We were recently saddened to learn of the closing of Hull House in Chicago, the Chicago social services organization founded more than 120 years ago by the Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams. Founded in 1889, Hull House was the first Chicago settlement house and arguably the most famous of hundreds of settlement houses that flourished in the early part of 20th Century America. The settlements were designed to provide services to immigrants and the poor, while uplifting them through culture, education, and recreation.
In addition to her work at Hull House, Jane Addams served as the first female president of the National Conference of Social Work in 1910. She went on to establish the National Federation of Settlements the next year and held that organization's top post for more than twenty years.
Using Addam's settlement model, Edith Terry Bremer,whopioneered immigrant social service work, foundedthe International Institute Movement in 1910. The mission of the Institute Movement at that time was to work to improve the lives of female immigrants. She directed the YWCA Department of Immigration and Foreign Communities (c. 1920-32).
Both Addams and Bremer must have crossed paths frequently since both of them were such active players in the settlement movement. One such example of their paths crossing was on November 19, 1919, when Jane Addams traveled to St. Louis to serve as the keynote speaker at our founding ceremony.
So, our roots and the roots of Hull House are intertwined from our very beginning and at least for one fleeting moment. Jane Addams, an iconic leader and pacifist, was a part of our personal history here in St. Louis as well.
Vol. 1, No. 2 March 2012 
