The Florence Crittenton Home is a national organization creating shelters for unwed mothers and women "who need help in order to give up lives of prostitution, drug addiction, or alcoholism." The first shelter was founded in New York City by Charles Nelson Crittenton (1833-1909). The organization was named in memory of his daughter, who had died at age four. In 1891, Crittenton came in contact with Dr. Kate Waller Barrett (1857-1925), of Atlanta. As the wife of St. Luke's Episcopal Church Pastor, Robert South Barrett, Dr. Barrett had been working to provide shelters similar to the Crittenton Homes in Atlanta . Crittenton and Barrett joined forces to build the Florence Crittenton Home in Atlanta. It opened its doors in 1892. The Florence Crittenton Home of Atlanta strived for more than 80 years to provide medical and educational assistance to unwed mothers and adoption services to new born babies. Through much of its history, up to the 1950s, the home operated a farm and dairy in an attempt to remain self sufficient. Donations from wealthy patrons and financial assistance from the city provided additional resources. In the 1960s the facility became more reliant upon funding from the city of Atlanta and local grant giving agencies, including the Community Chest of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc., the Margaret Mitchell Fund, the John Bulow Campbell Foundation, and the Whitehead Foundation. The organization was governed by a board of trustees consisting of prominent individuals in Atlanta society. By 1894, Dr. Barrett and her husband were transferred to Washington, D. C. where she continued her work with Crittenton and the national organization. When Crittenton died in 1909, Dr. Barrett took over as the President of the National Florence Crittenton Missions. She continued her work until her own death in 1925. Although the Atlanta chapter of the Florence Crittenton Home closed in 1981, the National Florence Crittenton Missions continue to operate in major cities in the United States, providing resources and assistance to unwed mothers throughout the country.
From the description of Florence Crittenton Home for Unwed Mothers Collection, 1955-1973. (Atlanta History Center). WorldCat record id: 432288699
