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55-642: In 1794, Alexandria Library opened as a private lending library, calling itself the Alexandria Library Company. In 1937, Dr. Robert South Barrett donated funds to build Alexandria's Public Library . The Library Company cooperated in this effort, contracting with the Alexandria City Council to turn over its collections to City of Alexandria as the City agreed to include the public library's operating expenses in its budget. Since

110-447: A doctor of science degree in 1894. Barrett never intended to practice as a physician, but wanted to bolster her credibility: "she recognized that the initials 'M.D.' behind her name gave weight to her viewpoints." While earning those degrees and working on numerous charitable causes, Barrett also raised six children, with the considerable assistance of a black nanny. Her husband's health, never robust, began failing, and they returned to

165-701: A free library card. Thus residents of the District of Columbia, the Maryland Counties of Montgomery, and Prince George's, the Virginia cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, and Virginia counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, and Prince William are all eligible. 38°48′28″N 77°2′49″W  /  38.80778°N 77.04694°W  / 38.80778; -77.04694 Kate Waller Barrett Kate Waller Barrett (January 24, 1857 – February 23, 1925), née Katherine Harwood Waller ,

220-496: A group that suffered from national prejudices. After starting a "rescue home" on her own in Atlanta, despite being officially opposed by the local government, she joined forces with Charles Nelson Crittenton (1833–1909), a wealthy New Yorker also interested in creating safe havens for "fallen women." Crittenton had been establishing rescue homes, primarily oriented toward providing women an alternative to prostitution . He founded

275-425: A physician and trained nurse, Barrett's professional status was on par with any progressive reformer, male or female. However, unlike many of her contemporaries, Barrett relied on her role as wife and mother to establish her credentials.... Recent studies of maternalism have made it clear that middle-class women often used the rhetoric of motherhood to make inroads toward achieving changes favorable to women. Barrett and

330-499: A right to act, Barrett also successfully led large numbers of women to push the boundaries of what was acceptable for women to pursue. Historian Katherine Aiken finds Barrett's current relatively small profile illuminating. "One of the most prominent women of her time, Kate Waller Barrett is today a virtually unknown historical character." Aiken notes that popular culture and historians have focused on female activists and social scientists "who tended to be single, career women. Certainly, as

385-489: A single mother of six. Barrett successfully secured for the NFCM the first-ever federal charter for a charitable organization, through a special act of Congress signed by President William McKinley on April 9, 1898. Upon his death, she succeeded Crittenton as president in 1909, but retained the general superintendent role as well, serving in both positions until she died on February 23, 1925. Operating more than 70 homes around

440-514: A time when few white organizations interacted with black women, Barrett facilitated the efforts of middle-class African American women to engage in rescue and maternity home work... The FC approach was neither revolutionary nor radical, and both white and black Crittenton workers failed to confront or challenge predominant views of race. At the same time, the Crittenton organization made inroads against racism that deserve to be recognized. Barrett

495-492: A well-ordered society." Katherine Aiken thinks this characterization is too sweeping and that it misses the genuine caring that Florence Crittenton workers brought to their work, identifying as women and mothers with their sister "unfortunate girls". Aiken summarizes her conclusions by agreeing with critics that "middle-class Crittenton workers sometimes forced their own values and life-style upon women of another class... [and] [t]hese actions sometimes resulted in negative effects on

550-597: Is Rose T. Dawson. Among its more than 150 employees are more than 40 staff with master's degrees in library science. The library offers a wide variety of programs and services, both in the branches and via the Web site. Each branch has computers for access to the Internet, the catalog, downloadable material and databases. Library sponsored programs include: summer reading, One Book/One City, literary discussion groups, author book signings, children story times and other events for

605-661: Is the public library in Alexandria, Virginia in the United States. John Wise, a local Alexandria businessman and hotel keeper, hosted a meeting in his home in 1789 to discuss the creation of a Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge. Members included Rev. James Muir, physician Elisha Cullen Dick , and George Washington's personal attorney Charles Lee . Though the Society did not last for long, on July 24, 1794,

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660-653: The Alexandria Black History Museum . In 1947, the Library Society was reconstituted and took the earlier historic name Alexandria Library Company. A lecture series was also revived. Speakers included Thomas Jefferson biographer Dumas Malone . Some of the books belonging in the original collection of the Alexandria Library Company can now be found in the Local History/Special Collections Room at

715-584: The Commission on Training Camp Activities . After her speech at the Democratic National Convention received a standing ovation, she was asked to consider running for Governor of Virginia. Although flattered, she did not pursue the idea due to her declining health. Barrett was commissioned to be a delegate for many causes, both social and political. In 1914, Barrett traveled to Europe on a U.S. battleship, where she was: Back in

770-799: The Daughters of the American Revolution in 1904, as a member of the Mount Vernon Chapter. In 1919, she was elected State Regent of the Virginia Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, an office she held until her death. On February 21, 1925, Barrett held an organizing meeting in her home for what became the Alexandria/Arlington chapter. Upon Barrett's unexpected death two days later,

825-783: The League of Women Voters , and a motivating force behind the creation of the American Legion Auxiliary . Barrett also held offices in a number of political organizations including: She was also active in the National Congress of Mothers, the Parent-Teacher Association , the Woman's Christian Temperance Union , Daughters of the King, Episcopal Church, The National League of Social Services, and

880-512: The Alexandria African American Heritage Park, a 9-acre (3.6 ha) park at 500 Holland Lane, which contains a 1-acre (0.40 ha) nineteenth-century African-American cemetery that was buried under a city landfill in the 1960s. 38°48′43″N 77°02′53″W  /  38.81206°N 77.04803°W  / 38.81206; -77.04803 Alexandria Library (Virginia) Alexandria Library

935-672: The Alexandria area while he was assigned in Washington, D.C., and later traveled to Europe to seek cures. Thus, Barrett also studied nursing at the Florence Nightingale Training School in London , England. However, Rev. Barrett died in 1896, leaving his 39-year-old widow with six young children. Barrett's central interest was the plight of unmarried mothers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,

990-543: The City agreed to include the public library's operating expenses in its budget. The Alexandria Library Association became the Alexandria Library Society. Due to practices common in Virginia and other Southern states at the time, the public library originally only permitted white residents to use the facility. On August 21, 1939, several young African American men, in a strategy devised by attorney Samuel Wilbert Tucker (who grew up about two blocks from

1045-572: The James M. Duncan Branch Library and the law library branch located in the historic Alexandria City Hall near the Barrett branch. Patrons check out more than 1.5 million titles annually, including books, CDs, DVDs, magazines, eAudioBooks, and other items. The system owned 503,191 items and had 700,921 library visitors (more than 1.3 million including its web site) in FY 2017. The library's current director

1100-521: The NFCM welcomed the Topeka Home (Colored), founded by Topeka Blacks in 1904, when they later petitioned to join NFCM. Not only did Barrett accept the Topeka home, but she arranged for the NFCM to pay off the home's sizeable remaining mortgage, and ensured that its leader, Sarah Malone, was included within the NFCM leadership. Barrett fostered important relationships with African American women.... At

1155-566: The NFCM. Noting Barrett's background and that her era corresponded with the institutionalization of Jim Crow throughout the South, historian Katherine G. Aiken concludes that "[w]ithin this context, the NFCM made pathbreaking overtures to the African American community." Aiken observes that under Barrett, the NFCM operated a "colored mission" in Alexandria, Virginia, with not only its inmates but all of its workers being Black. Similarly,

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1210-734: The Queen Street library that still carries Mrs. Barrett's name. In 1948, Ellen Coolidge Burke became director. Burke brought bookmobile services to Alexandria, one of the first services in Virginia. She oversaw the growth of the library system by the addition of two new branch libraries. In April 1968 the Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch at 4701 Seminary Road was opened, and in December 1969 the James M. Duncan branch at 2501 Commonwealth Avenue. Burke retired in 1969. Today

1265-541: The Smithsonian, Colonel Francis H. Smith of the Virginia Military Institute , and humorist George W. Bagby . The Civil War took its toll on the library collection. Members were able to remove some of the collection prior to the library's occupation by Union troops. The library was used as a hospital and much of the library's collection was lost during this time. After the war, the building

1320-409: The United States were caught up in the white-slavery hysteria, Barrett and the NFCM pushed to help the victims of prostitution rather than to punish them as offenders... NFCM public pronouncements denounced attempts to place the blame for prostitution solely on women". For a woman born into a slave-holding family, Barrett put considerable effort into addressing the racial issues inherent in the work of

1375-431: The United States, she was: A resident of Alexandria, Virginia, for approximately 30 years until her death, Barrett was aware that she lived in the house where Richard Bland Lee had drafted the document establishing the District of Columbia. It had been owned by Elisha C. Dick , one of the physicians attending George Washington on his deathbed as well as a noted abolitionist and early mayor of Alexandria. Barrett joined

1430-433: The areas of health care, employment for women, and children's rights. The organization campaigned for equality for women and for recognition of women's needs... Despite differences in class and race with most of their clients, FC volunteers tried to emphasize gender identity.... It would be a long time before a group of women had the resources to duplicate Crittenton efforts. Insisting that all mothers had something to say and

1485-547: The care for the home residents. "This combination of modern facilities, sympathetic care, and an atmosphere that was conducive to women exercising control over their own treatment caused many women to select Crittenton hospitals over other alternatives, and probably speeded the transition from home births to hospital births in some locations." Two of Barrett's offspring led the National Florence Crittenton Mission after her. With duties split in

1540-723: The catalog, and the collection had added more biographies, fiction, and magazines. The library was housed in several locations over the ensuing years, including the New Market House next to the City Hall, the Lyceum Company building, and Peabody Hall, which was owned by the Alexandria School Board. Raising funds for the library was a continuing challenge. In 1853, a lecture series was created to raise money. Speakers included Professor Joseph Henry of

1595-529: The city's diverse population. The Alexandria Library also started offering passport services at the Barrett Branch and Beatley Central Library in October 2016. Non-Residents of the city who work, own property or attend school in the city may obtain a library card without charge. Non-Residents that live in an area that will offer reciprocal library card privileges to Alexandria residents may also obtain

1650-511: The country and abroad, at the time of her death one-third of all maternity homes in the U.S. were affiliated with the Florence Crittenton chain. Although Charles Crittenton's emphasis was on rescuing prostitutes, he agreed with Barrett that unmarried mothers and their children were important. Under Barrett's influence, the emphasis slowly shifted to prioritizing unmarried mothers with a secondary emphasis on prostitutes. Barrett

1705-536: The family back to Alexandria, Virginia, she was freed from the daily work of the Atlanta rescue home, and systematically pursued Crittenton's idea for a national association of homes. In 1895, they founded the National Florence Crittenton Mission , with Crittenton as president and Barrett as vice president. Upon the death of her husband on September 12, 1896, Crittenton added general superintendent to Barrett's roles, which she pursued as

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1760-597: The first one in New York City in 1883 following the death of his beloved four-year-old daughter, Florence, after whom he named them. He established others in California and then, in conjunction with the Women's Christian Temperance Union , in various parts of the U.S. However, he confided to Barrett that he feared that isolated homes would collapse after a period of initial enthusiasm. When Barrett's husband moved

1815-535: The founders of the Society once again met at Wise's home to establish a subscription library. During the first year, 119 men joined the circulating library which was to be called the Library Company of Alexandria. Members agreed to pay an initiation fee and annual dues. The company was chartered as a corporation in 1798 in an act passed by the General Assembly of Virginia . Druggist Edward Stabler

1870-535: The interments would not be disturbed, although the few gravestones were transferred to the Woodlawn Quaker Meetinghouse and a granite marker acknowledges the former use. Thus, the new library building was built without a basement, but rather on a concrete slab foundation (as were subsequent additions). The Library Company cooperated in this effort, contracting with the Alexandria City Council to turn over its collections to City of Alexandria as

1925-625: The lessons of cruelty and lack of appreciation of the rights of others cultivated in me." Katherine Waller attended Arlington Institute for Girls in Alexandria, Virginia , after the Civil War. On July 19, 1876, she married Robert South Barrett (1851–1896), a young Episcopal minister fresh out of seminary, who had been recently assigned to the nearby Aquia Church . It was while traveling with and assisting her husband with his work in Virginia , Kentucky and Georgia , that she first witnessed

1980-582: The library consists of a new central building (built in 2000 and named for mayor Charles E. Beatley ) and four branch libraries, and includes two special divisions: Local History /Special Collections (in what became the Kate Waller Barret Branch Library) and a Talking Books division for the blind and visually handicapped. The other library buildings are: the Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library,

2035-549: The library moved to the Confederate Hall, now known as the Robert E. Lee Camp Hall Museum, where it stayed for 34 years. In 1937, Dr. Robert South Barrett donated funds to build a public library in memory of his mother, physician Dr. Kate Waller Barrett (1857-1925). The Society of Friends granted a 99-year lease for use of its former Quaker Burial Ground (then used as a playground). An informal agreement provided that

2090-557: The library's budget was collected from the taxes paid by every American Citizen regardless their race, the lawyer Samuel Wilbert Tucker organized in 1939 a pacific sit-in at the new and "whites only" Alexandria, Virginia public library (Kate Waller Barret branch) that lead to their arrest by Virginia's police. The 1939 event is commonly cited as the first non-violent protest by African Americans against racial segregation . The museum has changing exhibitions on local and national topics related to African Americans. The museum also operates

2145-492: The library's collection was published in 1797. The collection grew over time, bolstered in part by the fact that some members paid their dues in books. Most members were initially men, although records exist showing some women were members as early as 1798. One noted female member in 1817 was Mary L.F. Custis , wife of George Washington Parke Custis . The catalog published in 1801 indicated a collection of 452 books, mostly on history and travel. By 1815, there were 1,022 entries in

2200-923: The local history collection (since 1937) is named in her honor. When Barrett died on February 23, 1925, the flag over the Virginia Capitol in Richmond was flown at half-staff. She was the first woman in the history of the commonwealth to be so honored. In 2006, the Library of Virginia honored Barrett as one of the Virginia Women in History . Barrett served on the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia , and

2255-487: The new chapter changed its name to the Kate Waller Barrett Chapter in her honor. Barrett was active in the preservation or improvement of several other local historic buildings and sites, including Arlington National Cemetery , and Custis-Lee Mansion , home of Robert E. Lee . Barrett also championed the creation of a Shenandoah National Park . Thus, the Alexandria public library branch holding

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2310-541: The new library), staged a peaceable sit-in at the library to enable African Americans to use that public facility in the first known non-violent sit-in of the Civil rights movement in America. Although they were arrested, charges were ultimately dropped by city attorney Armistead Boothe , and a branch library was built in 1940 for African Americans and named after Robert H. Robinson, which closed circa 1960 and now houses

2365-515: The power of God that rules the Universe, I would spend my life trying to wipe out some of the inequalities that were meted out to my sisters who were so helpless to help themselves." When Rev. Barrett was assigned to Atlanta in 1886, Katherine Barrett, with his encouragement, pursued a medical degree, while also establishing what came to be her first shelter for unwed mothers. The Women's Medical College of Georgia awarded Barrett an M.D. in 1892 and

2420-421: The same way that Charles Crittenton and she had functioned early on, her eldest son Robert South Barrett, Jr. (the little boy she had once mentally compared to the child of the unmarried mother at the door all those years ago) served as her successor as NFCM president, while daughter Reba Barrett Smith served as vice president and general superintendent. Katherine Barrett was a charter member and vice president of

2475-464: The school board to open a subscription library in Peabody Hall, using the old books stored there. Permission was given and doors to the new subscription library opened on December 1, 1897. In 1902, the library moved to the first floor of a house in the 1300 block of Prince Street while negotiations were underway for a permanent move to the Confederate Hall, located at 806 Prince Street. In May 1903,

2530-431: The similarities between herself and the young woman, and concluded that only luck separated her from the young woman in her home; one of them had fallen in love with a "good" man and one with a "bad" one. Furthermore, from her own experiences as a slaveholder and with Jim Crow laws, Barrett also realized how spirits could be broken by degradation. Profoundly moved by her new-found bond with this "fallen" woman, she vowed, "By

2585-412: The social problems which would form the impetus for her life's work. In particular, soon after Robert South Barrett, Jr., the first of their six children, was born in Richmond, Virginia, a young unmarried woman with her own child begged for help at their door. The Barretts provided the young woman with a meal and listened as she told of being deserted by a man who had promised marriage. Barrett recognized

2640-785: The women involved. Nevertheless, Crittenton homes served a purpose and filled a void that provided a real service to women enduring considerable personal turmoil." Finding the treatment of women in regular hospitals to be unsatisfactory, many Florence Crittenton homes came to build their own. For example, the Florence Crittenton Home in Sioux City, Iowa included hospital care in its original 1906 building, and then built an entire hospital next door in 1913. Like most Crittenton hospitals, it featured primarily female staff and welcomed all women (not just home inmates) to use it. The fees charged to middle-class patients helped pay for

2695-609: Was "[o]ne of the most prominent women of her time". Barrett was born Katherine Harwood Waller at her family's historic estate, Clifton, in Widewater, Virginia , to Ann Eliza Stribbling Waller and Withers Waller on January 24, 1857. Her family owned slaves on several large plantations, and Barrett's two young black playmates named Jane and Lucy were "given" to young Kate as a birthday gift on her sixth birthday by her grandmother. Later regretting these circumstances, Barrett stated "I looked upon them as mine by 'divine right' and many were

2750-462: Was a prominent Virginia physician, humanitarian, philanthropist, sociologist and social reformer, best known for her leadership of the National Florence Crittenton Mission , which she founded in 1895 with Charles Nelson Crittenton . Her causes included helping the "outcast woman, the mistreated prisoner, those lacking in educational and social opportunity, the voteless woman, and the disabled war veteran." Although comparatively little known today, she

2805-430: Was elected the first librarian and the library's first location is believed to have been housed in his apothecary shop . James Kennedy was elected the second librarian, and the library moved to his residence and place of business. Kennedy sold books from his personal collection to the Library Company. Those books and other bought from two local merchants formed the foundation of the subscription library. The first catalog of

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2860-456: Was instrumental in helping unwed mothers become an acceptable subject of philanthropy. She successfully advocated her social reform views by giving a number of public speeches and publishing a number of articles on the plight of the unwed mother. Although the NFCM shifted its emphasis from prostitution to unmarried mothers, Barrett led forcefully when the anti-prostitution scare under the label of "white slavery" surfaced around 1910. "When many in

2915-442: Was perhaps less successful in leading Florence Crittenton workers on the class divisions that crept into their work. While unwed mothers were hardly restricted at the time to the working class, middle-class and wealthy women had access to resources that could shield them from censure. As a result, Florence Crittenton work has been characterized as mostly middle-class people "meddling" in working class lives "in an effort to bring about

2970-564: Was sold to a private owner who planned to turn the building into a private residence and asked the library to remove what was left of the collection. Funds continued to be hard to come by and in 1879, the Library Company closed. The remainder of its collection was stored in Peabody Hall. In 1897, a group of women in Alexandria formed the Alexandria Library Association. The leaders of the group were Virginia Corse, Mrs. William B. Smoot, and Virginia Burke. They petitioned

3025-592: Was the first woman to be made an honorary member of their Phi Beta Kappa chapter. A dormitory has also been named for her. In Virginia, three institutions are named after her: Barrett had a tremendous impact on the developing field of social work and on services for women and children. Under her leadership, the NFCM became an established social service organization that provided a wide spectrum of services to women. The mission initiated activities that many now consider essential services for women and children. Florence Crittenton homes pioneered women-oriented policies in

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