{"id":1729,"date":"2013-10-12T20:36:43","date_gmt":"2013-10-13T00:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/getitright.pmss.net\/?page_id=1729"},"modified":"2018-12-02T11:44:46","modified_gmt":"2018-12-02T16:44:46","slug":"rittenhouse-collection","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/staging.pinemountainsettlement.net\/?page_id=1729","title":{"rendered":"CATHERINE RITTENHOUSE Collection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pine Mountain Settlement School
\nSeries: \u00a0PHOTOGRAPHS<\/strong><\/p>\n

CATHERINE RITTENHOUSE Collection<\/h2>\n
\n

TAGS: Catherine Rittenhouse; photograph collection; Mary Dana;<\/p>\n

\n
\"Catherine

Catherine Rittenhouse with children. X_100_workers_2531.jpg<\/p><\/div>\n

Catherine Rittenhouse<\/a>\u00a0came to Pine Mountain Settlement School with her friend Mary Dana<\/strong> in 1914, one year after the founding of the school. Both were volunteer workers for approximately six weeks. \u00a0As a volunteer at the school she was engaged in many activities. While there she recorded her work, her reflections, and the life of the school in both letters home and in photographic images. Following her death in 1958, her husband, Leroy V. Sanford, sent her early letters and her images to Pine Mountain Settlement School to be added to the archive.<\/p>\n

Note: As was common among workers at Pine Mountain, individuals at the school and community members were either referred to by a simple letter, i.e. “Miss R” (Dora Hill Reed Goodale<\/a>), “Miss L” (Ethel De Long<\/a>), etc. Or, names were disguised, as was the case with the names of community folk. A cryptic guide to personal identification was included on the envelope that was used to mail the Rittenhouse letters to the school. The images and letters were accompanied by a letter from Mr. Sanford who describes his wife and her years at the school.<\/p>\n

_______________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

Minneapolis, Minnesota
\nApril 24, 1958<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The recent death on March 22nd of my wife, Mrs. Catherine Rittenhouse Sanford, has prompted me to write you this letter.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the summer of 1914, shortly before our marriage which occurred in 1915, Mrs. Sanford — then Miss Catherine Rittenhouse — and a close friend and distant relative of hers, Miss Mary Dana (who later became Mrs. C.V. Kennedy and is now deceased) spent about six weeks as voluntary workers at the Pine Mountain Settlement School which had been started shortly before that time. As you can well imagine, they worked under very primitive conditions doing some teaching and performing such other tasks as were necessary at the time.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mrs. Sanford often spoke of the time she spent down there, which she regarded as one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences of her entire lifetime. She always followed the gradual development of the school with great interest and has sent small contributions from time to time at the Christmas season.<\/em><\/p>\n

At the time of her death, my daughters and I suggested memorials to Plymouth Congregational Church of this city, of which my wife and I have been members for over forty years. Out of the amount received, I have requested the Church to forward to you the sum of $25 as a memorial to Mrs. Sanford.<\/em><\/p>\n

I am enclosing a transcript which Mrs. Sanford made of the letters which she wrote to her parents while she was down there. She often spoke of Mr. William Creech<\/a> who, as I understand it, was one of the founders of the school, and must have been a very interesting character. I trust you will find this of interest. In any event it is yours for such disposition as you see fit.<\/em><\/p>\n

** Miss Mary Dana \u00a0[1879 – 19??] \u00a0married Charles V. Kennedy. \u00a0In 1930 she was living in Dade, FL.<\/p>\n

\n\n\t\t