SETTLEMENT SCHOOLS

As late as the early twentieth century, the Appalachian region of eastern Kentucky was still physically isolated from the mainstream of American life.  Few roads penetrated the area, and the    people living the remote hollows and narrow valleys had limited access to public schools and health   care. Reformers from outside the region began n to establish settlements schools in remote locations.  Some of the earliest schools in the mountains were church-affiliated, but the settlement schools that  began in the early twentieth century followed the principles of the urban settlement house movement.  Although teachers included religious ideals in the curriculum, the settlement schools of eastern Kentucky were nondenominational and sought children of all religious faiths.

       Although the primary function of the settlement schools in eastern Kentucky was to provide a  quality education to mountain children, the settlement workers viewed their role as one of service to     the community.; Settlement schools assisted public authorities in providing services for rural schools;   held teachers’ and farmers’ institutes, county fairs, and health clinics; and established community    centers in tiny hamlets.  Traveling nurses and doctors visited homes in isolated areas to deliver babies  and gave medical assistance to the sick and disabled. Settlement workers also helped needy young students to attend institutions such as Berea College and the University of Kentucky

       Two outstanding examples of settlement schools patterned after the urban model were Hindman Settlement School (1902) and Pine Mountain School (1913).  Katherine Pettit and May Stone founded the Hindman School in Knott County; when it was well established, Pettit, assisted by    Ethel de Long, a teacher and graduate of Smith College, opened the Pine Mountain sister institution  in a remote location in Harlan County.  Other schools that followed the urban example included Caney  Creek School (1916) in Knott County, founded by Alice Lloyd of Boston; Redbird Mission School (1921) and Henderson Settlement School (1925), both in Bell County; the Letcher County institutions Stuart Robinson School (1913) and Kingdom Come School (1924); and Lotts Creek Community School (1933) in Knott County.

       By the 1920’s and 1930’s the early functions of these institutions began to decline with the arrival   of better roads, public schools, and public health services.  Financial pressures made it difficult for the private settlement schools to continue to operate.  Over time, some of the schools became part of the public school systems, while others remained open to students.  In 1990 the two most notable examples of the urban settlement school were still operating: Hindman School, serving children with learning disabilities, and Pine Mountain School, an environmental center.  Caney Creek School, renamed Alice Lloyd College, is now a private, four year college. 

Author   Nancy ForderHase

The Kentucky Encyclopedia

John Kleber   Editor

Copyright 1992