Background on People's Institute (Northampton, Mass.)
People's Institute of Northampton, Massachusetts was an outgrowth of the Home Culture Club established in 1887 by George W. Cable. It met in members' homes for the purpose of helping working people spend their evenings in valuable reading and discussion, and for furthering the culture of the home as well as the individual. The club, renamed People's Institute in 1909, sponsored flower garden competitions, an evening school for adults, a school for the household arts, and more recently, after school play for children, a Golden Age club, and a day camp. The building, dedicated in 1905, was built with $50,000 given by Andrew Carnegie, supplemented with funds raised by the town over 5 years. It has provided meeting rooms for scouts and a variety of other community organizations over the years.
