A Survey of Witherspoon YMCA of Princeton N.J. May and June 1930
Item
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Title
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A Survey of Witherspoon YMCA of Princeton N.J. May and June 1930
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Description
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This 104-page report entitled “A Survey of Witherspoon Young Men’s Christian Association of Princeton, N.J.” was produced in May and June of 1930 by Director Joseph Van Vleck, Jr of Montclair, NJ.
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The book contains a foreword (pp. 2-4) followed by five chapters. According to the Table of Contents, Chapter 1 “The Witherspoon Community” details the Witherspoon Community (including population trends, economic levels, health conditions, and more) (pp. 1-44). Chapter 2 “The Witherspoon Y.M.C.A.” details the organization, including its history, personnel, records, and relations with other organizations (pp. 56-81). Chapter 3 is titled “Character and the Color Line” (p. 85), Chapter 4 is titled “Community Needs and the Work of the Future” (p. 93), and Chapter 5 is titled “Recommendations” (p. 100).
According to the foreword, the survey’s purpose is threefold: “(1) to evaluate the work which the Witherspoon Y.M.C.A. is carrying on; (2) to study community conditions, so that an appreciation of the most urgent community needs could be developed; (3) to make recommendations for the change of the work, so that it may more adequately serve the colored young men of Princeton in the future” (p. 2). In addition to the research, many interviews were conducted (pp. 2-3).
The Witherspoon-Jackson Community is a historic district within Princeton, where once-segregated African-Americans thrived since the early 1800s as part of a “proud, self-sufficient and self-sustaining community” (Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society, n.d.). Within this community was the Witherspoon YMCA, a youth recreation club located at 102 Witherspoon Street (Historical Society of Princeton, n.d.). It was a popular social center “until the 1950’s when the YMCA-YWCAs were integrated and moved into a new facility further West” (Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society, 2021).
The Director of the survey was named Dr. Joseph Van Vleck, Jr. (1901-1985). He was a professor of Sociology from Montclair, NJ who received his doctorate in Political Science at Columbia University in 1937, and later worked in Hartford, CT (Pine Mountain Settlement School 2025).
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Discover more about the Y.M.C.A as presented in a walking tour by the Historical Society of Princeton
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Map to 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ
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Contributor
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Historical Society of Princeton
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Date Created
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1930
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Creator
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Youth Communications, Inc.
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Rights
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Rights assessment is your responsibility. This material is made available for noncommercial educational, scholarly, and/or charitable purposes. For other uses or for more information, please contact research@princetonhistory.org.
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Identifier
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MS 642, B5, F5
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Format
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Text
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Extent
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104 pages
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Spatial Coverage
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Princeton, NJ
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Subject
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Young men's Christian association
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YMCA
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Christianity--20th Century
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African American youth
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Survey
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Princeton, New Jersey.
