Pauline Agassiz Shaw facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pauline Agassiz Shaw
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Pauline Agassiz
February 6, 1841 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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| Died | February 10, 1917 (aged 76) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Resting place | Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston |
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| Spouse(s) | Quincy Adams Shaw |
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Pauline Agassiz Shaw (born February 6, 1841 – died February 10, 1917) was an American woman who helped many people. She was a philanthropist, meaning she used her money to help others. She was also a social reformer, working to make society better. Pauline opened places like day care centers and community houses in Boston. These places helped new immigrants and people who were poor. She also paid for public kindergartens, which were later adopted by Boston's schools. She even helped start America's first trade school, the North Bennet Street School. Pauline was also a strong supporter of women's rights.
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Pauline's Early Life
Pauline Agassiz was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, on February 6, 1841. Her father was Louis Agassiz, a famous scientist who studied nature.
In 1850, Pauline and her family moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. Her father became a professor at Harvard University. Later, her father married Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz, who helped start Radcliffe College. Elizabeth was a big influence on Pauline's life.
In 1860, when she was 19, Pauline married Quincy Adams Shaw. They had five children together: Pauline, Marian, Louis Agassiz Shaw, Sr., Quincy Adams, and Robert Gould Shaw II.
Helping Others in Boston
Pauline Agassiz Shaw married into a very rich and well-known family in Boston. She used her new wealth and social standing to help people who were struggling.
At that time, many immigrants from Ireland, Jewish communities, and Italy moved to Boston. Many of them were poor, did not have special job skills, and did not speak English well.
Job Training and Education
To help these new residents learn job skills, Pauline co-founded America's first trade school. This school was called the North Bennet Street Industrial School. It is now known as the North Bennet Street School and is still helping people today.
Pauline also worked with her friend Elizabeth Peabody. Together, they funded fourteen public kindergartens starting in 1878. They showed how useful these early childhood schools were. The public schools in Boston officially started using this kindergarten model in the late 1880s.
Day Care and Community Centers
Pauline opened "day nurseries," which were like day care centers. These places gave a safe environment for the children of women who worked.
She also opened "neighborhood houses" in Boston and Cambridge. These were also called settlement houses. They offered social services to families. What made these houses special was that everyone was welcome, no matter their race.
One of these, the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House, is still open today. Other important centers she helped establish included:
- Cottage Place Neighborhood House (1876)
- Children's House (1878), now called Roxbury Neighborhood House
- Moore Street Neighborhood House (1879)
- Ruggles Street Neighborhood House (1879)
- North Bennett Street Industrial School (1881)
- Civic Service House (1901)
- Social Service House (1902)
Fighting for Women's Rights
Pauline Agassiz Shaw was a strong supporter of women's rights. She believed women should have the right to vote. She was the president of the Boston Equal Suffrage Association for Good Government for 16 years. Suffrage means the right to vote.
She also supported the Woman's Journal, which was a newspaper that promoted women's right to vote. Pauline and her husband also worked to make prisons better.
Pauline's Legacy
Pauline Agassiz Shaw passed away on February 10, 1917. She is remembered in two places on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail. This trail honors important women from Boston's history.
The Pauline Agassiz Shaw Elementary School in Boston is named after her. Her work helped many people in Boston and changed the way society supported its citizens.
Images for kids
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Plaque in Jamaica Plain remembering one of Shaw's first kindergartens.
