The Civic League of Newport was founded in 1905 by a group of women with a strong concern for their community. They wished to improve social conditions, create better educational opportunities, and aid municipal government in making such improvements in Newport. The League was a precursor to government-run social services agencies. Some of its early accomplishments included the establishment of playgrounds, a psychiatric clinic, a visitor’s bureau, citizenship classes, the enactment of a city building law, and the management of a baby clinic. 

Elizabeth Swinburne was one of the League’s founders.  Born in 1854, she was the daughter of a Newport mayor, as well as a member of the Daughter’s of the American Revolution and the first woman to serve on the Board of Directors of the Redwood Library. She was particularly interested in the welfare of young people, and therefore opened her house for cooking and home management classes. Miss Swinburne also entertained naval officers with musical gatherings in her parlor. When she died in 1918, she bequeathed her 115 Pelham Street home and residuary estate to the Civic League to establish a “school where girls of sixteen and over may learn the duties of housewife and mother”.  

Established in 1924, the Swinburne School became the organization’s sole focus when other local organizations and city departments began to take over the Civic League’s original duties. Over the course of time, the Civic League of Newport became popularly referred to as simply “Swinburne School”. However, the organization did not legally change its name and until its closing in 2002, Swinburne School continued to conduct all legal and financial business as the Civic League of Newport. 

Over the next 70 years, Swinburne School became an integral part of the cultural and educational fabric of Newport. The school was originally dedicated to serving young mothers and underprivileged girls. Through the years, the curriculum expanded greatly and attracted both men and women. Courses included cooking, art, business, computers, crafts, language, movement, and personal growth. Swinburne’s courses can be viewed as a reflection of the people it served and the educational and social trends of the times in which they were offered. In 1992, the Swinburne School Mission was to “enrich the lives of its students by developing their insights, skills and talents; to serve residents of the Newport area through educational experiences; and to provide a forum for artists, craftspeople and community-oriented organizations.” 

A snapshot of Swinburne in the early 1990s shows 12 people on the Board of Directors and a full-time, paid staff that included an Executive Director, Program Coordinator, and Bookkeeper. Due to the organization’s small size, the Executive Director and Program Coordinator shared most responsibilities, with the Executive Director officially representing the school in the community and the Program Coordinator focusing on course-related activities. For the records included in this collection, significant people include Executive Directors Kay Parent (1989-1994) and Beverly Heegaard (1994-1996), Program Coordinators Lee Rush and Sis Held, Bookkeeper, Debbie Arnold and Brenda Finn, Chair of the Board of Directors.

In the early 1990s, Swinburne School began experiencing financial difficulties.  In the struggle to offer programming at a low cost and pay salaries and expenses, the building maintenance suffered. Although fundraising events, specifically participation in the Designer’s Showhouse, resolved many of the building issues, other challenges arose. The interests of the community began to change, household arts fell out of favor, and the Swinburne School struggled to fill its classes. In 1996, as a final attempt to keep the school operating, the Board of Directors removed the paid staff and attempted to run the school themselves. Finally, in 2002, the Board maneuvered around the technicalities of Miss Swinburne’s will and sold the Pelham Street house. The school was officially defunct. The endowment was used to create the Miss Swinburne Fund which awards scholarships to young women in Newport County. Elizabeth Swinburne’s legacy remains intact as this new manifestation carries forward her wish to help women in her beloved Newport community.
 

The materials in this collection were created from 1908 through 2002. The bulk of the records of administrative and course-related nature range from 1989-1997. The bulk of the financial records span the late 1920s through the 1990s. The collection includes office files (typed and handwritten), printed brochures, photographs, monographs and artifacts. Specifically, the office files include correspondence, annual reports, ledgers, invoices and meeting minutes. The content of this collection covers the activities related to the daily operation of the Swinburne School and its services. 

A significant portion of the records were produced by two Executive Directors, Kay Parent and Beverly Heegaard. A few outside organizations and persons are prominently mentioned within the collection. Public Works Association, a Rhode Island-based management consulting firm for non-profits, provided services in fund development beginning in 1991. Co-owner, Simone Joyeaux is mentioned frequently and in 1992, records begin referring to Joyeaux Associates which continued guiding Swinburne School on operational matters. Another prominent organization is Slocum, Gordon and Company, the investment management firm responsible for the school’s endowment. A portion of this collection was originally housed at the Redwood Library, and was acquired by the Newport Historical Society (NHS) in 2007.