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3. Provenance 4. Inventory 5. Subjects |
Block-Aid Records Charitable group, Providence, R.I. Records, 1922 Size: 0.25 linear feet Catalog number: MSS 1073 Processed by: Rick Stattler, June 2001 ©Rhode Island Historical Society Manuscripts Division |
Historical note:
Block-Aid was a fund-raising street festival held on June 2 and June 3 of 1922 to benefit the financially troubled Rhode Island Hospital. It was held on Brown Street in the wealthy College Hill neighborhood, but drew in participants from community groups in every part of the city. The local Swedish and Italian communities each sponsored a booth, and many of the outlying towns participated as well. The event featured street dancing, a "gypsy tent," vaudeville acts, a circus, and a French cafe. A victory ball was held at the Biltmore Hotel. It was billed as "the biggest event ever staged for charity." When the final receipts were tallied up, a gift of $106,000 was made to Rhode Island Hospital.
Scope and content:
This collection consists of the files kept by the chair of the Block-Aid Executive Committee, Isabel (Harris) Metcalf. She was the daughter of Woonsocket industrialist Edward Harris, and generally used the name Mrs. I. Harris Metcalf. The files include minutes, committee membership lists, reports, and a scrapbook of newspaper clippings, all dating from 1922.
Provenance:
These records were donated in 1992 and 2001 by Daphne Metcalf Mowett.
Inventory:
Folder 1. Minutes, 1/13/1922 - 3/24/1922
Folder 2. Minutes, 3/31/1922 - 6/9/1922
Folder 3. Committee membership and reports (filed after the 3/24/1922 minutes)
Folder 4. Reports, etc., 6/1922 - 8/1922
Folder 5. Scrapbook, 1922
Subjects:
Brown Street (Providence, R.I.)
Charities - Rhode Island - Providence
Fairs - Rhode Island - Providence
Metcalf, Isabel (Harris), 1854-1943
Providence, R.I. - Social life and customs
Rhode Island Hospital (Providence, R.I.)
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RIHS1822