Mar 20 at 10:30 AM - Sale 2697 -

Sale 2697 - Lot 165

Estimate: $ 600 - $ 900
(EDUCATION.) Letter announcing plans for the Philadelphia House of Refuge for Colored Children. Autograph Letter Signed from James J. Barclay as chairman of the Executive Committee to Benjamin Patton of Pittsburgh, PA. One page, 10 x 8 inches, plus address panel with inked postmark; mailing folds, minor wear and staining to address panel. Philadelphia, 13 June 1849
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Additional Details

The Philadelphia House of Refuge opened in 1828 as a means of rehabilitating white juvenile delinquents and homeless children. The House of Refuge for Colored Children opened in December 1849, operating on the same campus with a similar curriculum, but strictly segregated. This letter announces the new program's imminent launch:

"You will, I am sure, be gratified to learn that the Refuge for Colored Children is now so far advanced that we may confidently look for its being opened ere the year shall close. You will undoubtedly be apprised when the board will be prepared to receive colored inmates."

The letter's recipient Benjamin Patton was trying to launch a similar program on the other side of the state in Pittsburgh. In 1850, he published "A Plea for a House of Refuge for Western Pennsylvania" (not included here).

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