Young Women's Christian Association (Greenville, S.C.) records

The records of the Young Women's Christian Association (Greenville, S.C.) document the organization's activities from its inception in 1917. Consisting chiefly of newspaper clippings, photographs, and administrative papers, the collection records the YWCA's locations and building campaigns, its involvement with racial and other social issues confronting Greenville, and its operation of Camp Burgiss Glen.

The Building Fund Campaign of 1962 is a prominent feature of the collection, detailing not only the campaign but also the YWCA's history through its previous sites. This campaign resulted in the construction of two facilities--the Augusta Street and Birnie Street centers. The YWCA took an early interest in the matter of racial bias, going as far as serving interracial groups in its dining room despite municipal laws against such action in the 1950s. The organization also helped to underscore the need for community assistance to improve conditions in "slum" areas. As one of the founding members of the Community Chest in the 1920s, the YWCA exhibited and continued its concern for citizens living in poverty and need. The YWCA also provided for the "working girl" by establishing clubs in local textile mill villages and by operating the "residence" for working women in need of a home.

In addition to its sponsorship of the usual clubs and classes, the YWCA opened its own summer camp in the mountains of North Carolina in 1925. The history of Camp Burgiss Glen is represented through papers, clippings, and photographs and encompasses a significant portion of the collection. Located at Cedar Mountain, the camp became a retreat for city girls as well as families and continues so today. In the 1920s, the YWCA joined with the Kiwanis Club to offer a day camp for girls, known as Ki-Y, which continued for many years.

One cassette audiotape (T74) accompanies the collection. Recorded at the 1986 annual meeting during "A Program from the Archives," the speakers are Dorothy Welborn, former President, Peggy Davis, former Program Correlator and Executive Director, Marie Huggins, former Birnie Street Center Director, and Eula May Stockman, former Executive Director and Board Member.