Contents


Descriptive Summary

BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE

SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE RECORDS

SELECTED SEARCH TERMS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

Ser.1 Correspondence

Ser.2 Miscellaneous

An Inventory of Sky Island Papers, 1945-1947

Finding Aid Prepared by FHL staff

2009

Descriptive Summary

Creator Pottenger, Flora E., 1890-1980
Title Sky Island Papers
Dates: 1945-1947
Abstract: Sky Island was a refugee vacation hostel run by the American Friends Service Committee in copperation with the American Christian Committee for Refugees from about 1938 until at least 1947. Flora E. Pottenger was a teacher from Warsaw, Indiana, who worked at Sky Island during the summer of 1946. Her Sky Island papers, all photocopies, include correspondence, reports, and photographs.
Extent: .2 linear feet
Identification: RG4/121
Location: For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Location:

BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE

Sky Island was a refugee vacation hostel run by the American Friends Service Committee in cooperation with the American Christian Committee for Refugees from about 1938 until at least 1947. After two years in Aberdeen, New York, Sky Island moved to a large home in Nyack lent to the program by its owner, Viola Wertheim Bernard. Operating solely during the summer months, Sky Island accomodated a group of 30-40 refugees and provided a respite from the summer heat for those refugees who otherwise could not have afforded the expense of a vacation. The program relied on a mostly volunteer staff of 8-10 to direct, teach English, and provide an American atmosphere.

Flora E. Pottenger was a teacher from Warsaw, Indiana, who worked at Sky Island during the summer of 1946. She was born in 1890, and married Thurl Pottenger, a hardware store owner, about 1920; they had a son, Hal Walker Pottenger, who was a conscientious objector in World War II and served in Waldport CPS Camp, and a daughter, Peggy. Flora died in Michigan in 1980.

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SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE RECORDS

This collection includes photocopies of Flora Pottenger's correspondence, refugee reports, job descriptions, and other documents. Taken together, the material presents an in-depth view of life at Sky Island during the summer of 1946. Of particular interest is a color photocopy of a photographic album by A. Mamonoff.

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SELECTED SEARCH TERMS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Friends Historical Library (TRIPOD). Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings:

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

Ser.1 Correspondence


Box


1
Correspondence 1945-1947 1 folder
Correspondence received and sent. Includes letters sent from Flora to her husband, Thurl ("Daddy"), as well as letters received by Flora from some of the refugees after their stay at Sky Island.

Ser.2 Miscellaneous


Box


1
Refugee Reports 1946 1 folder
Copies of typescript reports on individual refuges with vitals and esssays on family and history, health, personality, education, employment, and future plans.


Miscellaneous Reports and Memos 1946 & n.d. 1 folder
Includes copy of confidential memo on the relationship between the staff of Sky Island and the American Christian Committee for Refugees.


Photographic Album 1946 1 folder
Album includes photographs by A. Mamonoff of refugees and staff at Sky Island during the summer of 1946.


Newspaper Clippings 1946 & n.d. 1 folder