Endowments; Children's gardens; School gardens; New York (N.Y.); International Children's School Farm League; Parsons, Fannie Griscom; New York (N.Y.). Department of Parks
Format
correspondence
Genre
Business correspondence
Date
[between 1901 and 1919?]
Physical Description
microfilm, 16 mm, b&w
Note (Reel no.)
Reel 81
Note
PDF may contain multiple grant documents.
Fannie Griscom Parsons, reformer, educator, and philanthropist, aimed to introduce radical change by creating the farm for children. She hoped to beautify the neighborhood and reintroduce nature—or at least something natural—into the lives of Hell’s K itchen’s residents, particularly its children...Parsons hoped the farm would open their eyes to a world beyond the slums and engage them in wholesome and healthful activities that would be beneficial to their well-being and development. She called the project the 'Children’s School Farm' to underscore its educational aspect... The Children’s School Farm, which lasted until 1931, was the first children’s gardening program in New York City. Parsons created the Farm with funds from well-known philanthropists, on land borrowed from the New York City Department of Parks. According to the annual reports of the Department, approximately three thousand children participated during the first three years... The Department of Parks viewed the Farm as a success, and after three years as a temporary, privately funded project, the agency gave the Children’s School Farm a permanent home in the newly constructed De Witt Clinton Park in Hell’s Kitchen and began funding the work... Following the New York City Department of Parks’ adoption of the Children’s School Farm and subsequent integration into De Witt Clinton Park, Parsons continued to expand the Farm and popularize the school farm idea both within the city’s parks system and nationwide. Parsons’ initiatives included creating additional plots for school groups visiting for nature-study lessons, providing new facilities for adults visiting the Farm, and working with city agencies and charities to accommodate disabled and sick children. In 1907, Parsons and her son Henry founded the International Children’s School Farm League, which disseminated educational materials, sponsored lectures, and mounted exhibitions at fairs, conferences, and festivals across the country. In 1910, the Department of Parks created the Bureau of School Farms, which enabled Parsons to expand the program within the New York City parks system..." [SOURCE: Warsh, Marie. “Cultivating Citizens: The Children's School Farm in New York City, 1902–1931.” Buildings & Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum, vol. 18, no. 1, 2011, pp. 64–65, 81. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/buildland.18.1.0064. Accessed 1 Oct. 2018.]