Lend-A-Hand Club Records
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of materials recording the activities and operation of the Lend-A-Hand Club. Primiarly the records consist of financial records and resident room records of women who rented rooms at Lend-A-Hand. Additionally, the materials include lists of board of directors and community organizations, signs of rules and regulations for those staying at Lend-A-Hand, as well as a representative sample of construction and architectural records.
Dates
- Creation: 1944-1976
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Materials are available for use in the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center only.
Request permission before copying materials.
Personal digital cameras and scanners are allowed in the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center on a case-by-case basis. The items that a researcher may want to scan or photograph must be examined and evaluated for physical condition, copyright issues, and donor restrictions by staff.
Copyright restrictions may apply; please consult Special Collections staff for further information.
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of reproductions of copyrighted material.
Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
Biographical / Historical
The Lend-A-Hand Club for young women began in 1886. The Club offered young women
living and working away from home opportunities for education and fellowship in a chaperoned environment. The Club occupied a variety of rented quarters downtown where lecture series were offered and a ladies' waiting room operated before 1900. In 1922, funds were secured and a permanent building was erected on 105 South Main Street. The building contained dormitory rooms, a lounge, an excellent cafeteria, and a swimming pool. As an affiliate of the national network of Lend-A-Hand Clubs, the chapter motto was:
Look up, and not down
Look forward and not back
Look out, and not in
Lend a hand.
In the 1960s the building stopped serving as a women's facility. It was rented to the City of Davenport and converted to housing for the elderly in 1973. The Lend-A-Hand building at 105 South Main Street was razed in July of 1990.
Extent
2.30 Linear Feet ( in 2 5" legal manuscript boxes, 1 2.5" legal manuscript box, 3 5" letter manuscript boxes, 1 oversized flat folder.)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The collection is organized into five series. The contents of each series are arranged chronologically with exception to the Resident Records series which is arranged alphabetically. Each of the series more fully describes the contents of the collection. The series arrangement of the records is as follows:
Administrative Records
Financial Records
Correspondence
Resident Records
Miscellaneous Records
Physical Location
Range 38 Section 08
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift
Physical Description
The materials are in fair to good condidtion.
Source
- Lend-A-Hand Club (Organization)
- Lend a Hand Society (Organization)
Topical
- Charities -- Iowa -- Davenport -- History -- Sources
- Women -- Iowa -- Davenport -- Societies and clubs -- History -- Sources
- Women -- Services for -- Iowa -- Davenport -- History -- Sources
- Young women -- Iowa -- Davenport -- Charities, protection, etc. -- History -- Sources
- Young women -- Iowa -- Davenport -- Social life and customs
- A collection of materials relating to Ivan Jones and his work as a general sales manager and later regional vice president of sales at Investors Diversified Services, Inc. A representative sample has been kept in Ephemera organized under the Business subject heading.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center Repository
321 Main Street
Davenport IA 52801-1490 United States
specialcollections@davenportlibrary.com