Join us at the next installment of our story-sharing series, “Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine” on Thursday, March 14th at 6:30pm at Memorial Hall (1225 Elm Street in the Studio Room). Have you ever heard of a settlement house? Do you know why they are important in Cincinnati's history? Do you know that a few of these 19th-century immigrant aid organizations are still going strong today? Speakers Christine Anderson, Alexis Kidd, and Anne Delano Steinert will lead a three-part discussion that explores Settlement houses in Cincinnati - past, present, and future.
First, historian Anne Delano Steinert will share an overview of settlement house history in the U.S., Cincinnati, and Over-the-Rhine. Then historian Christine Anderson will discuss the Santa Maria Italian Educational and Industrial Home established by the Sisters of Charity in 1897 at 13th and Republic in Over-the-Rhine. Finally, Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses executive director, Alexis Kidd Zaffer, will discuss the community and family services organization she leads, from its roots in the settlement house to its significance today.
Reserve your seat today! Tickets can be reserved on a “pay what you would like” donation basis (link above). We recommend $10 per person. Doors open at 6:00 PM and the program begins at 6:30 PM. A cash bar will be available throughout the event. Walk-ins are welcome until we reach room capacity.
This Three Acts event will be held in Memorial Hall’s studio room on the lower level. The entrance is along the north side of the building, facing Music Hall (different from the main entrance facing the park). Parking can be found at the Washington Park garage, nearby lots, or on-street. Bus and streetcar stops are located across from Memorial Hall. This program can also be viewed live via facebook.com/OTRmuseum.
PROGRAM SPEAKERS
Anne Delano Steinert
Anne Delano Steinert, PhD is a historian, preservationist, and educator with twenty-five years’ experience using the built world as a tool for historical understanding. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor of History at the University of Cincinnati. Anne is the founding Board Chair of the Over-the-Rhine Museum. She has curated local exhibits including Look Here! (2015) which mounted fifty historic images on telephone poles throughout Over-the-Rhine, Schools for the City: Cincinnati’s Public School Architecture from 1832 to World War II (2016), and the award-winning Finding Kenyon-Barr: Exploring Photographs of Cincinnati’s Lost Lower West End (2017-2018). Anne holds a BA in historic preservation from Goucher College, an MS in historic preservation from Columbia University, and an MA and PhD in urban American history from the University of Cincinnati.
As immigration increased in the second half of the 19th century, American cities struggled to meet the needs of new immigrants. The settlement house movement emerged as a social service network to address issues including childcare, language acquisition, housing conditions, and assimilation. Funded by a philanthropic commitment to easing urban ills and staffed largely by women, these organizations were some of the country’s earliest social service providers. Steinert’s talk will provide a brief overview of the settlement house movement generally and then narrow in on 19th-century settlement houses in Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine.
Christine Anderson
Christine Anderson taught in the Xavier University History Department for 30 years; at various times she chaired the History Department and the Public History and the Gender and Diversity Studies Programs. Her research on Sisters Justina and Blandina Segale and the Santa Maria settlement has appeared in the Journal of Women’s Studies and Catholic University’s digital American Catholic History Classroom.
Sisters of Charity Justina and Blandina Segale founded the Santa Maria Institute in 1897 to serve the increasing number of Italian immigrants to Cincinnati. They had already worked in schools in the American Southwest for 30 years, and they would work just as long at Santa Maria. The Sisters adopted the term “settlement” because it linked their social service to the broader Progressive movement of the time. While the Santa Maria operated like other settlements and cooperated with the Americanization efforts that arose during and after the First World War, it was distinctive in its stress on preserving Italian immigrants’ Catholic faith.
Alexis Kidd Zaffer
Alexis Kidd Zaffer is the executive director of Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses. She has been with the organization for over 20 years. Alexis was introduced to the West End Community through a service-learning course at the University of Cincinnati. This experience sparked her love and passion for the community and solidified Cincinnati as her home. After graduation she served as an Americorps volunteer, tutoring students and co-hosting clubs including Seven Hills’ before and after-school programs at Heberle School. Following Americorps, Alexis served as Heberle’s intervention specialist until she took on a full-time role as Youth Programming Coordinator for Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses. Today, her role as executive director enables her to live out her passion for children, families, and the West End community.
Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses has been pivotal in creating Camp Joy, 4Cs for Children, local community learning centers, the Community Land Trust, and other community-building initiatives. Alexis will share the rich history of Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses and its past directors who laid the foundation and pillars of the organization. She will discuss the roots of the settlement house model and the significance of the work still today.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine is an innovative lecture series designed to expose attendees to stories of the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Each event features three, fifteen-minute talks and concludes with a group question and answer period.
The Over-the-Rhine Museum welcomes your support for these provocative stories. Donate online at www.otrmuseum.org/donate.
ABOUT THE OVER-THE-RHINE MUSEUM
The Over-the-Rhine Museum inspires understanding and respect for the people who have created and lived in Cincinnati’s historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood by working with community members and visitors to uncover, present, and preserve their stories in an immersive experience.
Photo: University Settlement House courtesy of the University of Cincinnati Archive and Rare Books Library