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SPOTLIGHT
ON THE ARTS - February 2006 by Deanna Mascle Hindman Settlement School
“The Hindman Settlement School is the most active of the few settlement schools that still exist,” says Mike Mullins, the school’s fifth executive director. “The mission and purpose of the Settlement is the same today as it was in 1902 when it was founded: to provide educational and service opportunities for the people of the mountains, while keeping them mindful of their heritage.” A descendant of the urban settlement movement that took place in the late 1800s and early 1900s, settlement schools are different from the mission schools that were started at the same time. Mission schools were started by churches that not only wanted to provide education but also make converts. The settlement experience had more of a social work approach. While education was usually their main focus, they also looked at needs such as health care, higher education opportunities, and economic-related activities. Some settlement schools even provided housing and care for children who didn’t have anywhere else to go. “Our philosophy is to provide for needs that are not being met by other agencies and groups. Therefore, the programs of the Settlement have changed to meet changing needs,” says Mullins. That philosophy is reflected in the Hindman Settlement School’s involvement in the Hindman/Knott County Community Development Initiative. Over the past five years, the area has received approximately $25 million in economic development funds to develop a crafts-based economy in Hindman. As a result, more than $10 million in water and sewer improvements have been made in Hindman and a new 36,000-square-foot multi-purpose facility now houses a library, a branch of Hazard Community and Technical College, an adult learning center, a day care center, distance learning class rooms, and county offices. Directly across from the facility is the new Kentucky School of Craft, a part Hazard Community and Technical College, which offers a two-year degree in jewelry and woodworking. Other facilities included in the project are the Kentucky Appalachian Artisan Center in downtown Hindman, the Hindman City Hall/Welcoming Center, and several new bridges. A business incubator and a pedway are also planned. The goal of the project is to create a campus-like atmosphere from downtown Hindman, through the Settlement campus, to the Kentucky School of Craft. The Hindman Settlement School was founded in 1902 by May Stone and Katherine Pettit. Both were part of the Kentucky Women’s Federation, which sent them to Hazard in 1899 to conduct a summer camp for the residents. After conducting a summer camp in the Hindman area in 1901 the local people asked the women to stay on and start a full-time school. In 1902 they founded the Women’s Christian Temperance Union School, which changed its name in 1915 to the Hindman Settlement School. From the time of its founding up until the early 1930s, the Settlement was, for the most part, the school system in Knott County. And, education still remains a key part of Settlement programming. The Hindman Settlement School’s Dyslexia Program is the only program of its type in Kentucky east of Louisville and has reached over 2,000 children and their parents since it began.
The Settlement also offers the Knott County Adult Education Program, providing tutoring and GED testing for adults. The program reaches 600-700 adults each year with its services and over 1,500 adults have received their GED since it began in the early 1980s. “The fact that it is still in existence and is providing so many needed services is something to be proud of since most institutions of its kind have closed their doors,” said Mullins. “The willingness to change to meet changing needs and the foresight of the leadership has provided a future for the Settlement.” Deanna Mascle is a
staff writer for The Lane Report. |
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Copyright 1996-2006, by Kentucky Business Online. All rights reserved. Editorial content is copyright 2006,
Lane Communications Group The Lane Report is a trademark of Lane Communications Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
The Hindman Settlement School, located at the forks of Troublesome Creek in Knott County, was the first rural social settlement school in the United States. Today the Settlement School still offers critical educational programs but also works to expand cultural awareness and serve as a bridge between past and future generations of Appalachian teachers, writers, storytellers, musicians and crafts people.