Lincoln School for Nurses collection

1869-2002

The Lincoln School for Nurses, a privately endowed institution, was founded in 1898 in the Bronx to train black women to become nurses at a time when this kind of education was not available elsewhere. It was the first school of its type in the United States. The Lincoln School was located on the site of the Society for the Relief of Worthy Indigent Colored Persons, which began operation in 1839. In 1902 its name was changed to Lincoln Hospital and Home, and in the 1920's it became affiliated with Lincoln Hospital, which was operated by the City of New York. The Lincoln School's first graduating class was in 1900, with a total of six graduates. 1961 was the year of its last graduating class. A total of 1,864 black women from the United States, Haiti and other Caribbean countries, Bermuda and Africa attended the Lincoln School for Nurses. The Alumnae Association was formed in 1905. The collection consists primarily of printed material, including several histories of Lincoln School, and incorporation papers for the School and Alumnae Association. The School is also represented by yearbooks (1931-1961), and annual reports (1906-1961 - scattered), the School newspaper entitled The Chevron and an invitation to the first graduation of 1900. Included are news bulletins and 40th anniversary commemorative journals honoring earlier classes. Of particular interest are photocopies of annual reports for the Society for the Relief of Worthy Indigent Colored Persons from 1840, 1841 and 1842.