Kingswood School Records
Collection Scope
The records in this collection cover Kingswood School from its beginnings in 1930 through 1985, when the school merged with Cranbrook School to become Cranbrook Kingswood School. Post-merger schools materials can be found in the Cranbrook Schools collection. There are four series in the Kingswood School Records:
Series I: Administrative (1930-1985) contains Kingswood Board of Directors and Board of Trustees materials and Headmistress/master office files.
Series II: Topical Files (1931-1985) provides the best look at student life at Kingswood, although there are many gaps in the holdings.
Series III: Oversized Materials (1931-1985) contains a handwritten book created by the Class of 1941 documenting the history of Kingswood School to that point. A similar book was later written by the Class of 1964. Also in this series are four scrapbooks containing programs, brochures, and news clippings describing student activities from 1931-1970s.
Series IV: Realia/Memorabilia (1932-1967) contains such diverse materials as a field hockey uniform, a mathematic textbook used by Grace Fry, and the mold for the Kingswood School letter opener.
Dates
- 1930 - 1985
Creator
- Cranbrook Kingswood School (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) (Organization)
Access
Access to the collection is unrestricted, wiht the exception of a few folders, restricted for privacy concerns. Those folders are accessible at the discretion of the archivists.
Use
Permission to use collection materials must be requested in writing.
History
Kingswood School Cranbrook was a day and boarding school for girls beginning with the seventh grade and continuing through the twelfth grade. Kingswood School was established through a deed of Trust executed on July 24, 1930 between the Cranbrook Foundation and a Board of Trustees consisting of William T. Barbour, Ralph Stone, Luman W. Goodenough, Alvan Macauley, Clarence H. Booth, James Inglis, and Sidney D. Waldon. The Board selected Gladys Turnbach, of Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as the first Headmistress. After serving just a few months, Miss Turnbach resigned in December 1930. Her successor, Katharine Rogers Adams, was chosen in 1931.
An early and ongoing supporter of this school for girls was Ellen Scripps Booth, who, according to legend, admonished her husband to “remember the girls” when planning what would eventually become the Cranbrook Educational Community. Mrs. Booth provided much of the initial monetary support during the planning and construction of Kingswood School, named after George G. Booth’s paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Kingswood.
Eliel Saarinen was chosen as the chief architect for Kingswood School. Saarinen involved his entire family, as well as other designers and craftsmen, in the creation of a harmonious integration of art, design, and architecture. The school opened to great acclaim in 1931, and is known today as one of Saarinen’s best works.
Kingswood operated for three years, from 1927-1930, in quarters provided at Brookside School. The school formally opened on September 21, 1931 with an enrollment of eighty-one students and seven faculty, namely: Alice Belding, Grace Fry, Luella Houser, Marthe LeLoupp, Ruth McClelland, Marion Reid, and Josephine Waldo. Miss Waldo and Miss Fry taught for several years at Brookside School prior to the establishment of Kingswood.
In 1973, the Cranbrook administration reorganized, establishing an educational community with three divisions: Academy of Art, Institute of Science, and Schools. Although each school retained a Headmistress or Headmaster, common administrative services governed them. In 1985, Cranbrook School and Kingswood School merged to become the co-educational Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School. The Kingswood campus now hosts all Upper School English, history, and visual arts classes. Foreign languages, science, math, religion, and performing arts are taught at the Cranbrook campus. The Middle Schools remain single sex, with the Girls Middle School occupying the lower level of the Kingswood School building, and the Boys Middle School at the Vaughan Campus.
HEADMISTRESSES/HEADMASTERS OF KINGSWOOD SCHOOL:
1930-1931: Gladys Turnbach
1931-1934: Katharine Rogers Adams
1934-1950: Margaret Avery Auger
1950-1967: Marion E. Goodale
1967-1968: John R.O. McKean
1968-1971: Frances P. Donohue Hanson
1971-1976: Wilfred J. Hemmer
1976-1980: William C. Prescott, Jr.
1980-1985: Mary Bramson
Extent
21.5 Linear Feet ((31 MS, 2 SB, 3 OS) )
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Kingswood School Cranbrook was a day and boarding school for girls beginning with the seventh grade and continuing through the twelfth grade. Kingswood School was established through a deed of Trust executed on July 24, 1930, between the Cranbrook Foundation and a Board of Trustees consisting of William T. Barbour, Ralph Stone, Luman W. Goodenough, Alvan Macauley, Clarence H. Booth, James Inglis, and Sidney D. Waldon. The Board selected Gladys Turnbach, of Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as the first Headmistress. After serving just a few months, Miss Turnbach resigned in December 1930. Her successor, Katharine Rogers Adams, was chosen in 1931. An early and ongoing supporter of this school for girls was Ellen Scripps Booth, who provided much of the initial monetary support during the planning and construction of Kingswood School, which is named after George G. Booth’s paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Kingswood. Kingswood operated for three years, from 1927-1930, in quarters provided at Brookside School before the Kingswood School formally opened on September 21, 1931. The records in this collection cover Kingswood School from its beginnings in 1930 through 1985, when the school merged with Cranbrook School to become Cranbrook Kingswood School. It documents the administration of the school with coverage of Board of Directors and Board of Trustees materials, and Headmistress/master office files. It also documents student life at Kingswood.
Arrangement
There are four series in the Kingswood School collection: Administrative (boxes 1-13) arranged alphabetically by subject, then chronologically within the subject; Topical Files (boxes 14-24) arranged alphabetically by subject, then chronologically; Oversized Materials (boxes 25-27); and Realia/Memorabilia (boxes 28-29).
Additional Access
An index to the collection is available.
Acquisition
The collection was received through many smaller accessions over several years.
Transfers
Photographs were removed to the Archives’ Photograph files under Kingswood School.
Processing History
Processed by Amy Neuville in 2001.
- Cranbrook School (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)
- Art -- Study and teaching
- Barbour, William T.
- Bauder, Lillian
- Booth, George G. (George Gough), 1864-1949
- Booth, Ellen Warren Scripps, 1863-1948
- Booth, Henry Scripps, 1897-1988
- Buckberrough, John
- Christ Church Cranbrook (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)
- Cranbrook Academy of Art
- Cranbrook Foundation
- Cranbrook House & Gardens (Organization)
- Cranbrook Institute of Science
- Education
- Frayer, William Alley
- Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998
- Kausch, Jack
- Milles, Carl, 1875-1955
- Saarinen, Eliel, 1873-1950
- Sculpture
- Sepeshy, Zoltan, 1898-1974
- Stump, M. Pamela
- Weaving
Creator
- Cranbrook Kingswood School (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Kingswood School Records
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid written by Amy Neuville.
- Date
- 2001
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Edition statement
- Resource record created by Laura MacNewman.
Repository Details
Part of the Cranbrook Archives, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research Repository