees; correspondence; annual meeting minutes from 1923-1964; Civic Club reports; news releases; miscellaneous materials; subject files about various organizations, social movements, institutions, and activities related to the Civic Club mission; and individual files about notable Civic Club members. Subject files of particular interest relate to education, Americanization, milk legislation, psychopathic offenders, smoke control, sterilization, and socialized medicine. The last 25 cubic feet of this collection consist of the 1974 acquisition of Civic Club records which has not been processed. The general types of records contained in the addition are minute books from committee and board meetings, financial records, and extensive records of the Civic Club's Exceptionally Able Youth program. This portion of the collection will be processed and the inventory added to this finding aid.

Records of the Civic Club of Allegheny County, 1896-1967, AIS 1970:02, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh.

Gift from The Civic Club of Allegheny County, March 18, 1970, June 2, 1971 and August 1974.

Gift of the Civic Club, March 18, 1970, June 2, 1971.

The history of the Civic Club began in 1890, when a group of Pittsburgh women came together to form the Women's Health Protective Association to encourage the development and growth of the city's public health works and charities. By 1895 more of Pittsburgh's prominent men and women dedicated their time to this cause. John A. Brashear took a leadership role in the club by incorporating and chartering it in 1896. The Civic Club's mission has been "to promote by education and organized non-partisan effort a higher public spirit and better social order." Interested in beautifying the community, providing public services to the working classes, and promoting patriotic and civic-minded education to the city's immigrant populations, this Club embodied the progressive ideals of the early twentieth century and continued to promote social consciousness well into the post WWII era. The accomplishments of The Civic Club included the establishment of city playgrounds, smoke abatement regulations, education programs of workers and immigrants, public baths and laundry in the Soho neighborhood, child labor regulation, contagious disease hospitals, public concerts, and the maintenance of public gardens. The Civic Club played a prominent role in passing legislation for improving the living standards of the city's residents. Some of The Civic Club's legislative causes included pure water acts, garbage collection, school inspections, free bridges, and an improved city charter. One of The Civic Club's most notable contributions was encouraging voter participation. The Civic Club published a voter directory for each primary and general election listing all candidates, their biographies, and qualifications in order to enable citizens to vote intelligently. Due to difficulty obtaining the yearly finances needed to operate the organization, The Civic Club surrendered its charter in 1974 and dissolved.

Finding aid Available in respository and on Internet; Folder level control http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/f/findaid/findaid-idx?type=simple;c=ascead;view=text;subview=outline;didno=US-PPiU-ais197002