Discovery of the YWCA’s hidden history prompts a deeper dive
By Eric Dawson
A time capsule was discovered recently at the YWCA during renovations to the 100-year-old building at the corner of Clinch Avenue and Walnut Street in downtown Knoxville. In 1925, the metal box was sealed and placed in a wall of the building, where it awaited discovery by some future explorer.
Items in the box include: postcards and newspapers from the era; a 1921 copy of the YWCA Constitution; a document from 1925 outlining the history of Knoxville’s YWCA; a roster from 1924 of all the workers involved in the building’s construction; and a Bible. The organization plans to display some of these items when it reopens, but until then the items are on display at the East Tennessee History Center.
An interesting discovery to be sure, and it got me thinking about how many time capsule-like items are already housed at the ETHC in the form of collections and items donated or acquired over the years. This includes the YWCA Collection, which contains information about the recently discovered time capsule.
McClung Historical Collection assistant reference librarian Amelia Winburne processed the YWCA Collection earlier this year and gave us an idea of the type of materials found within:
“Twenty-six boxes donated by the YWCA contain items pertaining to the building itself, such as blueprints, renovation budgets, information on HVAC units and elevator maintenance. There’s also a vast amount of material related to the organization’s mission and history, including meeting minutes, scrapbooks, photographs, files, banners and publications.
“Within the collection, you’ll find advertisements directed towards young women who just moved to Knoxville with no support system, little to no job prospects and in need of a place to stay. A safe and comfortable room, along with community and connection, were promised at the downtown YWCA. You’ll find rosters and correspondence for continuing education courses like language classes, dance clubs, art lessons or secretarial classes for women wanting to join the workforce. More exotically, there are itineraries for lengthy trips abroad to Europe and Hawaii hosted by the YWCA. Internal staff and club newsletters, fundraising guidelines and grants and national and international reports all boast of the qualified success that is the Knoxville YWCA. The sheer volume of clubs, services, workshops, lecture series and classes all dedicated to the betterment and improvement of Knoxville’s youth and women overwhelms and inspires.”
Apart from the large YWCA Collection, which spans from its inception at the turn of the century to the 1990s, the McClung Collection holds a few other interesting items related to the organization, such as a proposed but unbuilt YWCA building drawing from 1914. Dozens of photographs of the 1925 building exterior and interior over the years, as well as views of the previous building, are viewable at the online McClung Digital Collection.
The YWCA Collection is just one of many “time capsules” available for research and perusal at the McClung Historical Collection on the third floor of the ETHC. Best of all, the items therein aren’t in a sealed box hidden in a wall, but rather are easily findable through the McClung Collection ArchivesSpace catalog or online digital collection, just waiting to be discovered by you.
dawson@blanknews.com
